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From next year, all residential special schools and colleges in England will offer NHS eyesight, dental, and ear checks to their pupils. The move follows a successful pilot of the programme, which also found that such checks were particularly beneficial for students with learning disabilities or those who struggle to communicate.
The checks are designed to identify issues that may go unnoticed by individuals themselves, given their lack of ability to articulate concerns. Having the checks carried out in familiar surroundings by known and trusted staff has been shown to improve outcomes across the board, reducing the need for pupils to leave school for medical appointments.
One school that took part in the pilot scheme, Linden Lodge School in South London, has already seen the benefits for its students. Partially sighted student Lily, for instance, was concerned about her hearing, which runs in her family. The hearing check she received in school was a pleasant experience, she said, adding that she liked being in school, where she knew people.
The checks will be offered to more than 18,000 pupils. Tanwir Rahman, the school’s SENCO, welcomed the move. “We know our children best. We can communicate best with them. Any opportunity for us to have support or offer support to them in any way is always welcome,” he said.
The scheme is particularly vital because students with learning difficulties can miss significant amounts of school time due to medical appointments. Now, with the checks taking place during school time, those absences will be less frequent. All staff carrying out the sensory checks will be fully qualified
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