Sensory and Physical Needs - Hearing Impairment

Please refer to the document ‘Guidelines Re: A Decision to Request an EHC Statutory Assessment’ before completing a request form.

Sensory and Physical Needs - Hearing Impairment

Many children whose hearing impairment has been diagnosed early will be receiving support as a result of referral to specialist services before they started school. This will consist of teaching, advice and supervision of equipment from a member of the Hearing Impairment Team (HIT) of SEN Specialist Support and/or the Audiology personnel.

Many children/young people with a profound permanent hearing loss will attend a special school or centre for hearing impaired pupils. Their SEN will probably have been identified and assessed before they reach school age.

Pupils in mainstream schools who have a hearing impairment but without a statement of SENor EHC plan, are likely to be:

• pupils who have a temporary/intermittent hearing loss, such as that caused by 'glue ear', and as a result have a mild or moderate hearing loss;
• pupils with mild, moderate or severe hearing loss whose needs have been met (through medical services) with advice and specialist equipment but who have never been referred for a statutory assessment because they appear to be able to access a full curriculum at school and their educational attainment appears to be appropriate;
• pupils who have a unilateral (one-sided) hearing loss of any level;

Progress

Whatever the level of the pupils' difficulties, the key test of whether their needs are being met is whether they are making adequate progress. For a pupil with hearing difficulties this might be:

• in relation to the pupil’s progress in areas less affected by their difficulties;
• when difficulties are managed so that increased participation in the full curriculum becomes possible;
• along the lines of the guidelines for pupils with general difficulties where a gap in attainment is prevented, decreased or closed.

Schools may wish to seek further educational advice for these pupils if they do not thrive in schools. This might consist of further advice from an HI specialist about learning or behaviour, since early or on-going but intermittent hearing loss can have an effect on progress in other areas, for example - the development of early literacy skills or the ability to make age-appropriate relationships with other people.

Where a pupil has a known hearing loss, which suddenly becomes more severe, the teacher of the deaf from SEN Specialist Support will work with the school to maximise opportunities for success and avoid the experience of failure. They might also provide advice about equipment that may be helpful.

Parents/Carers must have been consulted and the pupil’s views taken into account.

Hearing Impairment (in the context of a statutory assessment) is designated as a permanent hearing loss which has resulted in a language delay of at least two years or a significant discrepancy between verbal and non-verbal achievement on standard tests.

Where pupils have a temporary / intermittent hearing loss (such as that caused by 'glue ear') or where their SEN have been met through medical services and advice from the specialist teacher or educational psychologist so that they are able to access the curriculum and achieve appropriate attainment levels, a statutory assessment of SEN will not be necessary.

Key stage / Age/ Abilities / Possible Indicators of Concerns about
Attainment / Progress / Documentation required
Foundation
Key stage 1
Key stage 2
Key stage 3
Key stage 4
Post-16 / Pupils with hearing impairment come from the whole ability range and the impact of their loss will affect their progress differently in proportion to the severity of the loss, the age at which the loss was identified and appropriate educational opportunities became available and the range / complexity of other needs.
Pupils with hearing impairment may learn language more slowly and reach full competence at a later age than their hearing peers. This may have an impact on their development of other basic academic and social skills.
They may need to be taught skills which other children develop independently.
Frustration might result in generally unacceptable behaviour patterns. / Although hearing impairment is the primary SEN, it is part of a wider spectrum of difficulties that hinder or prevent the pupil from making appropriate progress.
Significantly depressed verbal ability scores representing delayed language development. Communication skills are severely impaired.
Significant discrepancy between verbal and non-verbal ability
Seriously below age-appropriate 'academic' attainments of at least 2 years.
Pupil may need to learn additional modes of communication: lip-reading and maybe SSE or BSL.
Pupil cannot make progress in mainstream classes without specialist interpretation and preparation of lesson content. Social interactions are immature and specialist teaching is required to enable the development of age-appropriate skills and the ability to make and maintain relationships with peers and adults. / Medical, auditory and functional hearing records.
Reports from SENSS qualified hearing Impairment teacher and/or educational psychologist.
Information from the school as to how needs have been addressed, including evaluated IEPs and attainment data, and progress in relation to nationally expected levels as for all pupils.
Information about any other areas of achievement.
Information about work done by the school to meet needs.

Sensory and Physical Needs - Vision Impairment

Pupils with a vision impairment have a visual loss, which cannot be fully corrected. Usually this will be the result of a genetic or perinatal condition, so most will have had their visual loss identified at an early age and many pupils will be registered as sight impaired. The majority of pupils with profound and multiple difficulties also have a vision impairment.

Pupils with a vision impairment need to be monitored carefully to ensure that their vision impairment impedes their learning progress as little as possible.

Whatever the level of the pupils’ impairment, the key test of whether their learning needs are being met is whether they are making expected progress. For a pupil with vision impairment this might be:

• their progress in areas less affected by their difficulties, such as their verbal skills;
• when difficulties are managed so that barriers to participation in the full curriculum are minimised;
• along the lines of the guidelines for pupils with general learning difficulties where a gap in attainment is prevented, decreased or closed.

Most pupils with early significant VI will already be receiving support, as they will have been referred to specialist services, before they started school. This will consist of advice and provision and supervision of any necessary equipment by a member of the Vision Impairment Team of SENSpecialist Support.

Pupils with significant vision impairment are likely to require alternative ways to access learning opportunities, advice about age-appropriate assistive technology and other equipment, and training in self-help and independence skills. They will require assessment for mobility and accessibility arrangementswhich will provide a safe environment in which to move around.

Schools should seek further educational advice for these pupils if they do not make adequate progress at school.This might be a combination of further advice from a VI specialists or EP, perhaps including advice about learning or behaviour if these are secondary concerns, since early or on-ongoing loss of vision can have an effect on emotional adjustment and progress in another area, such as the development of early literacy skills or the ability to make age-appropriate relationships with others.

Parent/Carers must have been consulted and the pupil’s viewstaken into account.

VisionImpairment

Key stage / Abilities / Possible Indicators of Concerns about Attainment / Progress / Documentation required
Foundation
Key stage 1
Key stage 2
Key stage 3
Key stage 4
Post-16 / Many children, especially those with profound and multiple disabilities, might not use their functional vision to the optimum. For this reason early identification and access to appropriate teaching is essential.
Where this is neglected a range of other difficulties might develop e.g. difficult behaviour patterns.
Pupils may need to be taught skills which other children develop independently: e.g. self-help and mobility skills. They might need a modified environment and access to specialist equipment to enable learning.
Children with progressive conditions need to be monitored especially carefully as a loss of vision has both learning and emotional implications. / Although vision impairment is the primary SEN, it is part of a wider spectrum of difficulties that impede or prevent the pupil from making appropriate progress.
The pupil requires mobility training in order to function independently and take part in all aspects of school life.
Social communication and interaction skills are impaired so that the pupil cannot make age-appropriate relationships with peers and/or adults and is not aware of socially acceptable behaviour patterns in important areas.
Development of basic cognitive skills is delayed. The pupil needs significant adaptations to curriculum materials and access to alternative media (e.g. Braille/ Adapted Print) or technology that enables access to print media.
Pupil has difficultly developing the listening and concentration skills necessary to access the curriculum / Medical, ophthalmological and functional vision records.
Reports from SENSpecialist Support qualified advisory teacher for visionimpairment and/or educational psychologist.
Information from the school as how needs have been addressed, including evaluated IEPs and attainment and progress in relation to nationally accepted curriculum levels as for all pupils.
Information about any other areas of achievements.
Information about work done by the school to meet needs.

Physical and Medical Difficulties

Most children with physical disabilities sufficiently severe as to require a statutory assessment will have been identified and assessed before they reach school age.

There will be a small number of children who require additional resources and possibly, ultimately, statutory assessment during their school career. Their difficulties may result from an accident, illness, trauma or deterioration arising from a physical or medical condition. Pupils with a stable medical condition can sometimes have additional health needs.

Difficulties can include:

• impaired gross- and/or fine-motor co-ordination which can result in problems with recording work with pen or pencil;
• restricted mobility;
• special problems;
• the need for a health care plan and routine care procedures during the school day, e.g. gastronomy feeding; managing incontinence;
• fatigue/frustration as a result of the greater effort required to access and participate in the curriculum;
• the need to administer medication. (This in itself is not a reason to be eligible for statutory assessment unless it affects the pupil’s ability to access education at an appropriate level.)

Associated difficulties might include:

• difficulties with self-help and independence skills;
• communication difficulties (impaired speech);
• limited concentration span;
• interrupted schooling due to hospital visits or periods or illness.

For some children difficulties are likely to increase, as they get older; for others a short-term input may be all that is required. In most of these instances, application can be made for High Needs funding if the school’s resources have been depleted.

For some pupils,the demands of the curriculum and school life increase: e.g. children/YP with mild cerebral palsy; children/YP with developmental co-ordination disorders, such as dyspraxia. Some pupils might require specialist input that is not available in a mainstream school and this may be available from SEN Specialist Support or Health.

Whatever the level of the pupil’s difficulties, the key test of whether their learning needs are being met iswhether they are making adequate progress. For a pupil with physical difficulties this may be judged:

• in relation to their progress in areas less affected by their difficulties;
• when difficulties are ameliorated so that increased participation in the full curriculum becomes possible;
• along the lines of the criteria for pupils with general learning difficulties where a gap in attainment is prevented, decreased or closed.

Physical and Medical Disabilities

Key Stage / Abilities / Possible Indicators of Concerns about Attainment / Progress / Documentation required
Foundation
Key stage 1
Key Stage 2
Key Stage 3
Key Stage 4
Post-16 / Physical disabilities can cover a wide range of conditions that might also include sensory, language acquisition and learning impairments. Where the pupil has significant difficulties in other areas; learning, speech, and language, hearing or vision, please refer to other charts.
Pupils needs should be considered on an individual basis.
Many of the difficulties can be mitigated or managed through the use of appropriate equipment or assistive technology.
Pupils should have access to the full curriculum with the necessary equipment, ICT and personal support. / Pupil’s reduced mobility necessitates specialist equipment or training to enable the pupil to access the full curriculum.
Physiotherapy or occupational therapy requirements cause the pupil to miss a significant amount of lesson time and physical disability makes catching up impossible. Speed of working is a significant issue at all times.
Physical difficulties hinder or prevent the pupil from accessing the curriculum effectively and independently. Most work needs to be adapted or mediated through specialist equipment /ICT or personnel.
Pupil’s physical difficulties cause a high level of fatigue or emotional stress that hinders or prevents access to the curriculum. Pupil needs specific training to develop the ability to make and maintain relationships with peers and adults. / Medical reports.
Reports from occupational and physiotherapists.
Reports from SENSpecialist Support qualified Physical Disability advisory teacher and/or educational psychologist.
Information from the school as to how needs have been addressed, including evaluated IEPs and attainment and progress in relation to nationally accepted levels as for all pupils.
Information about any other areas of achievements.
Information about work done by the school to meet needs.

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