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Everything you need to know about SEND in Leicestershire.

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Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders | Signs and symptoms

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Anxiety is a feeling of fear or panic that many young people experience. Find out about the causes and symptoms of anxiety and where to get help.

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A Guide to Seeking an Autism Diagnosis - National Autistic Society

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A Guide to Seeking an Autism Diagnosis - National Autistic Society

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If you have concerns that your child may have Autism, this website provides some useful information about how the referral process will involve parents/carers, the child's teacher and SENCO, and the GP.

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A guide for parents and carers on getting an autism diagnosis for their child

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An animation from the British Dyslexia Association which sheds light on the difficulties and strengths of children with dyslexia.

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A website containing resources and links to support young people and families with their mental health and emotional wellbeing.

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Anna Freud - Parents and Carers Guidance

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Anna Freud - Parents and Carers Guidance

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Guidance for parents/carers of children experiencing poor mental health.

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Parents and Carers | Advice and Guidance | Anna Freud Centre

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Advice and guidance for parents and carers to help them support a child or a young person experiencing poor mental health or wellbeing.

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This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website.

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A fun programme to develop touch typing skills. This is helpful for children who find handwriting difficult to master.

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Learn how to touch type with the BBC Dance Mat Typing game. It’s a fun introduction to touch typing game for kids and covers levels 1, 2, 3, 4.

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Place2Be - Children's Mental Health Charity

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Place2Be - Children's Mental Health Charity

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Place2Be is a children and young people's mental health charity with almost 30 years' experience working with pupils, families and staff in UK schools.

We provide mental health support in schools through one-to-one and group counselling using tried and tested methods backed by research. In addition, we also offer expert training and professional qualifications.

Why it's important

1 in 5

children and young people have a probable mental health condition, and many continue to have these problems into adulthood.

50%

of those with lifetime mental health problems first experience symptoms by the age of 14.

1 in 10
boys aged 5-19 with a mental health condition are suspended in some form from school.

Find out more about our work

How we help

Mental health support in schools

Our in-school mental health service supports the wellbeing of pupils, families and staff.
Find out more

Our mental health services in schools

We provide mental health services in schools that contribute to a whole-school approach to mental health.
Find out more

Counselling training and placements

Gain experience and skills with our child counselling training and placements.
Find out more

Place2Be is part of our school family. It is more than an office, more than a therapy room and more than a collection of counsellors.

Glyn Ellis - Headteacher, Haslingden Primary School

My daughter had become a different person - one we didn't recognise - but since counselling we see signs of our old loving daughter coming back.

Parent

If you have problems or worries you get a chance to talk to a person you trust. When I grow up I want to help children like Place2Be helps children.

Eight-year-old girl

Your support makes it possible

Thousands of vulnerable children and families depend on our work every single day. We simply cannot reach them without your help. There are so many ways to lend your support.

Place2Be's counselling service in primary schools has the potential to return £8 to society by improving long-term outcomes for each child.

Make a donation

How you can help

Fundraise for us

Raise money to transform children and young people's mental health. Browse ideas, tips and advice.

Get fundraising inspiration

Take part in an event

Run, cycle, walk. Trek to great heights or tackle some muddy obstacles. Take a look at our fundraising events.

Take on an event

Partner with us

See how your organisation can help us to support more children, families and school staff across the UK.

Find out more

Our impact

In the last school year

6,901

pupils were supported through one-to-one counselling.

33,327

pupils booked their own appointments o speak to our mental health professional.

After one-to-one counselling with Place2Be

76%

of children with severe difficulties show an improvement in mental health, according to parents.

64%

of pupils whose difficulties impacted their learning in class improved, according to teachers.

75%

of children and young people found it easier to make and keep friends, according to parents and carers.

Place2Be: mental health support in schools

Hear from children and teachers about the impact of Place2Be.

News & blogs

Eating Disorders in Children and Young People: a major public health concern

Clara Faria and Professor Tamsin Ford reflect on the impact of eating disorders on children and young people's mental health.

Read more

New report from NHS England shows increase in children experiencing mental health difficulties

Published today, the report reveals that 1 in 5 children and young people now have a probable mental health condition.

Read more

The BAFTA Roadshow with Place2Be arrives in North-West London

BAFTA and Place2Be team up to bring the BAFTA Roadshow to North-West London.

