IPaSS

IPaSS provides specialist support for children and young people 0-25 with hearing, visual and physical difficulties.For More information on our services and to request a referral form please contact us.

Children and young people with visual impairment (VI) 

The VI team provides advice and support to families in the home, pre-school, school and post 16 settings. This can include- 

• teaching specialist skills for example Braille communication
• loan of specialist equipment and resources.  Pupils are supported in the home and in their setting, according to their individual needs.  

The team comprises of qualified teachers of the visually impaired, specialist teaching assistants, habilitation officers and curriculum support officers.

IPaSS Specialist Teaching Team - Supporting Visual Impairment

IPaSS VI Support Teachers and Qualified Teachers of the Visually Impaired carry out a central role in the education of children and young people with vision impairment from birth up to 25 years. Working in homes, early-years settings, schools and post 16 settings. This includes:

• Carrying out initial assessments to establish the support required using the National Sensory Impairment (NatSip) Eligibility Criteria. Reviewing Support Factors regularly to ensure pupils receive the correct level of support and adapted learning resources where necessary.
• Provide visual assessment reports for each pupil on the active caseload, outlining the specialist and educational support required.
• Attend and contribute towards Educational, Health and Care Plans including writing professional reports and providing advice.
• Providing direct support to babies and young children with vision impairment and their parent carers in the home to support early development and learning through play and to promote parental confidence.
• Assessing children and young people's functional vision in liaison with health professionals

• Liaising with health professionals on the range of available low vision devices and how to use them

• Advising in mainstream and specialist early years, school and FE and HE settings on strategies for curriculum access and independent learning
• Guiding the work of other professionals, such as teachers, teaching assistants and therapists through INSET, ongoing specialist advice and direct teaching
• Teaching specialist skills, for example Braille, the use of specialist equipment and ICT, and independent living and learning skills
• Assessing individual learners needs for the use of modified teaching and learning resources in print, audio or tactile formats
• Advising on access arrangements for exams
• Using strategies to help develop the visual and communication skills of children and young people with additional or complex needs.
• Advising on and how appropriate communication strategies can enhance children and young people's functional vision
• Informally assessing learning environments for accessibility and health and safety, and reviewing access plans (in line with the Equality Act)
• Liaising and working with the Qualified Habilitation Specialist on individual mobility and independence skills learning programs
• Promoting and delivering training on emotional wellbeing and social and communication skills.
• Providing a birth to 25 service, including effective transition arrangements at key stages from birth through awareness raising, training, transfer of information and ensuring specialist equipment is in place in the new setting
• Supporting students through transition into post 16/FE provision and into independent adulthood.

Visit our website here IPaSS (Opens in a new window)

A referral can be made to the service from education and health providers; please download our referral form here.

Children and young people with a hearing impairment (HI)

The HI team provides advice and support to families in the home from the time of diagnosis, into preschool, school and post 16 settings.  Support can include –

• specialist teaching following a total communication approach, for children and young people in receipt of an Education and Health Care Plan for HI is available within the sensory resource bases located in Christopher Pickering Primary School and Sirius West Academy ( secondary) IPaSS (Opens in a new window)

• advice on management of hearing loss and personal hearing technologies.
• provision of specialist equipment such as radio aids 
• deaf instructors who are excellent deaf role models, provide advice, support and tuition regarding Deaf Culture, British Sign Language etc.

The team comprises of qualified teachers of the deaf, specialist teaching assistants and deaf instructors. 

Children and young people with physical difficulties (PD)

The PD team provides advice to preschool, school and post 16 settings regarding the educational implications of PD.  Advice can include- 

• buildings access
• support/changing facilities
• curriculum access and participation
• implications of physical disability or illness
• health and safety
• emotional health and well being relating to  disability 

The team comprises of specialist teachers, a moving and handling advisor and a specialist information technology (IT) advisor.

For more information visit the IPaSS website here.

Contact details

Phone- 01482 318400  Email- ipass@hullcc.gov.uk

Address - Oakfield School Site, 220 Hopewell Road, Hull, HU9 4HD