by Douglas Silas
Specialist SEN solicitor
Hi
I have decided to write/send this quick SEN Update about a week before schools go back for the new academic year this year (I will send my normal SEN Update for the Autumn Term in the week after schools go back). This is because I know that this year there is a lot of confusion and complexity about getting children and young people back into school after the Covid-19/Coronavirus situation. I thought I would firstly try and make things a little easier for people by preparing this video below...
I am also sending you links to some information and guidance that you may benefit from, as follows:
You may also find it helpful to look at:
And if that were not enough(!), I am also putting a link here to some further guidance produced over the summer, as follows:
I hope that this helps people. With good wishes, Douglas
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by Douglas Silas, specialist SEN solicitor.  Here is my update for this week. It’s been a bit of a slow week again for SEN news I am afraid. Things seem to be really slowing down for summer now. However, although this now will be my last update on SEN and Covid-19 (don’t worry, I am going to restart my SEN Updates again as usual from September), I have still managed to find some useful resources/information for you again this week. I hope that this helps people again. 1. What has happened this week?  The first thing that I want to bring your attention to is the website of Well Child, the charity for sick children. They have a lot of advice and resources available to or parents and carers of children with serious health conditions , including help accessing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and supplies, plus information for companies and stay-at-home fundraising suggestions. I was very taken by their page called the ‘COVID-19 Direct Response Service’, which states: “In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are offering a Direct Response Service to get the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and support with supplies that parents and carers need”… READ MORE  The next thing that I want to draw you attention to is the webinar this week on 23 July 2020 entitled: ‘Returning To School In September’ being put on by 39 Essex Street chambers, where leading lawyers, Polly Sweeney, Steve Broach and Alice Irving will be delivering a webinar on the legal rights of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities returning to School in September and which says it will cover issues such as: ‘The latest government guidance and what is expected of families from September’; ‘What support and provision children and young people with SEND will be entitled to receive’; ‘Do children and young people with SEND have to return to School’; ‘Children and young people who have been shielding’; ‘In what circumstances parents can be fined for non-attendance’… READ MORE  The last thing that I want to refer you to here is actually not a resource or useful information at all, but just a news piece that I found on the BBC’s website which I thought may be of interest to you, entitled: ‘'No plan B' for exams if schools disrupted in autumn’, which said… READ MORE 2. What does all of this mean? I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens now in September/the Autumn. I don’t think anybody could have predicted what has happened in the last 4/5 months or so and it would be foolish for me to try and predict now what is going to happen in the next 4/5 months. However, I am going to leave you on an as positive note as I can if I may before I also break for the summer, by sharing a link to a video with you that I was sent a few months ago called: ‘The Great Realisation’. I apologise if you have already seen it, but it is so good that it is worth watching twice. I hope that you find it as uplifting as I have done… 3. Where can I find further information? Aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would again remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites:
- IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get digital copies of the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas P.S I understand that there are a number of educational or other useful resources now on the web - I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that people are finding useful, so that I can direct others to them. P.P.S. I also want to highlight again the fact that there are currently a lot of scams out there, both online and through texts/WhatsApps. Please be extremely careful and help yourself and others not to become victims. You can learn more at: www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk. by Douglas Silas, specialist SEN solicitor Here is my update for this week. There has been a lot of Government guidance issued this week, so just in case you missed any, I am going to set them out again below. I hope that this helps people again. 1. What has happened this week?  