Read more

Sign up to our newsletter

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Improving children's and young people's mental health - Place2Be

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Place2Be provides mental health counselling support and training to schools to improve the emotional wellbeing of children, young people, families, teachers and staff.

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NHS Healthy Together (0-19) - School Nursing

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NHS Healthy Together (0-19) - School Nursing

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Find information here about the local school nursing teams, how to seek a referral to a school nurse, and contact details for the Chat Health messaging service.

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Healthy Together 0-19 (Health Visiting and School Nursing) - Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust

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Find out more about Healthy Together, the universal service for children and their families from 0-19 across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

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Find information here about local support and activity groups.

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Leicestershire Autistic Society - Leicestershire Autistic Society

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The Leicestershire Autistic Society (formed over20 years ago) provides support, information and advice to families and professionals dealing with Autism in Leicestershire, Leicester City and Rutland.

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A useful resource if you think your child might have Autism or if they've been diagnosed with Autism.

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Do you think your child is autistic or have they been recently diagnosed?

If the answer is yes, you will have many questions about what to do next. Ambitious about Autism's Right from the Start parent toolkit is here to help.

This practical toolkit contains a wealth of straightforward information in one place to guide parents and carers through their child's journey in the early years. From the autism assessment process to the first day of school, this toolkit is packed with practical tips and checklists to support parents during the earliest years of their child's life. It also provides signposts to sources of support or additional information.

If you have a pre-school child, download the free toolkit now. We have also provided the key sections and templates from the toolkit as separate documents.

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Do you think your child is autistic or have they been recently diagnosed? If the answer is yes, you will have many questions about what to do next. Ambitious about Autism's Right from the Start parent toolkit is here to help.

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Sensory Processing Difficulties Resource Pack

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Sensory Processing Difficulties Resource Pack

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Autism East Midlands - Support for Families

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Autism East Midlands - Support for Families

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Our Family Support Hubs across the East Midlands provide a regular meeting point for families affected by autism, where our families can access activities for the whole family, as well as gain support and specialist information and advice.

Due to the current virus situation, our hubs are offering virtual sessions only, including groups and 1:1 support where needed.

Please contact us to find your local Coordinator in your area at enquiries@autismeastmidlands.org.uk and please follow our social media pages to be notified about our Family Support Hubs.

Facebook: Autism East Midlands

Twitter: @AutismEastMids
Dates and Information for 2021
The hub is a regular meeting point for families affected by autism. There are activities for children, people and families can gain support, advice and meet with other. These are free drop-in sessions and the whole family are welcome to attend.

For more information please contact: enquiries@autismeastmidlands.org.uk

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Our Family Support Hubs across the East Midlands provide a regular meeting point for families affected by autism, where our families can access activities for the whole family, as well as gain support and specialist information and advice. Due to the current virus situation, our hubs are offering virtual sessions only, including groups and 1:1 support where needed.

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Amazing Things Happen - Explaining Autism and Neurodiversity

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Amazing Things Happen - Explaining Autism and Neurodiversity

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Amazing Things Happen - by Alexander Amelines

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Developing Handwriting in Children with Autism

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Developing Handwriting in Children with Autism

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Anna Freud - Self Care for Children and Young People

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Anna Freud - Self Care for Children and Young People

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Find some ideas about some self-care activities suitable for children and young people.

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Leicestershire Directory of Service Providers

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Leicestershire Directory of Service Providers

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Find contact details for a range of providers, including private Occupational Therapists and support groups.

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leicestershire information and support directory

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Information and support directory | Leicestershire County Council

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Welcome to our online directory where you can find care and health services as well as advice and support for children, young people, families and adults in the Leicestershire area. The directory is impartial which means the council does not endorse or recommend any organisation listed.

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Leicestershire Speech and Language Service

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Leicestershire Speech and Language Service

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Find information here about the referral criteria as well as a bank of great resources for use at home and school if your child is having speech and language difficulties.

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Services - Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust

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The Mett Centre is a mental health day resource centre in Leicester city centre, offering recovery-focused support, through individualised programmes of meaningful activities, physical and mental health promotion, social inclusion and therapeutic interventions.

