Children and young people in England with special educational needs, including severe autism, are to be offered NHS eyesight, dental and ear checks in their schools from next year.
Students with learning disabilities can struggle to say when they experience problems, meaning important diagnoses may be missed.
Bringing checks to them, in familiar surroundings and carried out by staff they already know and trust, can make a big difference, pilot studies show.
The scheme will soon be offered at all residential special schools and colleges in England to reach 18,000 pupils.
Linden Lodge School in South London was part of the pilot study doing hearing checks and its staff say their students have hugely benefited.
I visited the school and met Lily, who is 15. She is partially sighted and has recently been worried about her hearing too, because deafness runs in her family.
“Lots of the people in my family are profoundly deaf or completely deaf, including my dad. So I was a bit scared that I would inherit that as well. I really wanted my ears checked to make sure that I’m OK,” she said.
Her teacher did the screening, which Lily says was a far better experience than going to a clinic.
“I don’t really like the doctors that much because it’s a bit scary, but school’s a bit more comfortable because I know everyone here. It’s a lot nicer and more relaxed,” Lily said.
She said the tests “felt a little funny in the ear…a little bit weird, but it was only in there for a couple of seconds, so it was OK”.
And her results were perfect. She will keep having regular checks to make sure it remains that way.
“We can keep on top of it and if anything changes we know straight away. It puts my mind at rest a bit,” Lily said.
Nafsika, one of the trained teachers at the school, told how one of the ear examinations she did on a student showed up something concerning – a hole in the eardrum.
“It took a few tries… We needed breaks throughout. We had the luxury to stop and follow up the next day, with the same people in the same place. Having given him the verbal support, the physical support, we got to this result,” she said.
“Without that, it would be another appointment in a month’s time. He may have healed anyway. Great. But what if not?”
Armed with the knowledge, the school can adapt for the pupil.
“He’s always going to feel more sensitive to noise. Now we’ll know why and that will change the whole behaviour we have,” Nafsika said.
She said students with complex needs can miss a lot of school time going for medical appointments.
“At least this appointment can happen here and the families get reassured,” she said.
The school has done follow-up tests for the boy, and all is well.
“We were able to go straight to the otoscopy and look in the ear and see a little bit of scarring in the eardrum, which indicated that the hole had closed, had healed,” she said.
Sarah Norris, co-headteacher at Linden Lodge, said being able to offer the service in school had been “super beneficial” for students.
“This is the best place because they know this space,” she said.
“Being able to offer this during the school day with people who are very familiar with these young people is massive benefit for families, for the community, for school for everyone.”
All staff carrying out the sensory checks will be fully qualified.
Anne Worrall-Davies, NHS England’s children and young people’s clinical lead for learning disability, autism and SEND, said: “We are delighted that we will soon be able to offer these vitally important checks.
“They will ensure children and young people in residential special schools are able to lead happier, healthier lives with minimal disruption to their education and routine.”
The checks will include:
- Annual eyesight checks
- At least one annual dental check
- Hearing checks carried out when starting school and then at transition points, such as when moving from primary to secondary school, or secondary school to sixth form college.