The Primary Specialist Provision for Visual Impairment
Intent
At Dalton Primary Additionally Resourced Provision for Children with a Visual Impairment, our intent is to ensure that children (0-11years) with visual impairment in Kirklees, are supported at home, mainstream, nursery and school setting in order to have equal access to all aspects of education and development, and to make progress commensurate with their peers.
Thus, wherever possible we engage parents and other professionals as partners in order to ensure the development of the whole child with visual impairment. Our intent is focused on developing children’s aspiration through independence and giving them purposeful opportunities to engage their pupil voice. Everything we do is progressive and built on closing the developmental gaps between the visually impaired child and their sighted peers. As a result, we work beyond the curriculum to enhance skills for independence, enabling children with visual impairment to succeed within the curriculum, for example, tactile skills to enable a visually impaired child to access maps or graphs. We strive to ensure that children are given the opportunities to address any gaps within their global development, and offer support to our families on issues caused by their child’s visual impairment beyond school.
Through this intent, we also strive to ensure children with visual impairment become confident young people who can contribute to society and lead full and active lives.
With the intention described above, the provision is designed to promote equality and engage an ownership and love of learning so that at the end of their primary years children have an acceptance and understanding of their eye condition, but also have a full awareness of how to maximise their strengths.
Oak
The provision base is called Oak and it is here where the children on fixed places receive daily tuition from 8.25 to 8.55 am. They learn extra skills as part of their ‘Additional Curriculum’ which includes: Habilitation (mobility) and Independent Living Skills, Braille and Pre-Braille, Specialised ICT including Touch Typing and Talking Equipment , Use of Low Vision Aids, Social and Emotional Development including knowledge of own eye condition , Tactile Skills, Listening Skills and Exam Preparation and Access.
The children are taught in class with their peers and staff encourage them to be as independent as possible. Resources are provided to meet individual needs from large print materials to specialist computer speech software. There is a positive approach to the inclusion of all pupils and children have access to all extracurricular activities. Parents are kept informed via a Home School Book and are encouraged to attend meetings and school events.
From little acorns, mighty oaks will grow
