Overview
The Sensory Team offers support for children and young people who are deaf, have a hearing impairment, or have a vision impairment. They are part of the Nottingham City SEND and inclusion Support Services and works in partnership with families, education settings, and health professionals to ensure children and young people can access learning, develop independence and/or communication skills, and be fully included in their educational environments.
We provide specialist support for children and young people with visual and hearing needs from diagnosis through to leaving school, including sixth form. Children and young people do not need an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) to access advice, guidance, or support from our service.
The service is delivered by a specialist multi-disciplinary team, which includes:
- Qualified Teachers of the Deaf (ToD)
- Qualified Teachers of the Visually Impaired (QTVI)
- A teacher specialising in multisensory impairment
- An Educational Audiologist
- BSL instructors
- Specialist teaching assistants
Where appropriate, we also arrange additional support such as habilitation (mobility and independence training) through partner services.
We support children and young people from birth who:
Vision Impairment
- Have a clinical diagnosis of vision impairment from an ophthalmologist
- (Children whose vision is fully corrected with glasses are not classed as visually impaired)
Deaf / Hearing Impairment
- Have been identified as having a hearing impairment by audiology services or a medical practitioner
Eligibility (both services)
- Live in Nottingham City or attend a Nottingham City school or academy
- Children attending independent schools may receive support if commissioned once they reach statutory school age
All support is based on individual need and follows the National Sensory Impairment Partnership (NATSIP) eligibility framework