The first bit of guidance that I want to draw you attention to is the one entitled: ‘Guidance for full opening: schools’. It said that it is guidance that applies to all schools in England and is to apply from the start of the autumn term and that it has been published before the start of the new academic year to help people prepare and says… READ MORE  The next bit of guidance that I want to refer to is the one entitled: ‘Guidance for full opening: special schools and other specialist settings’, which said that it is the Government’s plan that all children and young people, in all year groups and setting types, will return to education settings full time from the beginning of the autumn term. The guidance says that it is intended to support special schools, special post-16 institutions (SPIs) and other specialist education settings, such as hospital schools, to prepare for this and says… READ MORE  The third bit of guidance that I want to highlight is the one entitled: ‘Actions for early years and childcare providers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak’, which was first issued in March, but was updated this week. It says that it is guidance for providers registered with Ofsted and childminders registered with childminder agencies for children of all ages and says… READ MORE  The final bit of guidance that I want to bring to you attention to is the one entitled: ‘Guidance for further education and skills providers’, which was also first issued in March, but also updated this week. It says that it is guidance for further education (FE) providers on maintaining education and skills training, changes to funding arrangements, data collections and assessment and says… READ MORE 2. What does all of this mean? The best summary that I have found of everything is on the Council for Disabled Children’s website entitled: ‘Department for Education publishes new guidance for schools and other educational settings in September’, which says: ‘Today the Department for Education has published detailed guidance to support schools and colleges to fully reopen in September and early years and childcare providers from 20 July. At a press conference this afternoon, the Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson announced:
This means all children are expected back in school, full time from September and all provision for SEND should be in place. Risk assessments for children and young people with education, health and care plans will remain in place. The government published ‘Guidance for full opening: special schools and other specialist settings’. Below is an extract: “Following the partial closure of educational and childcare settings from 20 March 2020, we asked local authorities to consider the needs of all children and young people with an EHC plan and to carry out a risk assessment. Local authorities were asked to work with education settings and parents or carers to determine whether children and young people would be able to have their needs met at home and be safer there than attending an education setting. Risk assessments may prove useful now and over the autumn term, in identifying what additional support children and young people with EHC plans need to make a successful return to full education. Risk assessments may also prove useful if children and young people have to self-isolate, or if a local outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) requires a setting to return to more limited attendance, or temporarily close. Whether individual risk assessments are used to help plan for the autumn term or not, education settings should, in the spirit of coproduction, contact parents and involve them in planning for their child’s return to their setting from September. They should also contact and involve young people over 16 who have EHC plans. That might include visits to the setting, social stories, and other approaches that specialist settings normally use to enable a child or young person with SEND, who has spent some time out of education, to return to full provision.” The usual rules on school attendance will apply, including:
The only pupils who are exempt are those who are unable to attend school because they are complying with clinical and/or public health advice. In that case, schools will be expected to be able to immediately offer access to remote education. Schools are also required to ‘monitor engagement with this activity’. In regards to the temporary changes to SEND legislation where local authorities and health commissioners were required to use ‘reasonable endeavours’ to secure or arrange provisions for a child’s EHC this is expected to cease on July 31st and the absolute duty to provide back in place.’ I should probably also amplify on the last point, as the relevant guidance fully states: ‘Temporary changes to SEND legislation Since May, as a result of the outbreak, it has been necessary to modify Section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014 so that local authorities and health commissioners must use their ‘reasonable endeavours’ to secure or arrange the specified special educational/ health care provision in EHC plans. We are committed to removing these flexibilities as soon as possible so that children and young people can receive the support they need to return to school. As such, unless the evidence changes, we will not be issuing further national notices to modify the EHC duties, but will consider whether any such flexibilities may be required locally to respond to outbreaks. We will also continue to monitor the need for the temporary changes to the law on EHC needs assessments and plans that give local authorities and others who contribute to the relevant processes more flexibility in responding to the demands placed on them by coronavirus (COVID-19). These changes are currently in force until 25 September. We remain committed to listening to and working with local authorities, parent carer representatives and specialist SEND organisations, to ensure that the lifting of the temporary changes is managed in a way that supports the needs of children and young people with SEND. All education settings have a statutory duty under equalities legislation to make reasonable adjustments for disabled children. Many children and young people will have found lockdown exceptionally difficult socially and emotionally. Settings should consider any challenging behaviours or social or emotional challenges arising as a response to the lockdown and offer additional support and phased returns where needed.’ 3. Where can I find further information?
Aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would again remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get digital copies of the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas P.S I understand that there are a number of educational or other useful resources now on the web - I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that people are finding useful, so that I can direct others to them. P.P.S. I also want to highlight again the fact that there are currently a lot of scams out there, both online and through texts/WhatsApps. Please be extremely careful and help yourself and others not to become victims. You can learn more at: www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk. by Douglas Silas, specialist SEN solicitor Here is my update for this week. I know that so much in Education/SEN news has revolved around and focused on the issue of school closures in the past few months. So, I have decided to try to get back to some degree of normality in this update and try to talk about other things, as well as schools hopefully reopening once more. I hope that this helps people again. (I also thought it would be easier this week to link you directly to the website pages I am referring to below, as they have useful links on them) 1. What has happened this week?  I know that many parents have become increasingly concerned about the fact that their children and young people with SEN have not been getting sufficient special educational provision in the past few months, whether or not they have been still able to go to school. I can therefore do no better than to highlight the very useful page on IPSEA’s website entitled: ‘Children and young people with EHC plans who are not getting enough special educational provision during the COVID-19 pandemic’, which also provides model letters which parents can use/adapt, which says: READ MORE  In fact, IPSEA have been very helpful in keeping people updated through the Covid-19 pandemic and have regularly updated a page entitled: ‘IPSEA update on COVID-19, school closures and SEN provision’, which this week was updated to say: READ MORE  In other news, the BBC’s website raised some concerns about the financial difficulties and practicalities of reopening nurseries, with an article entitled: ‘Nurseries warn of 'mass closures' as lockdown lifts’, which said: READ MORE  The BBC also reported on the arguments about ‘Social `Distancing’ in schools, in an article entitled: ‘Heads angry as government downplays school 2m rule’, which said: READ MORE 2. What does all of this mean? It seems clear now that our educational system generally for children and young people is going to probably take a very long time to get back on its feet properly. My personal concern is that it will probably take even longer and require much more effort to achieve with respect to children and young people with SEN. Like I said in my update last week when talking about the Government’s pledge to now put in £1b of extra funding to help pupils ‘catch up’, extra money for education is always a good thing, but the devil is always in the detail. For now, we really need to try and think ahead and plan as much as possible for as any different and varying scenarios as we can. It’s not easy, I know… 3. Where can I find further information?
Aside from clicking on the relevant links for more information, I would again remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get digital copies of the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas P.S I understand that there are a number of educational or other useful resources now on the web - I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that people are finding useful, so that I can direct others to them. P.P.S. I also want to highlight again the fact that there are currently a lot of scams out there, both online and through texts/WhatsApps. Please be extremely careful and help yourself and others not to become victims. You can learn more at: www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk. by Douglas Silas, specialist SEN solicitor Here is my update for this week. Again this week I am setting out only part of the text of this week’s update for those of you reading this update by email, to try to make it a bit easier for people to read things and then only need to click on links which are of interest to them. (Again, anyone receiving this update through Social Media will be reading the full update as normal after clicking on the link). I hope that this helps people again. 1. What has happened this week?  It’s no surprise if you have already guessed again from the title of this week’s update, what the issue was again this week in SEN news –schools going back again! The beginning of the week saw an article on the BBC’s website entitled: ‘Coronavirus: A third of pupils 'not engaging with work', which said: “The vast majority of teachers (90%) say their pupils are doing less or much less work than they would normally at this time of the year, a study finds. The report by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) says head teachers believe around a third of pupils are not engaging with set work. Limited or no access to technology was a problem for around a quarter (23%) of pupils, school leaders told the NFER. The government says it has committed over £100m to help home learning. The NFER report is based on findings from a survey of 1,233 school leaders and 1,821 teachers in England's state schools, carried out between 7 and 17 May. It raises particular concern about the impact of school closures, due to Covid 19, on the learning of pupils from the most disadvantaged areas, saying pupil engagement is lower in schools with the highest levels of deprivation. Secondary schools with the highest number of children eligible for free school meals reported that 48% of pupils were engaged with learning activities, compared with 66% and 77% of pupils at schools in the middle and lowest brackets. Teachers told researchers the following pupils were finding it particularly difficult to engage in remote learning, compared to their peers: - those with limited access to technology and/or study space - vulnerable children - those with special educational needs and disabilities - and young carers. Teachers say just over half (55%) of their pupils' parents are engaged with their children's home learning, according to the report. But teachers from the