Teacher - Children And Young People With Vision Impairment

Education Authority; Belfast City District; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

The Education Authority is seeking a Teacher for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment to join the regional Sensory Service in Belfast. You will manage a caseload of school-age children, deliver specialist teaching, assessments and equipment advice to support inclusion and progress.

You will work with families, schools and other professionals, providing guidance on intervention strategies, assistive technology, and inclusive learning environments across homes, nurseries and classrooms

Responsibilities

• Carry out detailed assessments, monitoring, specialist teaching and programme planning for children and young people with vision impairment in schools.
• Support families of pre-school children with vision impairment from the point of diagnosis and deliver effective programmes of support within the home, nursery schools and other early years settings.
• Ensure that opportunities of early identification and inclusion are realised through effective team working and application of appropriate intervention strategies working with other professionals, the family and child or young person.
• Carry out functional vision assessments of pupils with vision impairment.
• Interpret and communicate the educational implications of different types and levels of vision impairment.
• Assess children and young people with vision impairment and provide advice, guidance and support to enable them to make the best possible educational progress.
• Promote the use of appropriate classroom strategies, teaching materials , resources including the use of assistive technology to minimise the effect of vision impairment on the educational achievement of the child.
• Plan and prepare regular and updated programmes of work and materials for children and young people with vision impairment when assessment requires this level of support.
• Effectively manage a range of specialist equipment and assistive technology to promote inclusion and independence and support other professionals, parents and young people in their use.
• Advise on specialist equipment and assistive technology for individual pupils.
• Provide direct teaching of tactile skills, braille, touch typing and use of assistive technology.
• Maintain reports of involvement, assessment and progress for each child receiving support.
• Provide reports for Statutory Operations.
• Promote parental involvement.
• Provide support to parents to encourage their involvement and to offer advice and supporton the implications of vision impairment for their child’s development and learning.
• Promote and develop effective partnerships with parents to support their child’s development and learning.
• Promote the Service principle of Child and Family Centred Intervention.
• Contribute to a programme of professional development through INSET to schools, parents, EA officers and associated agencies to promote inclusive practices for staff working with children and young people with vision impairment.
• Assist schools in the preparation and maintenance of an accessible learning environment for pupils with vision impairment including environmental audits.
• Work with schools to develop teaching strategies, approaches and specialist resources to support the learning of pupils with vision impairment.
• Assess, report and recommend access arrangements for examinations and assessments.
• Contribute to the achievement of service targets, monitoring and evaluation of effectiveness in accordance with service development plan and protocols.
• Participate in service evaluation reviews and contribute to the reporting of service development outcomes.
• Contribute to the development of service materials and resources for children and young people with vision impairment.
• Work to advance service plans and policies to maximise outcomes for children and young people who have a vision impairment.
• Work in partnership with other agencies relevant to service role and responsibilities, including health and social services and voluntary agencies working with children and young people with vision impairment.
• Liaise and work co-operatively with colleagues within the Local Impact Teams within the area the pupils are based.
• Work in partnership with other professionals in other sections of the EA to ensure consistent and coherent approaches.
• Use ICT for administrative and teaching purposes.
• Have knowledge of and be able to provide advice in relation to ICT to enable curriculum access for students with vision impairment.
• Have knowledge of and be able to provide advice and support in relation to specialised access technology for students with vision impairment.
• Pursue professional development to maintain up-to-date skills, expertise and professional knowledge of current research on good practice in the education of children and young people with vision impairment.
• Comply with EA policies and procedures in relation to the duties and responsibilities of the post.
• Maintain at all times confidentiality of information received.
• Any such other duties that the EA may from time to time require.

Job description

JOB PURPOSE

The Teacher for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment will work as part of the Sensory Service regional team delivering support to children and young people with vision impairment, their families and education providers.

They will manage a caseload of school age and early years children from the point of diagnosis with a range of vision impairment from mild to severe and will include both print and tactile learners. This will involve working directly with children and young people and families in homes, pre-school settings and schools and providing advice and support to staff in school settings.

