The Department for Education (DfE) has provided £1.7 million funding to allow children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to trial innovative assistive technologies.
Up to 4,000 schools will be able to pilot assistive technologies in classrooms to support thousands of children with SEND to achieve and thrive.
So-called “lending libraries” will be set up in up to 32 local authorities and will enable schools in the area to borrow and trial a range of devices to suit their pupils’ needs.
The lending libraries will be stocked with a range of tools, including reading pens to scan text and read it aloud, dictation tools which convert spoken word into text, and tablets which leverage images to help non-verbal pupils communicate.
The aim is to support children with a wide range of needs, including dyslexia, autism, and ADHD, and increase their independence.
Local authorities participating in the pilot will be confirmed over the summer, DfE states, with pupils set to benefit from the start of the new school year. The delivery partner, CENMAC, will work closely with the DfE and participating local authorities to bring the lending library model to life.
The lending libraries model adopts a ‘try before you buy’ approach. This gives schools the opportunity to measure the impact of different devices before making an upfront investment, building confidence in what works and reducing the risk of wasted expenditure.
According to the DfE, schools which have already introduced assistive technology alongside staff training have seen a positive impact. 86 percent of school staff surveyed identified a positive impact on behaviour and almost nine in 10 witnessed greater confidence amongst pupils with SEND.
Minister for School Standards, Catherine McKinnell, said: “We’re committed to reforming the SEND system to break down barriers to learning and achieve excellence everywhere for every child.
“Assistive technology can play a key role in this and unlocks learning for so many children – so that attention difficulties, communication issues or struggles with literacy don’t stand in the way of children learning with their friends at their local school.
“We’re committed to driving inclusivity across all schools and this pilot is a brilliant step towards making that happen, supporting teachers and giving all children the tools they need to achieve and thrive.”
Beyond supporting children with SEND to be more independent, the introduction of assistive technology also helps free up teacher and support staff time. Pupils will still receive the additional assistance they need, while staff can focus on what they do best – the face-to-face teaching that transforms pupils’ life chances.
The government believes the pilot will help address the gap in awareness around assistive technology, with only 13 percent of mainstream school leaders surveyed having heard of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices and only six percent having introduced them.
Julaan Govier, Curriculum Lead and Digital Champion & Cheryl Shirley, Director of Digital Learning, at LEO Academy Trust schools, commented: “Assistive technology has been a fantastic way to promote innovative and creative ways to access learning.
“Before using assistive technology, we were recognising many challenges children were facing in being able to fully access the curriculum. A handful of our students with dyslexic tendencies often felt frustrated as they were unable to vocalise themselves and found it really difficult to communicate through traditional methods.
“The integration of assistive technologies, which offer screen masks, screen readers, picture dictionaries, and translators, along with voice-to-text features, has profoundly transformed student learning and well-being. These tools enable students to increase their focus by eliminating distractions and reducing cognitive overload, and to communicate and demonstrate their understanding in ways that best suit their individual preferences.
“All our students are now able to integrate into their classrooms, with their peers, giving them dignity and confidence by working privately and in ways that work best for them.”
Last year, the government unveiled a £740 million cash injection to help more pupils with SEND to achieve and thrive in mainstream schools. The funding could be used to adapt classrooms to be more accessible for children with SEND and to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs.
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