The Education of Children and Young People with a Sensory Impairment in Scotland
The aims of this report were: to establish the numbers of children and young people aged 0 to 18 with a sensory impairment currently attending publicly funded mainstream schools in Scotland or one of the grant-aided schools for sensory impairment; to investigate the qualifications and age range of specialist teachers; and, to consider the level of support and CPD opportunities for non-specialist teachers and support staff. To achieve the aims publicly available data, mainly drawing on the pupil census, were used as well as data from surveys of local authorities. The two grant aided special schools for children with a sensory impairment were also invited to contribute; one responded to the survey and one did not.
It is intended to use this information to identify possible shortfalls and to provide recommendations to enhance the provision for children and young people with sensory impairment across Scotland. The recommendations were further developed during a meeting with the Heads of Sensory Services facilitated by the Scottish Sensory Centre at the end of May 2012 and are reflected in Section 6.
