Teaching assistants play a vital role in the education of children with visual impairment. Partners in Learning is designed to meet their training needs and to recognise their skills and experience through an accredited BTEC qualification. We have collected here the experiences and thoughts of some employers and students who have undertaken the course in recent years.
Managers' views
Bridgid Weaver is Professional Leader of Leicestershire Visual Impairment Team. For the last five years she has worked with RNIB to provide accredited training for teaching assistants, support staff and early years practitioners. Around 10 places a year have been made available on a contracted Partners in Learning course held in the county. QTVIs from the VI Team act as mentors as they are familiar with the pupils and the schools/settings and can give support and advice based on 'insider' knowledge.
Bridgid said:
"We have made use of Standards Fund or similar monies to enable staff in mainstream and special schools and settings to access this targeted course. Course fees are paid centrally and a contribution towards the cost of cover is vired to the schools' budgets. The financial cost to schools and settings is minimal. The result is that we now have a large number of skilled people with a high level of specialist knowledge who have a direct and very positive effect on the inclusion of our children across the authority."
Jo Morgan is Manager of the VI Team in Staffordshire, where over the past four years 25 Communication Support Workers (CSWs) have been trained successfully via Partners in Learning.
Jo commented that:
"The funding has come from the Children and Lifelong Learning Directorate staff development training budget. C&LL is committed to the professional development of all their staff and recognise the need for specialist training in the field of Visual Impairment. All CSWs appointed to our Service are expected to follow this course and are rewarded financially on completion by receiving an additional point on the pay scale."
Janice Lunn, Senior Advisory Teacher for VI in Wakefield, has trained 10 staff on the course in the last two years and provides the venue at her own centre, reducing the cost to her own service by helping to recruit students from neighbouring schools and services.
Janice wrote:
"Partners in Learning gives support staff a qualification which recognises their specialism. It offers an opportunity to network with support staff in other LAs on a regular basis and share expertise and knowledge. But I think its greatest benefit is confirming to experienced staff that they are doing a great job with the kids and that they already know much more than they think they do."
Jane Booth, Headteacher of Ash Field School in Leicester said:
"The course has provided an experienced teaching assistant with a very interesting focus and a high level of challenge. At school, we have been able to use her expertise to make significant changes in our provision for several pupils. This has involved making and adapting teaching resources and approaches and thinking creatively about the learning environment for pupils with visual impairment. The course is clearly very practical and motivating. A further 'spin off' of is that many of the newly acquired skills and knowledge have been shared in a very positive way with other teaching and support staff."
Read feedback from particpants who have completed the course.