The announcement of a return to school in September may have caused a mixture of emotions for both parents and children. Shropshire Council's SEN Team has written to parents to explain how education settings are preparing a safe environment, and the support available to welcome back children who may be anxious about returning.
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As part of the Education Access Service recovery response and in line with recent government guidance regards to all pupils returning to schools in September, a parent/pupil support line will be available for the 2 weeks from 17 August – 2 September, prior to schools returning in September.
The number will go through to Shropshire Council’s customer call centre, where an advisor will ask a few questions and send the query through to the Education Access Service.
You will speak with a fully trained Education Welfare Officer who will help to allay any fears and or signpost to other services if required.
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To support transition, colleges will be working with young people, their families and schools to discuss ways to support transition from school to college. This article includes some examples |
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Autism West Midlands offer some tips on supporting children with autism back to school, including an information sheet and a recording of a webinar they did on returning to school. |
Shropshire's Information, Advice and Support Service (IASS) has written about children returning to school and how risk assessments for those with an EHCP will be useful to help identify what additional support needs to ensure a safe and successful transition back to school. |
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Shropshire Council’s Passenger Transport Team are working hard to ensure a smooth transition back to school in September 2020. They are currently interpreting the guidance and liaising with schools and operators as to how transport for September may look. PACC are working with the transport team, putting forward any questions parents have for an FAQ section of the next newsletter. If you have any transport questions, please email them to PACC at enquiries@paccshropshire.org.uk
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During lockdown many schools were proactive in developing different ways of holding the annual review for a child who had an EHCP, ensuring that the meeting remained person centred. Parents have shared positive feedback about annual reviews that have been conducted via Microsoft Teams. As we move forward the SEN Team has requested that all annual review meetings are arranged using Teams. This article explains more.
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Shielding advice for all adults and children will pause on 1 August, subject to a continued decline in the rates of community transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19). This means, that the small number of pupils who will remain on the shielded patient list can also return to school, as can those who have family members who are shielding. See the guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable for the current advice.
Some pupils no longer required to shield but who generally remain under the care of a specialist health professional may need to discuss their care with their health professional before returning to school in September (usually at their next planned clinical appointment). Further information on shielding clinically extremely vulnerable people can be found here.
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There are a wide range of easy read resources on the Local Offer, covering topics such as wearing facemasks, support bubbles, and shielding.
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The DfE updated What parents and carers need to know about schools, colleges and other education settings during the coronavirus outbreak. This guidance sets out some of the changes and protective measures the government is asking schools and colleges to put in place and what parents, carers, children and young people will need to do to help ensure schools and colleges are as safe as possible for everyone.
The government has issued guidance to all special schools special post-16 institutions (SPIs) and other specialist education settings, such as hospital schools, to prepare for all children and young people, in all year groups and setting types, to return to education settings full time from the beginning of the autumn term.
They have also issued Guidance for full opening for mainstream schools and alternative provision, which covers expectations for children with special educational needs and disability (SEND), including those with education, health and care plans, in mainstream schools.
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PACC want to understand the impact of Covid 19 on Short Break provision in Shropshire and how this has impacted on Shropshire SEND families. They have produced a short survey for families to share their experiences and feedback.
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For many SEND families, lockdown hasn't been easy, and now we find ourselves having to adjust and adapt again as restrictions are slowly lifting. Zara and Sarah from PACC have written this blog post on navigating the next steps. |
Thank you to parent carers who have shared their experience of returning to school and to those who have shared photos of their children during lockdown.
Making a difficult decision
A different but better experience?
The importance of a personalised approach
We had a huge amount of questions
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