Bolton Sensory Support Service

Bolton Sensory Support Service supports children and young people (0-25) with sensory impairment: Hearing Impairment, Visual Impairment and Multi Sensory Impairment. Children and Young people are usually referred to the service through clinical settings (Ophthalmology and Audiology). The service provides support, advice and information to families and education providers. We offer training to mainstream staff and work closely with other agencies to ensure the best outcomes for your child. For more information and a full list of services we offer please visit our website www.thomasson.bolton.sch.uk

Hearing Impairment - Having a hearing impairment can put the development of speech, language and communication at risk. We work with families and education providers to minimise these risks. Each child we support has different needs and their families need help in varying ways. Having a hearing impairment can create barriers to learning both socially and academically. We use communication to learn but predominantly, socially to share our ideas, our thoughts, our feelings and to understand those of others.

Our specialist Qualified Teachers of the Deaf (QToD)have extensive knowledge of hearing loss and how to lessen its impact. We are here to offer support, advice and information to parents at home and education providers in nurseries, mainstream and special schools, colleges and universities. Levels of support offered are assessed and reviewed in accordance with the severity of need.

Visual Impairment - The team is involved with pupils and students who have a range of vision impairments. You can be referred by a clinician and will be offered specific support to ensure you can access education fully. We will work with your education provider to ensure they understand your visual needs, as well as provide specific support and resources to you. Each child we support has different needs and their families need help in varying ways, we have the experience and expertise to support you. We are a team of specialist Qualified Teachers of the Visually Impaired (QTVI), teaching assistants and a mobility and independence specialist who will work flexibly to ensure your child's needs are met at home and in education.

We offer specific support to ensure your child can access education fully. We will work with your education provider to ensure they understand your visual needs, as well as provide specific support and resources to you.

Primary Resourced Provision.

Children with a vision impairment can attend our specialist provision at Sharples Primary School. This is a mainstream primary school with additional resources and qualified staff to meet the needs of children with a severe vision impairment.

Multi Sensory Impairment - Multisensory impairment refers to a combination of vision and hearing impairments which affect communication, access to information and mobility. We support educational settings and families in order to maximise opportunities for learning and inclusion. Although most people with multisensory impairment will have some useful vision and/or hearing the barriers created by the combination of the impairments can lead to more difficulty than could be expected from each impairment separately. Many children and young people with multisensory impairment also have additional medical, physical and cognitive disabilities.

Our advisory teacher for multisensory impairment supports children and young people aged 0-25 years in a range of settings including; at home, in nurseries and in mainstream and specialist schools and colleges. Children and young people are usually referred to the service through clinical settings (ophthalmology and audiology) and levels of support offered are guided by the nature and severity of their visual and hearing impairment and the impact this has on their learning and development.

Age	0 to 25 years
Cost	0.00
Referral details	Medical Referrals - but please speak to us if you have medical information
Special provisions
Ofsted report
SEN type	Cognition and learning Communication and interaction Sensory or physical
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