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Request for Early Help Services Involvement

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Request for Early Help Services Involvement

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Request support at home from the Early Help team. Support includes workshops, Solihull Approach Training, Triple P parenting groups, CBT-based support for children age 8-19, and one-to-one programmes of support.

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Request for services - children and families - Leicestershire County Council Self Service

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Skip to content JavaScript is not enabled! Some page elements may not display correctly or not display at all! Please enable JavaScript in the browser settings. Here is more information about how to enable it in your browser:

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Often lacking the routine that school days offer, school holidays are often a difficult time for children with Autism. Find some top tips here about how to make the holidays an easier time for your child and your family.

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Statutory guidance on the SEND education system.

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Guidance on the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system for children and young people aged 0 to 25, from 1 September 2014.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

This statutory code contains:

details of legal requirements that you must follow without exception

statutory guidance that you must follow by law unless there's a good reason not to

It explains the duties of local authorities, health bodies, schools and colleges to provide for those with special educational needs under part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014.

The code, which applies to England, is for:

headteachers and principals

governing bodies

school and college staff

special educational needs (SEN) co-ordinators

early years providers

other education settings

local authorities

health and social services staff

Other SEND guides are also available.

Thank you for your feedback

Report a problem with this page

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Guidance on the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system for children and young people aged 0 to 25, from 1 September 2014.

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An introduction about how to write social stories.

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NHS - Children's Mental Health and Wellbeing 

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NHS - Children's Mental Health and Wellbeing 

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Information about different aspects about mental health and wellbeing, including bereavement, trauma, sleep, anxiety, ADHD and Autism.

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Antenatal education during COVID-19 pandemic - online videos

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NHS - Talking to Children About Feelings

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NHS - Talking to Children About Feelings

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If you're worried about a child, encouraging them to talk can be very helpful, whether you're a parent, grandparent, friend or teacher.
If you think a child you know has a problem, it can be hard to know how to start talking to them about it.

When there are problems at home, such as parents fighting, divorce or a death in the family, children can become withdrawn and upset.

Being able to talk to someone other than a parent is sometimes very helpful for children. Grandparents, uncles, aunts, teachers or even a counsellor can all offer support.

Look for clues in their play

Children express themselves through play as well as words. You can learn a lot about how they're feeling by simply spending time with them and watching them play.

Stressed and upset children often play fighting games with their toys. Comment on this by saying, "There are a lot of fights going on" or "It seems pretty frightening". This can help to get them talking about what's bothering them.

Even if you do not start a conversation, you'll be making the child feel more comfortable with you, paving the way for them to open up to you about their problems.

If you can get them talking, gently ask what's wrong. But if the child does not want to open up, let the subject go. You can then repeat the process at another time until they're ready to tell you what's bothering them.

If a child is too frightened to talk

If you're worried that a child you know might be being abused, it can help to ask a question like, "Is mummy getting very cross with you? You can tell me about it if you want to".

A child might not understand that they're being abused. They may simply see it as a parent being angry or annoyed with them.

Children who are being sexually abused often do not talk about it because they think it's their fault or they have been convinced by their abuser that it's normal or a "special secret".

See more about spotting signs of child sexual abuse.

Children will often ask if you're going to tell anyone about what they've told you. Never promise not to tell, but explain that you'll only tell other people who want to help.

If you suspect abuse, encourage them to call ChildLine (0800 1111) or ring the NSPCC yourself (0808 800 5000) and get advice about how to report it.

If a child is aggressive or misbehaving

If a child is fighting or being aggressive, they're doing it for a good reason, and talking may help you discover the reason.

Start by telling the child that their bad behaviour is unacceptable and why - for example, because it will harm other people or get them into trouble. Then offer them the chance to talk about why they're angry.

This might not work instantly because an angry child might not listen to you straight away. Do not give up. Children are aware when they're behaving badly, and it's important to find out the reasons why.

See more about helping your child with anger issues.

If your child is worried about scary news

In this digital age it is virtually impossible to stop children from finding out about upsetting news events, such as terrorism, war and violent crime, that they may find traumatic.

Advice from the Mental Health Foundation includes:

do not try to blackout all exposure to news; this is both unlikely to succeed and could actually increase their fears

be truthful about what has happened

let them know it is normal to be concerned and tell them you're also concerned

encourage them to ask questions if they seem unclear about what has happened

reassure them that you will do everything you can to keep them safe

The Mental Health Foundation has advice about talking to your children about scary world news.

