Visual impairment in children: 1 in 3 young people 'being failed'

One in three children in England who have difficulties with their sight are being "failed" by their local councils, according to a new report.

Figures from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) suggest one-third of children with visual impairments are suffering as a result of a lack of money to pay for the extra support that they need.

Around 11,000 children are being affected by this.

The report called Left Out of Learning says that, since 2017, 44% of councils are either freezing or reducing the amount of money being spent on services to help children and young people who have difficulties with their sight - for example, money to pay for specially trained teachers.

Many activities in school require children to be able to see - for example, reading books, playing sports or watching presentations - so children with sight problems often need help to take part in these activities.

We went to meet Romilly, 10, who is blind in her left eye and has a condition called glaucoma, which affects her sight. She requires extra support at school.

"I rely very heavily on my iPad and big books because I find it very hard to see the whiteboard," she told Newsround.

Romilly said that children losing the support they need makes her feel sad.

"They could be very academic but they can't really show their talent. The teachers might put them in a lower group because of that and it's not really fair on them because they have as much right as everyone else to an education."

Keith Valentine, head of development at the RNIB, explains that support services are needed to help children who have problems with their sight not only to succeed at school, but also to develop skills which they may need later in life.

Romilly has special books with larger writing to help her to read

The RNIB is calling on the government to support councils so that they have enough money to be able to offer the services needed by children with visual impairments.

Romilly says she would like to let the people in charge know how many people are visually impaired and "how many people they're not taking notice of".

"We've had to really fight just to get the support we really need," she said. "There are still people to fight for."

A lot of activities in school can be much more difficult for children who have problems with their sight, which is why special support is needed to help

In response to the report, Councillor Judith Blake - Chair of the Local Government Association's Children and Young People Board - said: "This report provides further evidence of the immense pressures councils continue to face in supporting children who are blind or visually impaired, as well as other pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

"Councils know that visual impairments can make life incredibly difficult for those children who experience it, and are doing all they can to help them get the education they deserve."

She added that councils are "reaching the point where the money is simply not there to keep up", and urged the government to provide more certainty about money being available to pay for these services in the future.

In response to this, the government's Department of Education said: "We have recently announced a £780m increase to funding which will bring the total spent on supporting those with the most complex needs to over £7 billion for 2020-21."

The RNIB received responses from 147 of the 152 local authorities in England about the services available to children who have difficulties with their sight, and the funding for these services.