What is meant by Sensory and Physical?
The SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) defines sensory and/or physical as:
“Some children and young people require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. These difficulties can be age related and may fluctuate over time. Many children and young people with vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning, or habilitation support. Children and young people with an MSI have a combination of vision and hearing difficulties”
“Some children and young people with a physical disability (PD) require additional ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers.”
This describes the needs of children and young people with visual and/or hearing impairments and physical needs that mean they have additional ongoing support and equipment, and those children with medical needs that affect their ability to access school.
If you are worried about your child’s hearing you can ask your doctor for a hearing test, from which they will make a clinical decision about referring to an audiologist. An audiologist will determine if a referral to our specialist team is appropriate, or if your child’s needs can be met in school. If your child’s school or setting needs informal advice and support over the phone then they can contact the SEND hubs.
If you are worried about your child’s physical disability or they have severe/complex medical needs, your doctor will make a referral to our specialist team if it is appropriate or they will help to determine if your child’s needs can be met in school. If your child’s school or setting needs informal advice and support over the phone then they can contact the SEND hubs.
If you are worried about your child’s sight you can arrange an eye test. This will determine if a referral to our specialist team is appropriate, or if your child’s needs can be met in school. If your child’s school or setting needs informal advice and support over the phone then they can contact the SEND hubs.
The Council’s Plymouth Advisory Team for Sensory Support Team (PATSS) helps children and young people with a sensory impairment by supporting and enabling independent learning and the development of appropriate life skills. They work with children and young people from birth to 19 years who are deaf, visually impaired, deaf blind or dual sensory impaired in order to help them access the curriculum and environment at the same level as their peers.
Further reading and information via their website can be found at:
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The team can be contacted on:
The PATSS role usually involves joint work with a range of other professionals, including colleagues from the Royal Eye Infirmary (REI) and Audiology Services, as well as other SEND professionals and covers deafness, visual and sight impairments as well as
training and support.
Further reading and information relating to ‘sensory, physical and medical needs organisations, links and resources – Graduated approach to Inclusion – SENCO Guide’ can be found here.
Additionally, the Inclusive Good Practice Guides to Plymouth Inclusive Local Offer outline the expectations of mainstream schools, early years settings and wider partners to fulfil their duty by offering a fully inclusive and adaptable learning environment as a universal commitment to all pupils, in advance of targeted planning through the graduated approach.
These guides have been created to support all practitioners, including leaders, practitioners, teachers, support staff and other professionals to maximise their offer in collaboration with children, young people and their families.
