SEND during Coronavirus lockdown

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic schools have been required to close their doors to most of their families, with the majority of our children with SEN being expected to stay home, if it is safe to do so, unless they have a social worker or a parent/carer who is a key worker. 

In these unprecedented times the legislation around provision for children with Education Health and Care plans has been temporarily changed meaning that current provision is likely to be different to that listed on the plan. Working with the Local Authority, Hope Sentamu Learning Trust continues to use ‘reasonable endeavours’ to meet the needs of our most vulnerable children, including those with EHC plans.

In accordance with the latest guidance, brief risk assessments have been completed by school SENCos for all children with EHCPs (including those currently undergoing statutory assessment) and the content of these have been agreed with parents. Consideration is given as to whether or not a child’s needs can continue to be met at home each week during a welfare call between parents and the SENCo. The vast majority of children with EHC plans are being well supported at home and provision is co-produced between home and school to include a variety of strategies to meet individual needs, including:

• Signposting to free educational resources
• Regular updates on school websites and social media including Twitter.
• Personalised resources to meet learning needs shared electronically via email, Google classroom or paper copy where required.
• Regular contact with teachers via telephone, email.
• Weekly contact made by the school and any concerns passed to the SENCo
• Any EHC plans due for annual review will still be completed remotely.

For specific enquiries please contact Katy Atkinson in the first instance. The school SENCo can also be contacted via email at: k.atkinson@gra.hlt.academy

For further general guidance on supporting your child at home please follow the links below.

https://www.ipsea.org.uk/news/ipsea-update-on-covid-19-school-closures-and-sen-provision

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-children-with-send-continue-their-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19