Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the technical capacity of schools to deliver digital support for children with (a) visual and (b) hearing impairment.

All schools have duties under the Equality Act 2010 towards individual disabled children and young people. They must make reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services for disabled children to prevent them being put at a substantial disadvantage.

To teach a class of pupils with sensory impairments, a teacher is required to hold the relevant mandatory qualification, which is the Mandatory Qualification in Sensory Impairment (MQSI). Teachers working in an advisory role to support these pupils should also hold the appropriate qualification. The MQSI provides sensory impairment teachers with the specialist expertise needed to ensure that pupils with a visual or hearing impairment are supported effectively, including the use of assistive technology and specialist equipment.

The department commissioned an assistive technology rapid literature review which evaluated studies of assistive technology use with students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. The report concluded that assistive technology is under-utilised and, alongside other recommendations, recommended developing assistive technology training courses for educators.

The department also runs a biennial technology in schools survey to capture up-to-date data on the current state, use and spread of technology within primary and secondary schools in England. Findings from the first survey will be published in 2023.

Following the promising results of a pilot training programme to increase mainstream school staff confidence using assistive technology, the government extended training to capture more detailed data on the impact on teachers and learners. The department will publish the impact report in May 2024.