If your child is grieving

Young children do not always understand what death means. It helps to explain it by saying, "Nana's died. She's not going to be with us any more."

Watch children carefully if someone close to them has died. If they seem tearful or withdrawn, encourage them to open up about how they're feeling by talking about the person who's died.

You could say something like, "It's very sad that Nana has died" or "I feel sad that Nana has died, and sometimes it's hard to understand why people die".

See more about children and bereavement.

If you're still worried about your child

If you're still concerned about your child after talking to them, see a GP for further advice.

See some tips on talking to teenagers.

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If you're worried about a child, encouraging them to talk can be very helpful, whether you're a parent, grandparent, friend or teacher.

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Children’s mental health - Every Mind Matters

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See tips and advice for parents and carers on how to support children and young people’s mental wellbeing, and give them the best chance to stay healthy.

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Autism Education Trust - Information for Parents

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Autism Education Trust - Information for Parents

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Parent Guide for Working Together with Your Child's School

Elective Home Education in England

The impact of Covid-19 on home education guidelines and useful links to relevant legislation.

Top Tips, Strategies and Resources for Parents

A collection of 10 practical strategies and additional tips to support parents of autistic children and young people.

A guide to help parents navigate equality law, rights and entitlements when their autistic child is excluded or at risk of exclusion from school

This resource outlines the legal duties the Equality Act 2010 places on your child's school in relation to the exclusion of disabled pupils.

The examples given relate specifically to autistic pupils and are intended to help you and your child's school avoid disability discrimination claims, where possible.

Exclusions

Advice and support on exclusions, explore the Autism Education Trust Exclusions resources

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Are you a parent or care of an autistic child or young person looking for guidance and advice? Explore our Parent Resources.

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Toileting Advice for Children with Autism

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Toileting Advice for Children with Autism

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ADHD Foundation - Understanding and Supporting Your Child's ADHD

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ADHD Foundation - Understanding and Supporting Your Child's ADHD

# data[].attributes.headline
ADHD Solutions - Support and Advice for Parents/Carers of Children with ADHD

# data[].attributes.subject
ADHD Solutions - Support and Advice for Parents/Carers of Children with ADHD

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Becoming a member of ADHD Solutions gives you access to behaviour management workshops, a programme of family support and discounted outings with other families of children with ADHD.

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ADHD Solutions help improve the life chances of children, young people & adults with ADHD. Training and support services for families, young people and adults. We also provide training services within the education sector and to professional services.

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Observation Checklist for ADHD Behaviours

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Observation Checklist for ADHD Behaviours

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ADHD Foundation - 7 Amazing Foods for ADHD Brains

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ADHD Foundation - 7 Amazing Foods for ADHD Brains

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A checklist can't diagnose dyslexia but it is a helpful starting point when considering whether someone displays dyslexic characteristics.

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A checklist cannot tell you if someone is dyslexic. It is a tool used to help understand whether there is a likelihood of dyslexia, and whether further investigation should take place.

Dyslexia can only be diagnosed through a formal Diagnostic Assessment. Find out more on the BDA Assessment webpage.

Adult checklist

The Adult Dyslexia Checklist contains questions that help predict dyslexia. The scores for each answer show the relative importance of that question.

Alongside each line you can keep a tally of your score and at the end find your total.

Checklists for learners

Checklists can't tell you whether a learner is dyslexic. They are useful because they outline your learner's strengths and weaknesses, and can help to inform a supportive teaching strategy.
Understanding Neurodiversity: A Guide to SpLD (2nd edition)
Appropriate support should be put in place as soon as a need is identified. A formal diagnosis is not required for support in the classroom. However, a formal diagnosis would help to give a clearer picture of your learner's areas of strength and weakness.

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Dyslexia checklists - British Dyslexia Association

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A checklist cannot tell you if someone is dyslexic. It is a tool used to help understand whether there is a likelihood of dyslexia, and whether further...

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How to spot, support and empower your dyslexic child

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How to spot, support and empower your dyslexic child

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Information on the indicators of dyscalculia and the likelihood of co-occurrence with dyslexia.

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Dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers which can lead to a diverse range of difficulties with mathematics. It will be unexpected in relation to age, level of education and experience and occurs across all ages and abilities.

