Thank you for contacting me about the education of vision impaired children and the Guide Dogs campaign on their behalf.
I understand your concerns on this issue. It is important that we assess the educational outcomes of specialist special educational needs and disability (SEND) qualifications and I believe we should ensure these qualifications reflect the changing needs of the education system.
I welcome that pupils will benefit from £730 million in funding during the 2021-22 financial year. Further, I understand that £2.6 billion will be made available to fund schools places for children with special educational needs and disabilities. This will help to provide greater support for local authorities to enable them to work with young people with SEND, including children with vision impairment.
I recognise that getting the right outcomes is not just a matter of funding. Therefore, I welcome that a review of the SEND system is currently underway to see what further improvements are necessary to make sure every child gets the education that is right for them. This review will help to establish a sustainable and effective SEND system in the future. I understand that the review is progressing at pace, and that the Department for Education will bring forward proposals for public consultation in the first three months of 2022.
The Government is also supporting university students with impaired vision through the Disabled Students’ Allowance, which is available to supplement the support offered by higher education institutions and enables the provision of more specialist support to be offered. For example, mobility trainers for blind or visually impaired students.
A number of the recommendations in the Guide Dogs report are addressed at Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) and their Eye Care Delivery Boards. I would be happy to write to my local Integrated Care System to raise any individual concerns about the needs of children and young people with vision impairment in Teignbridge.
Thank you also to constituents who wrote to ask me to meet with representatives of Guide Dogs at the Conservative Party Conference. I do not attend Party Conference as I prefer to spend the time working in the constituency, but I absolutely welcome the excellent work the charity does, and would welcome information from Guide Dogs about the subjects they are covering at Conference this year.
