- Request
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This request is about vision impairment (VI) education services, which The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) are issuing to every local authority in England:
Organisation and funding of your local authority Education Vision Impairment (VI) Advisory service:
1. How is provision for children and young people with vision impairment funded?
2. If you answered that your funding is fully or partially delegated, please give further details of funding arrangement.
Structuring of services.
3. In the past twelve months, have any changes been made to the way that provision for children and young people with vision impairment is funded and/or organised?
a. If 'Yes' then please give details of the changes that have been made.
b. Were the above changes consulted with parents and VI organisations?
c. Any additional information on the consultation?
4. Are there any current or proposed reviews of the VI service that will affect the way it is organised, managed or funded (including moving to/ from a traded services arrangement), or are likely to affect the way that support for CYP with VI is provided or funded?
5. Please provide overall VI service budget (including staff, equipment and training). If you provided the past budgets in a previous FOI, you only need to provide the latest year.
6. If the budget above is shared with another service or cannot be separated from the sensory budget, please state what the budget encompasses.
Number of CYP on the VI service caseload and support available:
7. Please give the number of children and young people with vision impairment on the VI service active caseload for the following categories (i.e. those supported by the VI services):
a. EHCP total (all ages).
b. SEN Support total (all ages).
c. Not yet assessed/categorised total (all ages).
d. Other totals, please state any other groups which do not fit the above categories in additional information space (optional/ all ages).
e. Total (all ages and categories).
8. Excluding the children and young people with vision impairment previously counted, please give the number of children and young people with vision impairment, known to the VI service but not receiving direct support from the LA service. This could include out of county placements, advice on request, home educated, independent school etc.
a. EHCP Total (all ages).
b. SEN Support total (all ages).
c. Not yet assessed/categorised total (all ages).
d. Other totals, please state any other groups which do not fit the above categories in additional information space (optional/ all ages).
e. Total (all ages and categories).
9. In which of the following settings does the VI service support early years children (i.e. children who have not started in reception)?
10. What criteria does the VI service use for allocating levels of support?
a. NatSIP Eligibility Framework for Scoring Support Levels (2015).b. Locally developed criteria.
c. Other arrangement (please give details).
11. Does your LA require a CYP with VI to meet any of the following criteria before they will be considered for assessment for an EHCP?
12. What is the total number of children and young people who use (or in the case of EYFS children, are expected to use) braille as their sole or main literacy medium?
13. Are there any groups of children and young people with VI that are NOT currently supported by the VI service?
a. Specific age groups.
b. Children/YP in specific types of setting e.g. academies, further education etc.
c. Children/YP with complex needs.
d. Any other groups.
VI service staffing:
14. Which (if any) of the following qualifications are held by the person with responsibility for strategic management of the VI service?
a. Qualified teacher of pupils with vision impairment (QTVI (i.e. holds the mandatory qualification (MQ) in VI)).
b. Qualified teacher of the Deaf (TOD) (i.e. holds the mandatory qualification (MQ) in HI).
c. Qualified teacher of pupils with Multi-sensory Impairment (QTMSI (i.e. holds the mandatory qualification (MQ) in MSI).
d. Other qualifications (if yes please give details).
15. Please give the full time equivalent (FTE) number of teachers employed directly by the VI service for the categories that follow. (This includes peripatetic/advisory teachers, school-based teachers, and VI service manager if s/he has a caseload):
a. QTVI with mandatory qualification (MQ) (VI).
b. In training for MQ (VI).
c. Qualified teachers without MQ (VI) who will begin training within two years.
d. Qualified teachers without MQ (VI) not in or due to begin training within two years.
e. QTMSI with MQ (MSI).
f. QTVI and QTMSI MQ (holds both qualifications).
g. QTVI vacancies currently advertised.
h. QTVI vacancies – advertised but no suitable applicants.
16. Please give the total number of posts (headcount) employed directly by the VI service for the categories that follow. (This includes peripatetic/advisory teachers, school-based teachers, and VI service manager if s/he has a caseload):
a. QTVI with mandatory qualification (MQ) (VI).
b. In training for MQ (VI).
c. Qualified teachers without MQ (VI) who will begin training within two years.
d.Qualified teachers without MQ (VI) not in or due to begin training within two years.
e. QTMSI with MQ (MSI).
f. QTVI and QTMSI MQ (holds both qualifications).
g. QTVI vacancies currently advertised.
h. QTVI vacancies – advertised but no suitable applicants.
17. What is the average time from referral to VI service and initial visit? (please give estimation if exact time is unknown).
18. Please give details of the FTE of any other staff employed by the VI service by category. This includes staff who are employed directly, externally commissioned or bought in from another team within the LA: (please do not include mobility and rehabilitation officers):
a.Resource technicians FTE (for production of accessible materials).
b. ICT support technicians FTE.
c. Dedicated early years staff FTE.
d. Family support workers FTE.
e. Admin/secretarial FTE.
f. Other role FTE.
g. Details of other role(s) if applicable.
19.Please give the FTE staff number of teaching assistants (TAs) employed directly by the VI service who are providing support to pupils with vision impairment. If no TAs are directly employed please write '0':
a. Number of TAs by full time equivalent (FTE).
Registers:
20. Who in the LA holds the register for children and young people who are registered sight impaired or severely sight impaired?
a. Children’s disability team (or similar), Social Care.
b. Education/SEND/sensory team (or similar).
c. Local society for blind people/sight loss or sensory society (on behalf of local authority).
d. Other – the Local Offer Team. - Decision
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1. Other: The Lead Authority has a centrally funded team who support children and young people with severe and profound sensory needs; this team is funded from the Higher Needs Funding budget.
Funding is delegated to schools to support children with mild and moderate needs.
2. Schools are expected to provide support to the value of £6,000 per year to children. If a child with VI needs more support than that, they can access an EHC plan and support from the VI team.
3. No changes have been made.
4. No changes are planned.
5.
a. Budget for 2018/2019: £1,126,655.
b. Budget for 2019/2020: £1,189,190.
c. Budget for 2020/2021: £1,322,020.
6. The budget includes support for hearing impaired children and young people, and multi-sensory impaired children and young people, as well as visually impaired children and young people.
7.
a. 95.
b. 44.
c. 22.
d. Zero.
e. 161.
8.
a. 13.
b. 28.
c. Zero.
d. 41.
9.
a. Yes.
b. Yes.
c. Yes.
d. Yes.
e. Zero.
10.
a. Yes.
b. No.
c. No.
11.
a. Yes.
b. No.
c. No.
d. No.
e. N/A.
12. 11
13.
a. No.
b. No.
c. No.
d. Children and Young People with monocular vision or squints will have advice sheet initially. Follow up visits if access to curriculum compromised.
14.
a. No.
b. No.
c. No.
d. No qualifications relating to visual impairment.
15.
a. 3.1.
b. Two.
c. Zero.
d. Zero.
e. 1.2.
f. Zero.
g. Zero.
h. Zero.
16.
a. Five.
b. Two.
c. Zero.
d. Zero.
e. 1.2.
f. Zero.
g. Zero.
h. Zero.
17.One month.
18.
a. One.
b. Zero.
c. One.
d. Zero.
e. Zero.
f. One - Specialist TA for school aged VI CYP.
g. N/A.
19.
a. Two.
20. Other: The Local Offer Team. - Reference number
- FOI1957
- Date request received
- 21 October 2020
- Date of decision
- 06 November 2020