Mathematics difficulties are best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category, and they have many causal factors. Dyscalculia falls at one end of the spectrum and will be distinguishable from other maths issues due to the severity of difficulties with number sense, including subitising, symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude comparison, and ordering. It can occur singly but often co-occurs with other specific learning difficulties, mathematics anxiety and medical conditions.

(BDA Definition)

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Dyscalculia - British Dyslexia Association

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What is Dyscalculia? Dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers which can lead to a diverse range of difficulties with...

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Dyspraxia in primary school aged children

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Dyspraxia in primary school aged children

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Find information about dyspraxia as well as information about local support groups.

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Supporting individuals and families affected by dyspraxia/DCD

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The Hearing Support Team offer assessment, observation and advice on the impact of hearing loss.

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About us and what we do How to get our support Working with others Useful resources
About us and what we do

The Hearing Support Team are part of the Leicestershire's Specialist Teaching Service. We are a team made up of Specialist Teachers with an additional qualification for teaching hearing impaired children, experienced practitioners, and an Educational Audiologist. We are supported by a technician from the Assistive Technology for Education Support Team (ATFEST).

We provide specialist advice and support to families, educational settings and other professionals, who are working with hearing impaired children and young people in Leicestershire, with a diagnosed hearing loss, from the time of identification up to 18, or 25 if they have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

Support for your child

If you think your child has a hearing loss, you can arrange a hearing test by contacting:

your public health nurse (health visitor) - if your child doesn't go to school yet

the school nurse at your child's school

or your doctor (GP)

If you know your child has a hearing loss:

If your child has a diagnosed permanent hearing loss or uses technology to help them hear, they can access our Hearing Support Team.

How to get our support

Children and young people with a diagnosed hearing loss may be referred to the Hearing Support Team in different ways, including from Paediatric Hearing Services, ENT consultants, public health nurses, educational settings and parents or carers.

All new-borns have a hearing test soon after birth and, if necessary, they undergo additional hearing tests. In Leicestershire this is usually carried out at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, but we also have referrals from surrounding NHS trusts.

When a permanent hearing loss is confirmed parents/carers will be told about their child's hearing loss. The hospital informs the Hearing Support Team, who then makes contact with the family as appropriate.

How we work

After we receive a referral we will contact the family and pre-school/educational setting and arrange an initial visit if appropriate. We will talk with families and staff, observe the child's listening behaviours and language. We may do some assessments of looking at how language is developing and how well they are hearing speech.

Where appropriate, this is all recorded in a report which includes advice to schools, settings and families. The report will explain the hearing loss and its impact and suggest ideas and advice of ways to support the child, make the best use of hearing and how to minimise the impact of the hearing loss on learning.

The Hearing Support Team will offer support based on the framework drawn up by the National Sensory Partnership (NatSiP) - a national body that collates information on the education of children with sensory needs and our professional experience. Children with an educationally significant hearing loss will continue to receive our involvement for as long as the need exists within education.

Families of babies and toddlers with a diagnosed hearing loss may be supported at home or in a childcare setting. This support will encourage the best use of hearing equipment and the richest use of spoken/sign language around the child to promote communication and language development.

In the early years, families have the opportunity to attend a Family Group, offered by the Hearing Support Team, where they are able to meet other families who have a child with a hearing loss.

Specialist Teachers for Hearing Impaired Children advise families and educational settings on reasonable adjustments. This may include positioning of the child, teaching strategies, acoustically favourable conditions, as well as guidance about how best to teach the curriculum to allow children to achieve their full potential.

We may offer an assistive device as appropriate, such as a radio aid, to support children's listening and access to education. We will set up systems and assess benefit through our radio aid clinics. Our Educational Audiologist may provide acoustic assessments where appropriate.

In cases where children have a hearing loss, which is likely to have a significant impact on their ability to access the curriculum, they may have a SEN Support Plan or an Education Health and Care Plan which is part of Leicestershire's Graduated Approach to Special Educational Needs.

Working with others

It is important to us to hear the voice of the child we are working with, we will do this in several ways:

We have regular contact with Sendcos, class teachers, support staff and staff in early years settings, about issues and concerns relating to hearing.

We will talk to the children about how they understand their hearing loss and how it affects them.

