Unlocking Education for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment: Call to Action for Local Authorities

A Provision Under Pressure

The RNIB Freedom of Information Report (Feb 24) defines Educational Support for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment in England 2023 as a ‘Provision under Pressure.’

At Thomas Pocklington Trust we are working hard with other sector groups to improve outcomes for children and young people with vision impairment. We work closely with specialists from Vision Support Teams in local authorities and are aware of the dedication and support they offer to blind and partially sighted children and young people across England.

How the Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment Can Help Unlock Education

Specialist teaching and habilitation is essential for a child or young person with vision impairment to be able to develop the broad range of skills needed to access the national curriculum, extra-curricular activities and to prepare them to live independently in adulthood.

The Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI) is a UK wide framework developed by sector partners through extensive research and consultation. It supports children and young people with vision impairment aged 0 to 25 to access an appropriate and equitable education.

The CFVI outlines 11 key areas of learning including facilitating an inclusive world, independent living skills, mobility, accessing information, sport, social communication and preparing for adulthood. Not only can the CFVI improve the education experiences of blind or partially sighted children and young people, it also provides a shared language and guidance on best practice for everyone who supports them, including non-specialist staff, parents/carers and the young people themselves.

The RNIB Freedom of Information Report shows that 100% of local authorities are aware of the CFVI, and the majority of Vision Support Teams in authorities use both the criteria and resources in assessment, planning and reports. However, there is still work to be done to ensure the framework is easily accessed and used by blind and partially sighted children and young people, their parents / carers and mainstream teaching professionals in order to support the work of the specialists.

The CFVI offers a unifying framework of best practice and support for children and young people with vision impairment, their parents / carers and educators. It can help relieve the pressure for specialist services, promote inclusive, accessible education and the opportunity to thrive.

Call to Action

We call on local authorities in England to:

• reference and embed the CFVI in service commissioning, delivery frameworks and service practice.

On your local offer for SEND web page, we call on you to:

• make reference to the CFVI
• include the CFVI link and the guide for parents / carers by RNIB
• include the shared language in the CFVI to help frame EHCP reviews and aid CYP VI, their parents and carers in discussing support needs.

What we can offer

• We can provide an easy-to-understand summary of the key benefits of the CFVI
• links to the CFVI and parents / carers’ guide from RNIB
• case studies to illustrate how well it works for CYP VI, their parents / carers, and all specialists and non-specialists involved
• presentations on the CFVI to groups of LAs
• examples of best practice of referencing the CFVI on local offers.

For more information, please read our England report:

Unlocking education for all – Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment in England (rnib.org.uk)

For examples of best practice, please read:

Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI) – Norfolk Schools and Learning Providers – Norfolk County Council

Please see our resources for Local Authorities:

CFVI summary

Three reasons why you should know about the CFVI

Download our Call to Action for Local Authorities here!