Sussex lecturers say SEND children should be able to attend school

Dr Jacqui Shepherd and Dr Christina Hancock, lecturers at the University of Sussex, say thousands of pupils who could benefit from the routine of regular school attendance are currently excluded from the government's criteria for "vulnerable children".

The two lecturers carried out research during the first lockdown and found parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) had a strong preference for their child to attend school in any subsequent lockdown.

Currently, pupils with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan meet the government criteria for those who can attend school, but only about a quarter of children with SEND have an EHC plan.

Dr Shepherd, lecturer in education, said: “The government needs to broaden the criteria restricting which pupils are able to continue accessing schools if they wish to maintain pupils’ wellbeing and educational attainment during the weeks of lockdown ahead.

“We appreciate there are enormous challenges for schools and teachers in balancing face-to-face and online teaching and having large numbers of children in classrooms is undesirable in the current climate.

"But children with SEND need to be high up on the priority list of the small minority of children allowed to attend school for at least part of the school week.”

More than 500 parent carers of children with SEND responded to the University of Sussex survey in the summer detailing their educational experiences during the first lockdown last year.

Academics are now making the findings public for the first time, in the hope they will help shape a better educational experience for children with SEND during the current lockdown.

Parents particularly called for schools to personalise learning more specifically for children with SEND, as they would have done in school - such as opportunities for one-to-one support and continuing therapy sessions where possible.

Dr Christina Hancock and Dr Jacqui Shepherd

Dr Hancock, lecturer in Primary Education, said: “Our survey results indicate that some children with SEND will benefit enormously from having the option of retaining their routine of going to school.

“But all children with SEND would benefit if schools can take action to ensure they are seen and that steps have been taken to provide them with personalised online and home learning that meets their specific needs."

Dr Shepherd added: "It's important to note many parents in the survey were extremely positive about the support they had received during the first lockdown and felt their children had been supported well.

"There are certainly some excellent recommendations about how schools can support pupils during this difficult time, particularly around good planning and effective communication with parents in the early days of adjusted teaching routines, that should be set into action now.”