What we do

The Virtual School Sensory Support (VSSS) team consists of specialist teachers, specialist support assistants, habilitation officers, an educational audiologist, and technical support officer.

Our staff support from the point of diagnosis, working in homes, early years settings, schools and post 16 settings.

We offer a wide range of support according to individual needs to Multi-Sensory Impaired (MSI), Vision Impaired and Deaf children and young people, from the age of 0 to 25 years, including those in post-16 education.

Find out more about who we support.

We aim to give a high quality service to each child or young person and their parents or carers, providing teaching, advice and information.

We support the development of mobility, orientation and independent living skills of children and young people with Vision Impairment through Habilitation training.

Find out more about our Habilitation for Vision Impaired students.

Early intervention

Our staff will work with

Children and young people from the initial diagnosis of their deafness or vision loss
Health professionals to provide high quality support to families
Parents/carers of young children to support early development
Children and young people to develop their communication skills
Colleagues in schools, Early Years and post-16 settings to adapt teaching and learning resources

Inclusive learning

Specialist staff provide

Advice on curriculum and independent learning access
Support for professionals, such as teachers and teaching assistants, through INSET and ongoing training
Advice on access arrangements for exams and assessments
Training in communication skills and the use of specialist equipment and ICT 
Environmental audits to support children and young people in their learning environment
Advice to promote children and young people's wellbeing, social and communication skills

Transition

We aim to ensure smooth transitions for children and young people by

Supporting transition at Key Stages
Transferring information and ensuring specialist equipment is in place in the new setting
Supporting students through transition into post 16 provision, employment and adulthood
Providing training to enable staff to best meet the needs of children or young people