most deprived schools report a lower parental engagement, at 41%, than those from the least deprived schools, at 62%. NFER chief executive Carole Willis said: "There are considerable differences in the levels of pupil engagement in remote learning, particularly amongst the most disadvantaged pupils." There is a risk that the attainment gap will widen as a result of the pandemic, she added, calling for a "comprehensive and long-term plan to address this issue". Josh Hillman, director of education at the Nuffield Foundation, which funded the research, said: "The shift to remote learning during lockdown has made the implications of children and young people's unequal access to IT equipment and connectivity even more stark." Geoff Barton, general secretary of the heads' union ASCL, backed a national plan "to help these children to catch up". "This analysis shows that children who already face the greatest challenges have suffered the worst impact to their learning during the lockdown, and that the digital divide is largely to blame." A Department for Education spokeswoman said: "We will do whatever we can to make sure no child, whatever their background, falls behind as a result of coronavirus. "We are also considering, with a range of partner organisations, what more is required to support all pupils who have been affected by school closures." The NFER study comes as a research paper from University College London's Institute of Education finds pupils across the UK are studying for an average of 2.5 hours a day during lockdown. This figure is about half that indicated by a previous survey by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, suggesting that learning losses could be much greater than previously thought. The UCL research, which examined data from a UK household longitudinal study covering 4,559 children, says one fifth of pupils (around two million children in the UK) did no schoolwork or less than an hour a day at home, while 17% put in more than four hours a day. It finds that the variability in the amount of schoolwork being done at home is adding to existing regional and socioeconomic inequalities, with pupils in London, the South East of England and Northern Ireland receiving more offline schoolwork, such as assignments, worksheets and watching videos, than elsewhere in the UK. In the South East, for example, 28% of children were receiving four or more pieces of offline schoolwork per day, compared with the countrywide average of 20%. The report also says children eligible for free school meals "appear to be additionally disadvantaged during lockdown", with 15% receiving four or more pieces of offline schoolwork compared with 21% of children not eligible for free meals. Prof Francis Green, who led the research, said it "painted a gloomy picture of lost schooling and low amounts of schoolwork at home". "The closure of schools, and their only-partial re-opening, constitute a potential threat to the educational development of a generation of children. "Everyone is losing out in this generation, some much more than others. "Better home schoolwork provision, and better still an early safe return to school for as many as possible, should now become a top priority for government."  By mid-week though, the BBC’s website published another article entitled: ‘£1bn catch-up tutoring fund for England's pupils’, which said: “A £1bn fund to help England's children catch up on what they have missed while schools have been closed has been announced by the prime minister. The most disadvantaged pupils will have access to tutors through a £350m programme over the year from September. Primary and secondary schools will be given £650m to spend on one-to-one or group tuition for any pupils they think need it. Head teachers welcomed the funds, but said more details were needed. Labour said ministers should convene a taskforce - involving trade unions and scientific and health experts - to help all pupils return to school safely as soon as possible. Shadow education secretary Rebecca Long Bailey said the plans "lack detail and appear to be a tiny fraction of the support" needed and called for a "detailed national education plan to get children's education and health back on track". However, Boris Johnson said the fund would help head teachers provide what pupils need. He thanked teachers, childcare workers and support staff for their efforts during the pandemic, and said he was "determined to do everything" he could to get all children back in school from September. Boris Johnson: “We have got to start thinking of a world in which we are less apprehensive." "We will bring forward plans on how this will happen as soon as possible," he said. And during a visit to a school on Friday, Mr Johnson suggested there may be change in the rules on social distancing, with more guidance due "very, very shortly", adding: "Watch this space." It comes as the Covid-19 alert level has been downgraded, bringing with it a possible relaxation of the rules that have kept many pupils out of school. The Scottish Government said it is also looking at social distancing rules in schools, after Northern Ireland decided to reduce its two-metre rule to one metre. Nicola Sturgeon has said she wanted schools to open safely as soon as possible. The announcement comes a week after Mr Johnson said the government was planning "a huge amount of catch up for pupils over the summer". But the announcement did not include any specific push towards catch-up activities running through the summer break except an expectation that usual summer clubs would be running. Instead there is a strong push for head teachers to target catch-up help via tutoring from September. However, schools minister Nick Gibb told the BBC there was lee-way for heads to set up summer schemes if they so wished. But he said: "If you want children to catch up, it can't just be done over the month of August - it has to be longer term over the academic year". Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) suggests the £650m pot represents about £80 extra for each student. That is a rise of about 1% but would leave total spending still 3% below 2010 levels in real terms. Early years providers and colleges for 16 to 19-year-olds are not included in the plans. Bill Watkin, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said it would be "entirely unjustifiable" to exclude sixth form students from the package. