BTEC Level 3 Awards for Teaching Assistants working with sensory impaired children and young people

Do you work with a child or young person with a sensory loss? Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to develop your skills.  Specialise in either deafness or vision impairment. To complete the course, you will need access to and to be familiar with Microsoft Teams.

Course context and audience

The course will consist of theory and practical activities to develop skills for working with children and young people with a sensory loss across early years, schools, complex needs schools and colleges. 

Accreditation at BTEC Advanced level requires course attendance on ALL sessions and task-based activities. The course requires a commitment to produce 5 assignments and study time outside of the study sessions.

• Unit 1: Introduction to Sensory Impairment and Special Educational Needs Provision (all) - 18/09/26
• Unit 2: Understanding of Hearing Loss and Personal Amplification (Deaf) OR Understanding the Impact of Vision Impairment - 10/11/26
• Unit 3: Barriers to Listening in the Classroom (Deaf) OR The Role of Supportive Technology (Vision Impairment) - 03/02/27
• Unit 4: The Impact of Deafness on the Learning and Development of Young People (Deaf) OR Developing Key Skills for Young People with Vision Impairments (Vision Impairment) - 15/03/27
• Unit 5: Providing support for children and young people who are Deaf OR Managing the environment (Vision Impairment) - 19/04/27Course Context/ Audience

This is a level 3 qualification, for which students would usually have a minimum of five good GCSE passes (or equivalent), including English. 

Comments from past students

This course has given me so much more confidence to stand up for child's rights and make sure I can do the very best for her and make others aware of her needs.

Overall, I feel I have grown in confidence I have a much better understanding of my role and the child.

It's given me a greater awareness of the impact sensory impairment has for people both in schools and the wider environment.

Developed the communication and understanding between the students I support and myself.

I feel quite strongly that every Support Assistant working with a child or young person with sensory loss should do this course - no ifs or buts.

Excellent course, very accessible, great knowledge and helpful advice.

Fees

• For candidates external to Norfolk: £950 non-refundable (to cover course fees and all materials)
• For staff working in Norfolk educational settings with a sensory impaired child or young person, the fees are a heavily subsidised: £150 non-refundable (to contribute towards registration fees and all materials)

More information and booking

For more information and to apply for a place on this course, please see this booking form (Word doc, 58 KB). You will also need to include a brief overview of your experience of working with SEND learners and why you would like to do the course with your application.

Details of the individual sessions can also be found on S4S training: search Keywords by the course references:

• VSS-0926-T001 (Deaf strand)
• VSSS-0926-T002 (Vision Impairment strand)

Closing date for applications is 14 September 2026.