The article below, about the SI courses run with NatSIP, by OnLineTraining has appeared in the OLT newsletter on 16th April:

Funded by the Department of Education for workforce development, we worked in partnership with NatSIP (The National Sensory Impairment Partnership) to facilitate professional development for teachers and teaching assistants, through evidence-based blended learning.

Our tutored sensory courses involved 16-20 hours of flexible online study, blended with short group sessions led by a qualified specialist teacher. Participants set SMART goals and interventions in order to transfer their learning to the classroom.

“This course has been like a manual to me. It has helped me to realise how difficult it is for hearing-impaired children to acquire and use new vocabulary.” Teacher, West Berkshire

Originally, the target for those to be trained was 300 individuals in the first year and a further 200 for the second year (ending 31st March 2018). Throughout their delivery, word spread of the quality and usefulness of the Sensory Impairment courses, which resulted in an increase of participation across the country. We’re proud to say the number of people trained as part of this partnership is actually over 900.

Cohorts were run across the UK, including but not limited to: Bedford, Bristol, Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, East Ridings, Hackney, Leeds, Milton Keynes, NDCS, Norfolk, Northumberland, Oxfordshire, Slough, Solihull, Southwark, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Waltham Forest, and Worcestershire.

“I found this course on understanding hearing impairment really useful with a good balance of reading, interactive visuals, videos and quizzes. I liked being able to access the course at a time and place that was appropriate for my lifestyle and that I could dip in and out of it rather than having to complete in one sitting. Really interesting, informative and useful for improving my teaching and general communication with deaf students.” Teacher