The Sensory Service is a regional service. The successful applicant will be required to travel throughout the region though primarily will have an active caseload in the Local Impact Team areas of Belfast, South Eastern and Southern Health and Social Care Trusts.The EA base for this post holder will be The Sensory Room at Belvoir Park Primary School Belfast. To be confirmed at interview.

They will also work with other professionals within Education and Health in order to deliver an effective service and obtain the best possible outcomes for children and young people with vision impairment.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1.TEACHING, ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING:

• Carry out detailed assessments, monitoring, specialist teaching and programme planning for children and young people with vision impairment in schools.
• Support families of pre-school children with vision impairment from the point of diagnosis and deliver effective programmes of support within the home, nursery schools and other early years settings.
• Ensure that opportunities of early identification and inclusion are realised through effective team working and application of appropriate intervention strategies working with other professionals, the family and child or young person.
• Carry out functional vision assessments of pupils with vision impairment.
• Interpret and communicate the educational implications of different types and levels of vision impairment.
• Assess children and young people with vision impairment and provide advice, guidance and support to enable them to make the best possible educational progress.
• Promote the use of appropriate classroom strategies, teaching materials , resources including the use of assistive technology to minimise the effect of vision impairment on the educational achievement of the child.
• Plan and prepare regular and updated programmes of work and materials for children and young people with vision impairment when assessment requires this level of support.
• Effectively manage a range of specialist equipment and assistive technology to promote inclusion and independence and support other professionals, parents and young people in their use.
• Advise on specialist equipment and assistive technology for individual pupils.
• Provide direct teaching of tactile skills, braille, touch typing and use of assistive technology.
• Maintain reports of involvement, assessment and progress for each child receiving support.
• Provide reports for Statutory Operations.

2.WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FAMILIES

• Promote parental involvement.
• Provide support to parents to encourage their involvement and to offer advice and supporton the implications of vision impairment for their child’s development and learning.
• Promote and develop effective partnerships with parents to support their child’s development and learning.
• Promote the Service principle of Child and Family Centred Intervention.

3.WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SCHOOLS

• Contribute to a programme of professional development through INSET to schools, parents, EA officers and associated agencies to promote inclusive practices for staff working with children and young people with vision impairment.
• Assist schools in the preparation and maintenance of an accessible learning environment for pupils with vision impairment including environmental audits.
• Work with schools to develop teaching strategies, approaches and specialist resources to support the learning of pupils with vision impairment.
• Assess, report and recommend access arrangements for examinations and assessments.

4.SENSORY SERVICE DEVELOPMENT

• Contribute to the achievement of service targets, monitoring and evaluation of effectiveness in accordance with service development plan and protocols.
• Participate in service evaluation reviews and contribute to the reporting of service development outcomes.
• Contribute to the development of service materials and resources for children and young people with vision impairment.
• Work to advance service plans and policies to maximise outcomes for children and young people who have a vision impairment.

5.COLLABORATION AND INTER-AGENCY WORK

• Work in partnership with other agencies relevant to service role and responsibilities, including health and social services and voluntary agencies working with children and young people with vision impairment.
• Liaise and work co-operatively with colleagues within the Local Impact Teams within the area the pupils are based.
• Work in partnership with other professionals in other sections of the EA to ensure consistent and coherent approaches.

6.INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

• Use ICT for administrative and teaching purposes.
• Have knowledge of and be able to provide advice in relation to ICT to enable curriculum access for students with vision impairment.
• Have knowledge of and be able to provide advice and support in relation to specialised access technology for students with vision impairment.

7.CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Pursue professional development to maintain up-to-date skills, expertise and professional knowledge of current research on good practice in the education of children and young people with vision impairment.

8.OTHER DUTIES

• Comply with EA policies and procedures in relation to the duties and responsibilities of the post.
• Maintain at all times confidentiality of information received.
• Any such other duties that the EA may from time to time require.