We offer training to schools and early years settings to help them understand the barriers the children may be facing and ways they can help.

We also aim to work closely with parents. Teachers of the Deaf will be happy to discuss progress, issues or concerns, or hear about achievements and successes through telephone calls/email. We will send parents copies of reports we write and share any advice we are offering to schools and settings, and will include the child's view and parental comments within this.

The Hearing Support Team works closely with our health colleagues. We work in close partnership with the NHS Audiology Service and Cochlear Implant teams to assess children's hearing and listening skills. We will monitor the child's language and educational levels as appropriate for their age and in relation to their hearing loss.

Where there is involvement, we would liaise with other health professionals, such as Speech and Language Therapists, and other teams within the Leicestershire County Council, such as Early Years, SENA and Educational Psychologists, to ensure a joined-up approach.

Useful resources

Five most important things to focus on:
Advice for Pre-school children with hearing loss Opens new window
Advice for supporting pupils with a unilateral hearing loss Opens new window
NDCS Support for Professionals, Early Years
NDCS Support for Professionals, Primary Education
NDCS Support for Professionals, Secondary Education

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About us and what we doHow to get our supportHow we workWorking with othersUseful resourcesAbout us and what we doThe Hearing Support Team are part of the Leicestershire's Specialist Teaching Service. We are a team made up of Specialist Teachers with an additional qualification for teaching hearing impaired children, experienced practitioners, and an Educational Audiologist.

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The Vision Support Team offer assessment, observation and advice on the impact of sight loss.

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Vision Support Team

The Vision Support Team is made up of a group of Qualified Teachers of the Visually Impaired (QTVI) who are qualified teachers holding an additional qualification in the education of children with visual impairments. We also have an early years practitioner with training in visual impairment.

We are also supported by the Assistive Technology for Education Support Team (ATfEST) which comprises specialist technicians who assess and support with specialist technology, teachers who specialise in teaching touch typing and specialist access technology and resource technicians who create modified large print and braille books.

Our team:

Offers advice and support to all children and young people who have a visual impairment. We also offer support to their families, their schools and settings and work with other relevant professionals to achieve this.

Provides for children across the full age range from birth to the end of education as well as all ability ranges, including those with additional difficulties in special school placements.

Will respond to all the statutory requirements of the Code of Practice.

How to get our support

The Vision Support Team accepts referrals from parents, educational settings, health professionals, VISTA and LCC colleagues.

Our QTVI is very professional, approachable and has a calm and supportive manner with our pupils.

We are supported with advice and practical ideas for improving access to the curriculum which we can disseminate to the appropriate staff in school.

Regular visits, follow up reports and contributions to our EHCP Annual Reviews, and information for Access Arrangements is useful.

Last year our QTVI was very helpful at an Annual Review meeting, giving useful support to parents and offering a supportive and reassuring presence.

We can be contacted on the Specialist teaching service number 0116 3059400 or sts@leics.gov.uk

How we work

After we receive a referral we will contact you to gather information about your child's vision impairment and how you think it impacts on them.

Following on to this, one of our Qualified Teachers of the Visually Impaired (QTVI) will arrange an initial visit which may be at home or in your child's school or nursery.

We may carry out a functional eye test (we look at how your child's eyes see best on an average day rather than in clinical conditions). Sometimes, if your child is young or has complex needs, we may carry out several observations.

We will then decide on the level of support needed based on the criteria drawn up by the National Sensory Partnership (NatSiP) a national body that collates information on the education of children with sensory needs.

Conversations, testing and observations will provide us with information to write a report which will provide advice and ideas to help your child make the best use of their vision at school or nursery. This may also be used as part of an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This can be shared by you with other professionals if you need to.

Dependent on need we will keep contact with your child, yourselves, and school for as long as the need exists within education.

We will provide tailored advice to schools about the best way for your child to access the curriculum, we can also provide training for nurseries or schools.

Dependent on need and if your child meets the NatSiP criteria guidance, we will often supply tailor made large print books to help a child with curriculum access. Sometimes we will provide special equipment to help your child which can range from simple magnifiers to more technical electronic ones or computer access programs. A few children may need to be taught braille, touch typing or special access skills like the use of screen readers.

We regularly assess the support we give and support schools with EHCP referrals.

