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The majority of children with visual impairment in the UK are supported by teaching assistants in the classroom, either on an individual basis or as part of a teaching team. Teaching assistants are often the people who work alongside children more closely than any other education professionals. The quality of their work is therefore central to children's education and inclusion, yet historically the role of teaching assistant has required no specialist training and there is no national pay or career structure. Research undertaken by RNIB suggests that only a small proportion of teaching assistants employed to work with children with visual impairment currently receive training which leads to a specialist qualification. Recently, however, the Government's commitment to reforming the school workforce has raised the profile of all teaching assistants and focused attention on their training needs. This paper outlines RNIB's response to these developments and charts the creation of a new vocational qualification to meet the training needs of working with children with visual impairment. The paper outlines the proposed content of the course and discusses how the knowledge, understanding and skills of students will be assessed. It also considers ways how the specialist nature of the new qualification will relate to the national qualifications structure being established in the United Kingdom. The paper concludes by suggesting how these changes may impact in the long term on the relationship between teaching assistants and teachers of children with visual impairment.

Children in England are subject to more external assessment than in any other major country in the world. This paper is based on research undertaken by the author at the University of Birmingham. It considers the issues involved in ensuring that children with visual impairment enjoy equal access to the many tests and examinations that they take during their school years. The major focus of the paper is on the way that examination papers are put into braille and large print. What safeguards exist to make sure that this is done professionally and to a common standard? How do teachers know what to expect so that they can prepare their pupils appropriately? Where should the balance lie between meeting the needs of pupils on an individual basis and expecting them to manage with standard approaches to the modification and production of papers? The paper moves on to consider the opportunities for modifying exam papers electronically so that teachers can customise their presentation to suit individual needs. Finally, the paper looks briefly at related issues such as the granting of extra time and the use of sighted helpers in examinations. How do all these special arrangements affect the validity of the tests and the results achieved by pupils with visual impairment? While the focus of the paper is on UK systems, these issues also hold significance for teachers of children with visual impairment in all countries.