Welcome to the NatSIP Website

This website offers access to a wealth of SI resources, most of which are now freely available.  We encourage you to register on the site for full access to everything we have to offer.  Registration is free, and open to anyone.  A walkthrough/howto on the registration process is here.

NatSIP has published an update to the briefing note on provision of equipment and technology for children and young people with SI. This takes into account the latest legislation on funding and the Equality Act 2010.

The updated briefing note can be found in the document library pdf here .

(Registration and logon is required to follow the link above)

We're pleased to announce the publication of a new NatSIP Briefing Note:  pdf Changes in funding for early years education in England (2-4 years) . 

This is an interim update to our previous briefng note pdf Education Funding and Provision for Children with SI in the Early Years

The statutory provisions providing the context for SEND provision in the early years outlined in the March 2015 briefing note remain unchanged. The purpose of this briefing note is to outline the main reforms to early years funding issued by the DfE in December 2016.

We plan to issue a further update once the DfE has provided further advice on how the new Disability Access Fund and EY Inclusion Fund will work alongside the existing High Needs Block and EY pupil premium to meet additional needs.

Available documents:

Registration and login to the NatSIP website is required to follow the links above.

We were pleased to welcome new NatSIP colleagues and a diverse range of delegates, with interest and knowledge of the 19 to 25yrs agenda, to our event Supporting the achievement of deaf and hearing-impaired apprentices at Friends House in London yesterday (11 January 2017).

Presentations  are now available to download (once registered and logged in to the NatSIP website)

The following documents are available

Did you know that there are no less than NINE NatSIP events and training courses on offer between January and March 2017?

Details of each event, along with links to further information and booking forms can be found in our Events Newsletter.

NDCS colleagues have now updated and republished the National Deaf Children’s Society quality standards for early years support for deaf children.

This, along with a self-audit tool, can be found on the NDCS website at: www.ndcs.org.uk/QSEY.

The RNIB have released two new guides for families and friends of children with vision impairment:

Both can be downloaded from the RNIB website via the links above.

 

Following the successful SI commissioning event in London yesterday, 15 November 2016, we are pleased to make the speaker presentations from the day available:

You need to be registered on the NatSIP website and logged in before you can follow the links above.

 

NDCS have published a number of new and updated resources:

New

School exclusions webpage (www.ndcs.org.uk/exclusions)

Video: My deaf child and getting sign language lessons. Also on the Know Your Rights webpage (www.ndcs.org.uk/localcouncil)

Daisy and Ted’s Awesome Adventures(www.ndcs.org.uk/awesomeadventures) About the author: Alex Naidoo (www.ndcs.org.uk/alexnaidoo)

NDCS added the following stories from back issues of Families magazine to the website.

Mild deafness – major effects (issue 38)

Helping Harry hear (issue 39)

Never give up (issue 39)

Updated

Breaking the Sound Barrier: A guide to recruiting and supporting deaf colleagues has been updated in light of the disability ‘two ticks’ scheme changing to ‘disability confident’. The updated version is on the website and we also have hard copies in stock.

The Scotland version of Know Your Rights: Getting support from your local council is currently being updated following a change to the law over the summer. This will be ready to download in the next week or two. Printed copies will be available from around August next year when NDCS have more certainty around what these policy changes mean.

Bullying: Advice for parents of deaf children

Bullying and Deaf Children: A guide for primary and secondary schools

Bullying webpage www.ndcs.org.uk/bullying

Down’s syndrome and childhood deafness webpage (replaces booklet)

Sense has published two brand new toolkits on accessible play!  The toolkits have been designed for parents and professionals, to provide them with a practical guide about how to make play activities accessible for children with multiple needs. The toolkits contain simple ideas, suggestions and practical tips on making play activities and settings more inclusive.  Each activity is complemented with instructional style videos by Sense play experts.

Following the successful annual HoSS event held this week, on 19 October 2016 in Birmingham, presentations and papers are now available to share. These can be downloaded, once registered and logged on to the website.

The suite of all ten documents can be found  folder here

If you missed the BBC Radio programme Too many helping hands... broadcast at 11:00 on 5 October 2016, it is well worth a listen.

The BBC website says of the programme:

The past 40 years has seen a shift from specialist education for blind children to the majority attending mainstream schools. Peter White asks whether the one-on-one teaching assistants now given to blind students in mainstream education helps or hinders them in the transition from school, to university and beyond.

The following presentations from the NatSIP working day on 4 October 2016 are now available:

We are delighted to be receiving so many booking forms for the NatSIP events that are published.  Thank you!

In order for your booking to be processed the information you return needs to be complete, please. 

As we hope to be processing about 1,000 bookings this year, it would be really helpful if you could:

  • Fully complete your booking form(s) without leaving any boxes blank
  • Not email in booking forms until you have a purchase order number
  • Following the tips in this Event booking FAQ.

Many thanks, and we look forward to seeing you at one of our events.

The BBC has begun trialling subtitles for live channels on BBC iPlayer. Previously subtitles have only been available for on-demand programmes. More information is available here.

NatSIP has entered into a contract with DfE for 2016 - 17 with a great emphasis on workforce development.

As part of this we have committed to training 300 teachers and teaching assistants who are working with children and young people with sensory impairment, in partnership with OnLineTraining (OLT).

The online training courses are aimed at teachers and teaching assistants who are working directly with children to help them achieve better outcomes. Those following the courses are asked to set three goals for young person with whom they are working, and then to identify three interventions to achieve these goals.

The courses are intended to be delivered by those QTSIs (with the MQ in HI, MSI or VI) normally providing support to schools, who act as online tutors.  This model has proved to be highly effective in achieving improved outcomes. There is built in the evaluation both for the course participant in the form of a pre and post course rating scale, and also for pupils in the form of goal attainment scaling to assess the extent to which positive outcomes have been achieved.

As a result, those delivering the courses have significant levels of management information demonstrating the effectiveness of their delivery, and provides a route through which services can enhance the level of support that they provide to schools. One of the comments which has been made by those running the courses, is that it raises the level of professional dialogue between themselves and those working in schools, because “you know what they know “, and can therefore assume a prior level of knowledge as a starting point for any discussion.

We are looking to recruit 20 to 25 qualified teachers of SI covering HI, VI and MSI, drawn from all parts of the country.