SEND Minister Visits Pocklington Hub

Date posted: 12th March 2024

Today, Tuesday, 12 March 2024, David Johnston MP, Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, attended a roundtable where he listened to the views of blind and partially sighted (BPS) students – ‘Education through my eyes’ – at Thomas Pocklington Trust (TPT), Central London.

The event gave the Minister an opportunity to meet with nine blind and partially sighted young people (BPS YP), including members of TPT’s Student Voices and Young Voices advocacy group and hear about their experiences within education.

We know that navigating education can be complex for blind and partially sighted young people and how important it is that the barriers they face are properly understood and removed.

The students raised that they often do not get the right support and constantly have to fight to access their education.

Samih, one of the students said:

“We’re encouraged to put the effort in and do our best; like get to university, get to work, get to all these places that we need to be. But at the same time, we’re also being thrown to the wolves. Do it yourself because we can not help you.”

The current SEND system is not meeting the needs of blind and partially sighted young people and we are concerned that the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan lacks ambition. The Minister was called upon to ensure the SEND Change programme includes working with sensory impairment services so that that there is a clear plan on how low-incidence disabilities will be supported better now and in the future.

TPT raised the importance of support for blind and partially sighted students through the implementation of the Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI) in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) policy, including for those in post-16 education.

Technology plays a key role throughout education for blind and partially sighted students. Technology can enable them to progress through their education with the greatest levels of independence, preparing them for adulthood and the world of work.

We called upon the Minister for:

• The SEND Change programme to include working with sensory impairment services and sensory impairment sector, to ensure that there is a clear plan on how low incidence disabilities will be supported under the programme.
• The Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI) to be reflected in SEND policy.
• Ensure that YP leave compulsory education with the skills to use mainstream and assistive technology.

 

Lucy Merritt, Education Policy Manager at TPT, said:

“We want to thank the Minister for visiting us and we are looking forward to working with him and his team to ensure that the SEND policy takes into account the needs of blind and partially sighted young people.”

At TPT, we will continue to advocate for the experiences of blind and partially sighted young people so that their voices are heard and we can achieve our aim of unlocking education for all.