Working with others

It is important to us to hear the voice of the child we are working with, we will do this in several ways:

We have regular conversations with yourselves, SENDCOS and class teachers or nursery staff as well as talking to your child about any vision related issues or concerns.

We also aim to work closely with parents. QTVIs will speak regularly to parents and are happy to receive calls and email, should parents have concerns or questions. Parents will receive copies of any reports that we write, and reports will also reflect your views.

We work with VISTA who provide mobility and living skills to children on our behalf.

We have regular contact with the LRI paediatric ophthalmology department and their family liaison workers. We also have contacts with other hospitals around the country.

We offer training to schools and other partners both general and tailored to individual needs.

She's really helpful. If I am confused about anything I can go to her.

Useful resources

Useful linksHide content

Vista - local Leicestershire and Rutland charity supporting the visually impaired

British Blind Sport - find a local club and advice for schools

VICTA - national charity supporting the visually impaired who offer none means tested grants for equipment

Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) - good information on applying to college, starting work and preparing for leaving home

Guide Dogs services - national charity providing support and hosting

Guide Dogs CustomEyes books - made for your child's particular visual needs

The Amber Trust - musical support and grants for visually impaired children of all ages

Positive Eye - some good ideas for supporting home schooling for children with visual impairments during the Covid-19 epidemic

Royal Blind Learning Hub - lots of short videos on everything from how to sew on a button and making a sandwich to social skills

CALL Sctoland - accessibility information on Microsoft, Android and iOS

Calibre Audio - free to download audio books

Audible - audio books with free 30 day trial period from Amazon

eBooks - free to borrow ebooks from Leicestershire library services, accessible to large print users

RNIB Bookshare - usually for school organisations, but currently also open to parents during the Covid-19 epidemic. Works very well with Dolphin Easy Reader app

Dolphin Easy Reader app - super accessible and free ebook reader for extra large print readers

Talking Scientific Calculator app - Designed for a wide range of users, featuring large colourful buttons, optional high contrast, full voice-over support and the option to use speech for answers, buttons names and formulas

Help Kidz Learn - interactive games to support learning with 14 day free trial. Low cost sign-up during the Covid-19 epidemic.

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Have your say on our services to you and your childPlease could you take a few minutes to answer this short survey about the service we provide you and your child.The survey should only take 5-10 minutes to complete and the responses will be used to help inform the services we provide.Thank you for your assistance.

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Leicestershire's Assistive Technology for Education Support Team

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Leicestershire's Assistive Technology for Education Support Team

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The ATfEST team support children with physical, communication and/or sensory difficulties through assistive technology.

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Assistive Technology for Education Support Team

About us and what we do

The Assistive Technology for Education Support Team (ATfEST) is made up of assistive technology specialists, keyboard and assistive technology practitioners, resource production technicians and audiology technicians. All team members are employed by Leicestershire's Children and Family Service.

ATfEST works together with all Specialist Teaching Service (STS) teams. Providing integrated and comprehensive support to children and young people in full-time education.

ATfEST can be contacted on the Specialist Teaching Service phone number 0116 3059400 or by emailing sts@leics.gov.uk

Assistive technology for education

Assistive technology for education supports educational settings and students who have physical, communication and/or sensory difficulties, enabling access to the curriculum using assistive technology.

Keyboard and assistive technology

Keyboard and assistive technology assesses and teaches keyboard and assistive technology skills to children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND). Such as keyboard skills and text to speech software where appropriate to aid access to the curriculum and promote inclusion.

Resource production

Resource production produces braille enlarged and/or modified resources and materials to support access to learning for SEND children and young people.

Audiology Technician provision

Audiology Technician provision provides technical support and advice, on a wide range of Personal Amplification Systems & Assistive Listening Devices (ALD) and makes recommendation for specific specialist technology available for the HST, school & parents/carers.

Provides a monitoring visit to ensure that he equipment provided by the Hearing Support Team continues to be suitable, used correctly and in full working order.

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The Assistive Technology for Education Support Team (ATfEST)

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About us and what we doThe Assistive Technology for Education Support Team (ATfEST) is made up of assistive technology specialists, keyboard and assistive technology practitioners, resource production technicians and audiology technicians. All team members are employed by Leicestershire's Children and Family Service. ATfEST works together with all Specialist Teaching Service

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