Who can carry out an assessment of the educational needs of my child with a vision impairment and what do I do if they refuse?
Either your child's school, or you yourself as a parent/carer can request an assessment of your child's special educational needs. The assessment should be carried out by your Local Authority.
It should set out the provision they consider would meet your child's needs. You can ask to meet with your local authority representative to get more detail as to how they feel these needs can be met.
If you have applied for a statutory assessment of your child's special educational needs and it has been turned down, or you are not happy with the result of the assessment, you can appeal. Your local authority should give you the appropriate information and time scales for you to do this. If they have refused to carry out an assessment they must write to you explaining their reasons for refusal.
If you live in England every local authority must provide an (IASS) Information, Advice and Support Service for parents of children with special educational needs in the event of questions or problems. You can also contact IPSEA Independent Parental Special Education Advice.
If you live in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, there are different support and advice services available, if you have concerns about your child's provision.
Further information can be found on RNIB's Learning with complex needs and Guide Dogs education support webpages.
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