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Back To School & Education |
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In this section, we tell you about some new resources relating to the return to school and education. You can find more in our Local Offer Coronavirus Advice & Information under Schools & Home-learning. This includes:
- Mental health resources, with SEND-specific information
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the risk of infection in Manchester Schools
- Back To School Packs - specially written for Manchester’s autistic students
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A Welcome Back From CDC
The Council for Disabled Children has been looking at the questions that schools, colleges and parents have been raising about returning to school safely. As part of this, they recently surveyed Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support (SENDIAS) services to get a feel for concerns, challenges and solutions. See this Welcome Back To School from Dame Christine Lenehan, CDC Director.
Back To School Resource
Contact, the charity for families with disabled children, has published lots of new back to school information for families in England. You can find everything you need to know about your child's return to school, including answers to some of your top concerns and questions, the latest government guidance and useful resources to help both you and your child feel better prepared for the return to school.
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Beyond Words - Two New Stories
Beyond Words are developing two new wordless stories to support all primary school children - mainstream and SEND - in returning to school. ‘Lenny and Lily in Lockdown’ and ‘Lenny and Lily Return to School’ will help children make sense of their experiences, communicate their feelings and prepare for more change as they go back to the classroom.
CDC Resources
The Council for Disabled Children has a series of resources - ‘Responding to Covid 19 - Innovation and best practice in the education, health and care sector during the pandemic’. This shares learning and good practice on how children’s health, care and education services have adapted and innovated in response to Covid-19 whilst continuing to provide high levels of care for children with SEND.
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Face Coverings Exemptions Toolkit
The Disability Unit and Public Health England have developed a new Face Coverings Exemptions Toolkit. It has some useful visual cards and posters to raise awareness and inform others of an individual’s exemption from using coverings and their rights.
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Don’t forget, there is also the downloadable Reasonable Adjustments Card, produced by Manchester Parent Carer Forum with the support of Manchester City Council.
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Public Safety Information Hub
Manchester City Council has a resource hub of public health information around coronavirus in languages and alternative formats. This includes information on Staying Safe (hand washing, staying home, face coverings etc), COVID-19 symptoms, the Test and Trace system, and help to get connected online.
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Advice Videos
AskDOC have produced videos with Manchester Health & Care Commissioning that share key messages about the importance of social distancing, hand washing, wearing a face covering and getting tested: English https://youtu.be/AMbakfJ1nLY, Urdu https://youtu.be/Mwxj0KKCnUc, Sylheti https://youtu.be/k20GwaAQPqo, Gujarati https://youtu.be/OjI6mU465TI, Arabic https://youtu.be/9HHG8QTU12g.
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Date For Your Diary - Next Drop In |
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The next virtual Manchester Local Offer Drop In is on Wednesday 9th of September, 10am - 12 noon. See our Local Offer Drop In page for information on phone and social media contacts for this event.
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Autism Conference - This year's ‘Autism - A Hands on Approach’ conference will be delivered online. Participate from your own safe space on 9th November 2020. To register see www.autismahandsonapproach.co.uk
New Advocacy Service At Manchester Deaf Centre – This new service is part of a larger project called WAITE (Wellbeing, Advocacy, Information, Training, Employment & Enterprise). It provides various support in areas such as housing, benefits, employment, discrimination, letter translation, booking interpreters etc. to improve the everyday lives and well-being of D/deaf people. Appointments are available in person or by video on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10am – 2pm. Email: waite@manchesterdeafcentre.com, 0161 273 3415.
Spirit of Manchester 2020 - The nominations are now open! There isn’t a competitive element this year. Everyone will be celebrated as it is the collective response which is the real story to tell. Who do you feel should be acknowledged, highlighted and thanked for their outstanding work in reply to the COVID-19 crisis? It can be absolutely anyone – friend, neighbour, local community group, business up the road - but they either must live in or have delivered their support within the city of Manchester. Nominations close: 7th September. See more here.
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Ambitious About Autism Survey
Ambitious About Autism want to hear directly from autistic young people (aged 16 or over) and their parents, carers or their relatives about how the pandemic has affected them. They will use the evidence to identify areas of need that will help them target their support and inform decision-makers. The short survey is here.
National Children's Bureau Research Project
The NCB are recruiting for a research project on the impact of COVID-19. It’s a longitudinal project so it means being involved over a period of time. They want to hear from:
- Parents/carers - to hear about the impact COVID-19 has had on their family
- Children, teenagers and young adults - about their experience of the pandemic
- Practitioners who work with children and families
Sign up for monthly 30-minute chats with a researcher and you'll receive a £10 shopping voucher for each session. Complete the application form here.
Feedback From Families
The Rainbow Trust supports families with seriously ill children. Their new briefing – ‘Feeling Forgotten: Parental mental health and covid-19’ – shares the findings from two surveys with families receiving their support during this time. Supporting parents to manage their emotions and the stress of their situation will be central to Rainbow Trust’s continued response.
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The summer may be coming to an end but we’d love to share some of your pictures, videos and comments of the holiday activities in the newsletter and Twitter. We’ll sort out permissions before we share and comments can be anonymous. The activities are: School Play Spaces at The Birches and Melland, Tree Top Trek, Weekend Family Cycle, Community Market Garden in Platt Fields, Boating at Heaton Park, Groundwork workshops in Crumpsall Park, Family Dancing in Alexandra Park, making ceramic weasels and garden monsters, and Pedal & Picnic with Simply Cycling. Please send to: localoffer@manchester.gov.uk.
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