Last updated: October 2024
The aim of the Vison and Hearing Team is to work collaboratively with staff in special schools. The Vision and Hearing Team Specialist Teacher Advisers (STAs) for Vision and Hearing all work within the settings and with the VI, HI and MSI pupils. The VI and HI pupils will have a named member of the Vision and Hearing Team linked to them. The special school should identify a specific Link Person to liaise directly with the STAS to book visits and training.
Allocation of Support
A VHT Referral form must be completed and signed by parents/carers. Consent must be signed/given for the VHT to work with the child or young person (CYP). Referral forms can be downloaded from the Vision and Hearing Team page on the Portsmouth Local Offer website or requested by email or phone.
Email: sensoryimpairmentteam@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
Telephone: 02392 668612
The CYP will be seen if they meet the referral criteria for Vision or Hearing (Appendix 1). Vision are open to referrals from any source, however, all hearing referrals need to be by an audiologist. School can ask parent/carers to get a referral to audiology from their GP or paediatrician.
The type and level of support, monitoring and advice offered by STAS HI and VI will vary dependent on the need arising from the sensory (vision, hearing or MSI) loss of the individual as part of their wider needs.
The VHT VI Special School Eligibility Framework and/or HI Special School Eligibility Framework (Appendix 2) will guide the allocation and nature of visit. Visits will also be based on current need and kept under regular review. In addition, STAs are available for extra visits as and when needed e.g. equipment issues, teaching of specific skill or intervention and training.
A Hearing or Vision Profile for each pupil will be written by the STA and only amended if there are changes. The profile details the type of hearing loss or eye condition, how they use their vision, any equipment and strategies to support their learning.
A visit from the VHT will be based on need and kept under regular review.
What to expect from a visit?
A visit from the VHT will cover a variety of the following:
- Use of equipment
- In class observation to access functional skills, use of adult support and teaching/learning strategies under supervision of staff
- Training – e.g. whole school, year teams, new staff, child specific, skill specific, HI or VI condition specific
- Liaison with key staff
- Teaching of specific skills such as braille
- Pupil specific work e.g. mobility and independence, braille skills, access technology skill
- Targeted interventions
- Modelling of good practice
- HI or VI assessments
- Work in the sensory room
- Provide information and/or attend Annual Reviews
- Attendance at TAC/CIN/PCP or EHCP meetings if appropriate. Priority will be given to high sensory need, those learning braille and transition children
The main role of the STA is to provide guidance and advice. It is important for the school to provide time for staff to talk to the STAs.
Work in the sensory room needs to be supported by a member of staff who knows the child well.
With new pupils the STAs and school staff will work together to assess the child.
Equipment
Hearing Equipment – all hearing aids are provided by the Audiology Department which the pupil attends. There will be regular review appointments and assessment of the pupils hearing, following their protocol for this. Cochlear Implant equipment is provided and replaced by the respective implant centre which issued it. Additional equipment such as radio aids will be provided by the VHT STAHIs following the radio aid policy.
Vision Equipment – specialist equipment for VI such as braillers can be loaned as appropriate.
It is expected that the school will provide non-specialist equipment such as iPads and laptops if appropriate.
Reporting
Where appropriate, written information will be provided for Annual Reviews in the form of VHT Reports or Records of Contact (ROC). A ROC will be written after a visit or series of visits (e.g. where a specific skill or programme is being delivered by VHT). If a ROC is not written, a targeted intervention sheet will be provided to inform school and home.
Appendix 1
Referral Criteria for Visual Impairment
- We will work with children and young people with or without a diagnosis.
- We offer support to all children and young people from birth to 19 who meet the criteria below.
- Post 16 young people without an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) must be in some form of further education e.g. college or apprenticeship.
- We do not support young people at university or in the work placement.
- If the young person has an EHCP, we will support up to age 25 whilst they are in some form of further education or apprenticeship.
- We support pre-school children and like to be involved as soon as a visual impairment has been diagnosed or identified. There is no lower age limit.
- If a CYP is on roll at a setting but being educated at home, the VHT will continue to support.
- If the CYP is electively home educated and already on the VHT caseload, an Advisory Teacher will do an initial home visit, carry out assessments and write a report. There will be no further involvement from the VHT unless commissioned to do so or the CYP returns to a setting.
- If the CYP is electively home educated and not already on the VHT caseload, the VHT can only work with the child or young person if the VHT has been commissioned to do so.
- A referral form should be completed with signed consent.
Children and young people will receive support if they meet one or more of the following:
- A corrected distance vision of 6/12* or less, in the better eye. (mild visual loss)
- A corrected distance vision of 6/12* or less with both eyes together. (mild visual loss)
- A near vision of 6/12* (difficulty reading print size N14 or smaller at 30-33cm) (mild visual loss)
- Restricted visual fields which might be central affecting near vision e.g. Cone Dystrophy associated with Bull’s Eye Maculopathy, or peripheral loss. Peripheral defects must be extensive enough to meet criteria for registration.
- A degenerative eye condition (early referral vital) e.g. Retinitis Pigmentosa, Usher’s Syndrome, Juvenile Batten’s Disease.
- Any diagnosed ocular condition (not including refractive errors).
