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Options for schoolingThis section mainly applies to those affected by bilateral retinoblastoma resulting in visual impairment. For general advice on schooling for those affected by uni-lateral Rb, go to the section on 'starting or changing school' from the drop-down menu in the Education section above. Mainstream School:It is in your child’s interest to see how well they cope in a mainstream school particularly in the early stages of their education. They need to be integrated with other sighted children and all schools should adopt an inclusive approach to disability. Your child will receive the support they need from your Local Education Authority (LEA) which will be outlined in their statement of needs (Go to Statementing in the Education section). Support in Mainstream school can include a classroom assistant to help with reading information off the board, reading small print from text books or helping to access information in the correct medium e.g. Braille, large print or disk. Your child may also need equipment such as a CCTV which enlarges print in books or computer software that can either enlarge the screen size or has a speech synthesizer that reads back what you have written. There are also some mainstream schools that have a unit for the visually impaired attached to them. The unit will be responsible for putting information in the correct format e.g. Braille or large print and will teach the necessary skills they may need e.g. reading/writing Braille and touch typing. Your LEA can tell you if there are any such schools in your area. Many specialist schools for early secondary education have classes of children with multiple needs, not only visual impairment, and the academic standard may not be as high as your child needs. Therefore it is important to consider this in your decision about where you want your child to go. Mainstream school can help students to cope in a university or work setting as they will have had experience of integrating with sighted individuals Specialist Schools:Specialist education allows students to concentrate on learning without having the added stress of worrying about accessing the information they need. They are able to meet and share experiences with other students who have similar difficulties and it may also help with building confidence and self esteem. There is much to be said for considering the benefits of both systems, at different stages of education. Taking RNIB New College Worcester as an example, it is a beacon school for the visually impaired. Their main strength is considered to be sixth form education; the sixth form is made up of around 40 students, many of whom go onto university. Many of the visually impaired students who go there have attended mainstream school up to year 9 or year 11 and then go onto do A-levels or vocational courses at specialist schools such as this. Ultimately, it is a decision that should be made by both parent and child together and it is important to begin looking into the options at an early stage. The RNIB can give you information about the rights of your child in mainstream education and can give you information on the specialist schools they have around the country. You can find out more at www.rnib.org.uk |
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