SchoolScreener for Schools announces an invaluable webinar for teachers and schools entitled ‘Teaching Pupils with Mild Vision or Hearing Difficulties’ on Thursday 20th June at 4pm.
The free event takes place on Thursday 20th June from 4pm to 5pm, featuring an expert panel organised by the Mark Allen Group (TES SEND show and Publishers of Headteacher Update and SecEd).
Mild vision and hearing problems in children are much more common than we might think and can act as a significant barrier to teaching and learning.
Studies suggest that one in five children has some form of visual deficit with the potential to affect their educational development (Li et al, 2016) and there have been “significant increases” (Holden et al, 2016) in short-sightedness due to increasing screentime among other factors.
Also, almost one in five children can be affected by mild hearing loss with most developing problems during childhood. Even minimal problems can have an impact on cognitive and auditory skills, speech and language development, or educational outcomes (Lieu et al, 2020; Moore et al, 2020).
This webinar will offer practical strategies for professionals working in primary or secondary schools; including teachers and teaching assistants, inclusion and pastoral teams, SENCOs, and other school staff involved with teaching and learning and child welfare; on how teachers and schools can support the education of these children.
During the one-hour discussion, our expert panel will consider classroom advice for teaching staff, the common links between vision and hearing difficulties and other learning barriers, advice on working with families to support children, and guidance for the SEND/Inclusion team. Key questions for discussion include:
• What are the common vision and hearing difficulties that teachers will encounter in the classroom?
• What impact do these conditions have in the classroom, in terms of pupil learning and engagement, behaviour, and on wider issues such as mental health?
• What are the implications for your classroom management and lesson-planning? What can teachers put in place to try and overcome these barriers to learning?
• What are the links between vision and hearing problems and other SEN or social, emotional and mental health needs?
• How can schools spot the signs of vision and hearing problems and work with parents/carers to find solutions?
• Why do schools need to take the lead in identifying vision and hearing deficits in their pupils? How can in-school screening programmes support this work?
• We will also consider the work of case study schools (primary and secondary) to overcome these challenges, identify and support pupils, and work with families.
The expert panel:
• Pete Henshaw (host) is the editor of SecEd and Headteacher Update and has specialised in education journalism for more than 20 years.
• Professor David Thomson is the Clinical Lead: Optometry with Thomson Screening. He has spent most of his professional life at City, University of London and in 2016 was elected a Life Fellow of the College of Optometrists for his outstanding contribution to the profession.
• Liz Zoccolan is assistant headteacher and SENDCO at Harrogate Grammar School in North Yorkshire
• Caroline Lang is headteacher of Longsands Community Primary School, Preston.
• Sharon Hobin Early Years Lead Beech Hill CP School, Wigan
SchoolScreener for Schools has been developed for use by school support staff to identify children with vision or hearing deficits from ages 7-18. The software is a variant of SchoolScreener Vision and Hearing, used since 2013 by non-clinical NHS staff to screen children at Reception age. SchoolScreenerforSchools includes automated reporting for Inclusion, SLT and Parents, Data management is also automated.
Thomson Screening is the leading supplier of software for Vision and Hearing Screening and other School Health Needs including Health/Risk Assessments, Immunisations, Height/Weight and associated data management.
The company was founded in 2011 by City, University of London, and further develops and commercialises the work of Professor David Thomson, for 25 years head of Department at the University’s Department of Optometry and Dr. Sebastian Hendricks, Consultant at Great Ormond Street Hospital in Paediatric Audiovestibular Medicine.
Thomson Screening’s products address healthcare, education and workplace needs around the world with the software has managing over 3million screenings to date. Customers include the NHS in the UK, non-profit organisations in the USA and NGOs in developing countries.
