Balshaw’s Church of England High School

Specialised schools for the visually impaired have been in existence for a great number of years. However, in the latter half of the 20th century there began a debate, which continues today, as to their relevance in an age of inclusion. Those schools that remain may well be greatly experienced in teaching learners with little or no sight. They do not, however, have a preordained right to always exist, particularly as islands in an increasingly interconnected and accountable education system. Pharos is a self-evaluation tool, developed from an European Union (EU) funding school project, which all service providers, including special schools, can assess their progress towards being part of an interconnected model of partnership, sharing, and cooperation so that the diverse educational needs of young people with visual impairment are met.

Games have been played for thousands of years, for power, for money, for amusement, all over the world. They began very simply, using the resources available at the time—sand, pebbles, coloured sticks, shells. Most of the games that we play today have descended from these simple ancient pastimes, although we now have access to superior resources, including computers programmed to beat us, and commercially manufactured packages. We cannot always afford to purchase the more sophisticated offerings, but we can always find items around that will still be able to provide children with experiences and excitement enjoyed around the world for the past 3000 years.