- Registration as sight impaired or severely sight impaired. This is on the recommendation of an ophthalmologist. The orthoptist/ophthalmologist will complete the registration form and the VI service will carry out the functional vision assessment.
- Cortical Visual Impairment (diagnosed by a consultant ophthalmologist).
- Acquired VI e.g. traumatic head injury leading to loss of vision.
- Refractive error not fully corrected by glasses or other visual impairment which prevents effective use of vision.
*NOTE: *The classification of readings above applies to corrected vision with both eyes open. The measure of FUNCTIONAL vision (as measured by the Specialist Teacher Adviser, Visual Impairment, QTVI) will be taken. If clinical readings are available, they will help inform. The professional judgement of a QTVI should be applied to decide on the classification and whether the CYP meets the criteria to be placed on request, on the active caseload or not accepted by the Vision and Hearing Team. For example, a young person may have a mild reduction in visual acuity but be functioning within a different visual category due to an additional ophthalmic condition, e.g. Nystagmus, visual field reduction, cerebral visual impairment and/or learning difficulties.
Note: Where it is not possible to obtain functional vision readings or clinical readings, information obtained through observation and discussion will inform decision.
Mild loss Visual acuity 6/12 – 6/18
A child or young person with this level of vision impairment may have some, but not necessarily all, of the following:
- Inability to accurately track a moving object at more than a few metres distance.
- Will have the ability to move around safely.
- Will be able to reach accurately for toys.
- Inability to see fine detail.
- Ability to locate one strand of 100s and 1000s or a grain of rice.
Moderate loss Visual acuity 6/18 – 6/36
A child or young person with this level of vision impairment may have some, but not necessarily all, of the following:
- Inability to track a moving object beyond one metre.
- Difficulty moving around safely.
- Will have ability to track a moving object at less than one metre providing object is well contrasted and moving slowly.
- Ability to locate a chocolate button on a plain, contrasting background.
- Able to work towards independent mobility within a safe environment.
Severe loss Visual acuity 6/36- 6/60
A child or young person with this level of vision impairment may have some, but not necessarily all, of the following:
- Uncontrollable erratic eye movements.
- Inability to follow or track moving objects unless very close.
- Ability to locate a bright fluorescent tennis ball on a tabletop.
Profound loss (blind) Visual acuity
Requires a tactile means of learning (objects of reference, Moon, possibly Braille).
The following do meet the criteria for referral to the service, but may not be placed on the regular caseload and may receive “one off”, “on request” or annual visits only unless there are other associated visual conditions.
- Monocular vision where sight is within normal limits in the good eye and stable
- Squints (dealt with by Orthoptists at the Eye Clinic)
- Mild colour deficiency
- Visual perceptual difficulties
- Lack of binocular (or 3D) vision (usually associated with squints or monocular vision)
Hearing Impairment
The Vision and Hearing Team (VHT), accept referrals for children and young people with a diagnosed hearing loss from Audiology.
The child’s G.P. should be consulted if any concerns are raised about a child’s hearing. If appropriate the G.P. will refer the child to Audiology. If Audiology consider that the child would benefit from our support, they will discuss this with the child’s parents/guardian and ask for their written consent for information to be shared with our team.
Further information and advice for educational settings can be found on the Portsmouth City Council Local Offer website.
The Advisory Teachers have links with Audiology departments of our local hospital and ensure that the medical professionals are aware of our referral criteria to ensure that children and young people in Portsmouth receive support from the VHT if needed.
Once a referral is received the referral is allocated to an Advisory Teacher and the child is added to the caseload.
The Advisory Teacher will contact parents and will ask for their verbal consent to contact the educational setting and other professionals if appropriate. Parents are asked to sign the Vision and Hearing Team’s consent to share form, which allows the Advisory Teacher to share
information with the educational setting, verbally and in writing.
If the referral is for a baby or child not yet at pre-school the Advisory Teacher will visit the home.
Once a child has been referred, an initial assessment will be carried out and a written report produced (in accordance with VHT Reporting and Assessment Policy).
Visit frequency is guided by the NatSIP (National Sensory Impairment Partnership) eligibility criteria which gives a score and a support pattern. However, the visit criteria is also based on current needs identified and the professional judgement of the QTHI.
Referral Criteria for Hearing Impairment
We will work with all children and young people with a diagnosis of a Hearing Impairment who have been referred by an Audiologist.
We offer support to all children and young people in Further Education 0 to 19 years or 25 years with EHCP) who meet the criteria described above. We support pre-school children and like to be involved as soon as a hearing impairment has been diagnosed or identified. There is no lower age limit.
Educated at Home
If a child or young person is on roll at a setting but being educated at home, the VHT will continue to support.
If the child or young person is on the HI or VI caseload already but then is electively home educated, the VHT will visit and assess at home once only and provide a Report or Record of Contact.
Appendix 2 Criteria to Allocate Support
Level of Support
The level of support may be subject to change according to changing needs.
The levels of support will be guided by the nature, severity and complexity of their needs, according to the National Sensory Impairment Partnership (NatSIP) criteria.
The VHT will also be guided by VHT Special School Eligibility Criteria.
A visit can include duties outlined ‘What to expect from a visit’.
