See answers to previous information requests

I am writing to request data regarding your local authority’s specialist educational provision and infrastructure for children and young people with low-incidence sensory impairments (specifically visual impairment and hearing impairment).

1. Specialist Workforce Staffing (FTE)
Please provide the information requested below for each of the following three financial/academic years: 2016/17, 2021/22, and the most recent year 2025/26.
a) What was the total Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) number of Qualified Teachers of Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (QTVIs) directly employed, or commissioned, by the local authority?
b) What was the total FTE number of Qualified Teachers of the Deaf (ToDs) directly employed, or commissioned, by the local authority?
c) What was the total FTE number of Registered/Qualified Habilitation Specialists (Mobility and Independence) directly employed, or commissioned, by the local authority?
WBC commission this service from Berkshire Sensory consortium and do not commission any teachers in these specialisms.

2. Active Student Caseloads
Please provide the information requested below for each of the following three financial/academic years: 2016/17, 2021/22, and the most recent year 2025/26.
a) What was the total number of children and young people on the active service caseload requiring Visual Impairment specialist support?
2016/17 - 50
2021/22 - 65
2025/26 - 91
b) What was the total number of children and young people on the active service caseload requiring Hearing Impairment specialist support?
2016/17 - 130
2021/22 - 137
2025/26 - 131

3. Habilitation and Mobility Training Waiting Times
a) As of the date of this request, how many children and young people are currently on a waiting list for an initial assessment by a Habilitation Specialist: None
b) For the year 2025/26, what was the average waiting time (in weeks) and the longest recorded waiting time (in weeks) for a child to receive their first practical habilitation support session following an initial referral: None as hab and QTVI work together and all pupils who require Hab are allocated it and this is planned for ahead of need

4. Exam Accessibility and Formal Complaints
In the academic years 2024/25 and 2025/26, how many formal complaints, non-compliance reports, or incident logs were recorded by the local authority or its sensory support service regarding incorrectly formatted, delayed, or inaccessible exam papers (including modified large print, Braille errors, or lack of specialist assistive equipment) for sensory-impaired students sitting formal examinations (e.g., GCSEs, A-Levels, or SATs)?
None

5. Specialist Mainstream Infrastructure
a) How many mainstream state-funded primary schools currently exist within the local authority (excluding standalone special schools)? Of these, how many host a dedicated Specialist Resource Base (SRB), Resourced Provision (RP), or Specialist Unit specifically designated for:
Total primary School: 54
i. Pupils with Visual Impairments (VI): O resource bases
ii. Pupils with Hearing Impairments (HI): 1 Resource Base Emmbrook Infant and Junior Schools
Please provide the names of the specific primary schools hosting these provisions.
b) How many mainstream state-funded secondary schools currently exist within the local authority (excluding standalone special schools)? Of these, how many host a dedicated Specialist Resource Base (SRB), Resourced Provision (RP), or Specialist Unit specifically designated for:
Total Secondary Schools: 10
i. Pupils with Visual Impairments (VI): 0
ii. Pupils with Hearing Impairments (HI): 0
Please provide the names of the specific secondary schools hosting these provisions.