Budget for the Special Schools Eye Care Service could be cut by 30%, AOP says

The Government is preparing to cut funding for the Special Schools Eye Care Service (SSECS) by up to 30%, the AOP has said.

In a statement released today (9 May), the association set out its understanding that the budget may be cut from £116 to around £81 per child.

The calculation is based on the official £10 million funding figure announced by the Government in June 2023 being used to provide the service to approximately 165,000 children, or 90% of the children in special schools, although the AOP believes that the actual figure is closer to £12 million when other funding announcements are included.

A £10 million commitment to the future of the service was made in June 2021, when then minister for primary care, Neil O’Brien, said that it would be rolled out to 165,000 children across day and residential special schools from 2024–2025.

Currently, only 9% of children in special schools have access to the service.

The government has now “backtracked” on this commitment, “enforcing a real terms cut on providers which will mean eye experts will struggle to find ways to offer the service,” the AOP said.

A funding cut to the extent predicted would see a “life-changing eye care service for children with special educational needs brought to the brink of collapse,” the association emphasised.

Chief executive of the AOP, Adam Sampson, said that cutting the fee by 30% is “in effect an act of sabotage.”

The AOP is urging the Government to meet its commitment and fund the service at £116 for all children who need it.

“The Government must reverse the cut and meet its commitment to support this life-changing eye care service for 165,000 children with special educational needs, or risk becoming the architect of the service’s collapse before it has even been built,” Sampson said.

Parents of children who have benefited from the SSECS have been vocal about its value.

Donna Nye, whose son Archie has benefited from the service, emphasised how much difference it has made, and how he is n ow more inquisitive than he was previously.

Nye explained: “Archie used to attend the eye clinic at the hospital. Even being at the hospital, these clinics never really met Archie’s needs, and were very stressful as loud noises startle Archie and set him off into a seizure. We were then discharged from the clinic meaning Archie had no one to check his eyes. That was when we heard about the service at Greenvale School.

“It was a huge relief to know that Archie’s eyes would be looked after by someone who understood his needs and also felt they could help. Archie now wears glasses and it’s made such a difference to him.”

She emphasised the value of no longer having to take her son out of school to attend appointments, and the “massive difference” this has made to their lives.

“Every SEN child should have support like this,” Nye added.

A 2023 AOP survey highlighted the importance of the SSECS, with 65% of UK optometrists saying they believe that many children with special needs are ‘experiencing a lower quality of life’ due to inadequate provision of NHS eye care services.

A further 76% concluded that ‘trauma and worry’ is reduced for children and parents who have access to the specially designed service.

The AOP noted that as many as 40% of all children in special schools require glasses.

Aaron Collins, deputy headteacher at Greenvale School, London, said: “This service is changing the lives of children in our school. Children who otherwise wouldn’t have access to eye care are able to have a regular sight test by a team they know, in a setting they know, and be prescribed glasses.”

Collins added: “Being able to see properly really does change their world. We are deeply disappointed that the service is not getting the investment it deserves and that many children will miss out on this vital service that supports their development, their wellbeing and the relationships they have.”

The AOP has written to the Minister for Public Health, Start for Life and Primary Care, Dame Andrea Leadsom, to call for urgent action.

Sampson said that a potential 30% cut to the SSECS is “in effect an act of sabotage.”

“Much of the UK’s health service is in crisis, but when we have a solution that fixes one very important element – reducing health inequalities for children – we must seize the opportunity,” Sampson emphasised.

He added: “A tremendous amount of work has already gone into setting up the service in many special schools in England – and children, parents and teachers can see the impact it is having.

“The Government must reverse the cut and meet its commitment to support this life-changing eye care service for 165,000 children with special educational needs, or risk becoming the architect of the service’s collapse before it has even been built.”

Learning disability charity, SeeAbility, has told OT that “a generation of children have missed out” due to delays to a wider rollout of the SSECS.

Read the full AOP statement online.