West Sussex County Council sent this bulletin at 28-04-2020 11:59 AM BST
Please disseminate this newsletter to parent carers, professionals and those who are interested in reading more. Haven't received a copy directly or know someone who hasn't? Email sarah.dimmock@westsussex.gov.uk.
Home Learning support for children with SEND during COVID-19
We are now entering our fifth week of school closures and many of our children and young people are being taught at home. Although this can be a creative and fun time, it can also be a daunting prospect.
Families are beginning to establish new routines and adjust to learning at home and we like to thank you for the work you have already been doing to support families in home learning.
This newsletter has been written to provide you with some additional information which you may find useful to share with your parent carers. The majority of these suggestions have been taken from the West Sussex Local Offer and it’s worth visiting this site on a regular basis to see what else you can find. Please also see the ‘Learning during Coivd-19’ parent carer letter from Paul Wagstaff.
Setting Up a Family Meeting – calling a family meeting is important to set ground rules and expectations for the duration of this situation. Ask all to participate to discuss their understanding of the situation, what this means and why are we doing this…it will give everyone a sense of purpose and meaning. Validate emotions as children may feel like things are not fair. Write together a poster with ground rules, such as how many hours of screen time they can have each day, or how they can contribute to the household by doing chores or cooking.
Setting Up a Schedule – Having a calendar or a schedule outlining different activities will help create a routine and establish predictability. It can be done visually using colour coded signs. Deciding on a schedule together will help to function as a family.
Deciding on Different Activities – When discussing different activities, it is important to ensure that all family members’ needs are met. For younger children, they will need play and unstructured times, whereas for older children, it may mean learning online with structured educational activities set by the school. For parents, it may mean the need to have some time to work and communicate with colleagues and allow time for self-care.
What online resources can we use?
As you may be aware, a variety of national guidance documents have been produced – the main ones being from the Department for Education (DFE).
BBC Bitesize – is an all-encompassing website that covers Primary, Secondary and Post 16 areas. It is very comprehensive and allows children and young people to study independently. It could be used by teachers to introduce, reinforce or review topics or themes. The website has recently been updated with daily lessons for all ages. There is also going to be a new dedicated TV channel with learning content, podcasts and educational videos.
The Oak National Academy - is an online classroom and resource hub which includes video lessons, quizzes and worksheets. It is backed by the Government and has been created in response to the coronavirus lockdown.
In West Sussex...
WSCC has provided a letter to parents on supporting learning at home with an accompanying guidance on principles. Many other organisations have also been producing their own guides. A practical guide for coping with the lockdown and ideas for fun and relaxing things to do with at home with your child is also available on the Compass Card Lockdown page. The guides contain information on where to access Virtual Disneyland Tours, the best moments from live Cirque de Soleil shows, a creative development programme from Chichester Festival Theatre and a range of exercise classes, including those for wheelchair users.
Providing additional support for children and young people with SEND
Specialist SEND and Inclusion support to families
As key workers, WSCC staff are continuing to provide remote telephone or email support to schools and families. For further information about the services available please see the SEND and Inclusion update here. Many of the services have extended their remit to include direct support to families through an initial school contact.
The WSCC Education Psychology Service is offering a new ‘Community call-back’ telephone service to parents and carers who live in West Sussex, as well as to practitioners who work in West Sussex. Telephone Consultations can be requested where there is a question or concern about learning or behaviour as well as worries about well-being and emotions. Telephone requests are arranged through the online form.
Online, various resources are also available
Ideas for supporting your child with their handwriting, spelling and reading can be found on The British Dyslexia Association website. Although the guide was written for those with dyslexia, many of the ideas are helpful for all children who are learning at home.
The Autism and Social Communication team have produced a helpful ‘working at home with your child’ guide for parent carers whose children may have social communication differences/autism. As with the Dyslexia materials, the information may be helpful to other parents too.
For children who have English as an additional language, you may want to consider:
British Council Learning English Kids - a highly interactive resource aimed at primary pupils. It contains a number of videos, games, listening and reading activities. The site could be used by teachers to direct particular tasks or by students on their own to practise their English in a fun, engaging manner.
British Council Learn English Teens - this website is aimed at secondary pupils. It contains a substantial catalogue of videos, recordings, vocabulary, reading and writing activities that could be teacher directed but also could be used by pupils independently.
Skills Workshop - the ESOL part of the website is aimed at secondary and Post 16 pupils and focuses on functional English. It is a useful resource for teachers to direct tasks and for students to focus on literacy skills. This website also contains English and Maths sections which again focus on the functional use of English and Maths.
World Stories - a website to engage primary pupils with their mother tongue and literacy in mother tongue. The site contains a whole array of stories in a number of different languages and could be used by parents to promote mother tongue use. It could be used to enhance reading, comprehension, vocabulary and inference in mother tongue, which is likely to enhance the same skills in English.
Oxford Owl - this website consists a section for teachers and a section for home working. Teachers could use this resource to direct tasks to primary pupils but it can also be used by parents to practise reading, writing, grammar, phonics and maths with their children without the teacher.
Fun English Games - is a “fun-learning” focused website which teachers could use to add to their repertoire. Teachers could use a number of EAL-focused games, activities, worksheets, quizzes and videos to supplement content of their lessons.
LOOK - LOOK is a small, national charity providing help, support and information for visually impaired young people, their carers and families.
RNIB Technology Support Hub - The Technology Support Hub provides facts, tips and guides on making technology accessible.
RNIB Bookshare - RNIB Bookshare is a free online service that provides accessible textbooks and resources.
Dolphin - Dolphin is offering 3 months free access to their screen magnification software and parents can sign up to Learning at Home webinars.
Talking to children and young people about COVID-19 and social distancing
The WSCC Education Psychology Service has published some useful 'Tips for Families' and 'Tips for Schools' , on how to talk to children and young people about the Coronavirus and their well-being.
The West Sussex Short Breaks Team have produced an Accessible Virtual Short Breaks Wiki. The ‘feeling, well-being and behaviour’ area of the site contains links to some great resources.
There is also a free social story and several wordless books to help explain how to cope with COVID-19 and social distancing.
A link to a free book explaining, illustrated by the Gruffalo illustrator Alex Scheffler, which explains the coronavirus to children.
The Patient Provider Community Forum has produced a free set of AAC communication aids focusing around the symptoms of Coronavirus, which can be found on their website here.
To support learning at home, a series of free webinars which include topics such as home use of Boardmarker, Clicker@home and managing screen time are available through Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA).
A list of resources to support the mental well-being of children and young people during the coronavirus pandemic and school shutdown has been produced by the South West Region. We suggest that schools select the most appropriate resources from this list knowing the needs of their families.
Wider Support
For wider support around coping with feelings the following resources may be of help:
An anxiety workbook for primary school aged children (Mighty Moe)– please note this will need to be worked through with a parent or member of staff.
How to support a child with bereavement is also available. Please note this is a school facing guide.
West Sussex County Council Community Hub:
If a parent is struggling to ensure they have food for their family, collect medication or in need of any additional support for children with additional needs, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the West Sussex County Council Community hub.
Parents - Please remember, that your school, social worker and any other services that you already have contact with are still here to support you.
