Sight loss charity the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has published its latest Freedom of Information (FOI) report on education provision for children with vision impairment (VI) living in England.
According to RNIB, there are more than 31,000 children and young people living with VI in England who need specialist VI support to be able to access education. RNIB’s annual FOI report shows this number is increasing year on year, “forcing local authorities to make their budget for this essential service stretch further and further”.
The organisation asserts that “despite supporting more children, over the past year nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of local authorities have seen their VI service budgets frozen or cut. This equates to a total of one in four children and young people being impacted by these budget cuts and freezes”.
It adds that “despite this year-on-year increase in caseloads across LAs in England, 57 per cent of local authorities also reported a decrease or freeze in the number of specialist VI teachers they employ, meaning that caseloads are getting higher, putting the workforce under increasing pressure and reducing the support available for children”.
“Overall, the findings are concerning and show a continual decline in the services and provision available to support children and young people with VI to access education, causing major disparities between children with VI and their sighted peers” – the RNIB states.
Lindsay Coyle’s daughter Lucy is seven-years old and is registered partially sighted due to congenital cataracts. She is currently in year three at primary school.
Lindsay said of Lucy’s education so far: “Lucy has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). We started the process of applying whilst she was in nursery, so it would ease the transition when she started primary school. As a result, Lucy has a teaching assistant who provides individual support for around half the time she’s at school, depending on what is going on in school day to day. The plan is to gradually decrease levels of direct support as she becomes independent. In addition, she has her own iPad in class which is linked to the interactive whiteboard, so it is much easier for her to follow lessons. When she first started school, they were very good at making the physical environment more accessible, such as painting the nosings on steps and highlighting other hazards.
“We also have regular input from the local authority with a Qualified Teacher of Children and Young People with Vision Impairment [QTVI] who visits on at least a termly basis and a support worker who comes in every couple of weeks to assist with things like mobility around school, supporting Lucy learning to touch type etc. The school have also joined RNIB Bookshare, which allows Lucy to access some of her reading books on her iPad. In general, the support she receives has been pretty good.”
Jane Sharp, senior education specialist QTVI at RNIB, said: “When the right provision and support are in place, children with vision impairment can thrive in school, as Lindsay and Lucy’s experience shows, and they are able to realise their full potential as adults alongside their sighted peers. However, many children and young people with VI are not getting the specialist support they need, when they need it, and the impact of this cannot be overstated, both for the individual and for society.
“The research speaks for itself – urgent action needs to be taken by the secretary of state to ensure budgets increase going forward, and to ensure there are adequate numbers of specialist VI teachers so there can be consistent provision of specialist support for children and young people with VI across England.
“As Lucy is getting older, having done this groundwork will allow us to focus on other things, such as building her social skills and confidence which is becoming more important as she starts to build firmer friendships. I think social skills and the challenges that VI children have making friends can so often be overlooked when the focus is very much on academic support. However, it is arguably one of the most important elements of being in school and the ability to interact well with her peers will stand her in good stead for the future.
“As parents, knowing she is well supported gives us peace of mind and the knowledge that she will be encouraged to achieve her full potential. That is not to say there have not been some bumps in the road. However building a strong relationship with the school, class teacher, SENCO as well as the QTVI ensures that any challenges can be overcome quickly with clear communication on all sides.”
To find out more about RNIB’s work in education, and to read the full FOI report here.