Choosing a school
It is important that you are able to make an informed choice about which school your child attends. There are a number of options available to Deaf, Visually Impaired (VI) and Multi-Sensory Impaired (MSI) children in Norfolk. You may want to discuss these options with your child's Teacher of Deaf Children & Young People (ToDCYP) or Teacher of Visually Impaired Children and Young People (QTVI).
When you are ready, visit the schools that you want to consider. This will give you a clear idea of what each offers.
Your Local School
If you choose your local school, your child will attend the same school as other children in the neighbourhood. Some examples of support they will have access to include:
- Advisory and teaching visits from your child's ToDCYP or QTVI
- Information about opportunities to mix with a peer group with similar needs through out-of-school events (e.g. social and sporting activities)
- Speech and Language Therapy as recommended by the local provider
- Additional support and adaptations, where necessary (e.g. large print materials, braille, assistive technology, or BSL support)
Resource Bases
There are Deaf Resource Bases in Colman Infant and Junior School (Norwich), and specialist packages of support available for Deaf students at high school. While there are currently no dedicated VI resource bases, specialist VI support is available across mainstream and special schools.
All children can access the specialist support provided by these services while being part of their class and school community.
Within these settings and across all LA schools, your child may have access to:
- Teaching from a ToDCYP or QTVI
- A Specialist Support Assistant (SSA) who may support your child in class, as appropriate or teach specialist curriculum activities/skills directed by a ToDCYP or QTVI
- Speech & Language Therapy, as appropriate
- A peer group with similar needs
- Home to school transport, if needed
The high school specialist package may include:
- Teaching from a ToDCYP or QTVI
- Additional support from either a VSSS SSA and/or Habilitation Officer under the direction of the ToDCYP or QTVI
- Adapted resources from VSSS Resource Team
- Speech & Language Therapy, if appropriate
Sensory Support for Children with Additional Needs
There are several Complex Needs Schools across the county, although the range of provision will differ.
Within a complex needs school, your child may have access to:
- Support from a Teacher with an additional qualification in sensory impairment
- Small teaching groups
- Specialist support staff (including BSL (British Sign Language) users and VI/MSI trained staff)
- A school nurse, Speech and Language Therapy, Physiotherapy, and Occupational Therapy
- Sensory studios and adapted learning environments
- Home to school transport, where required
- Access Through Technology (ATT) team support
Out-of-County Schools
There are also several residential, out-of-county schools which make provision for Deaf and/or Visually Impaired children.
If you would like more information about these schools, please contact us at [email protected]. Read our privacy notice to find out how we use your personal information.
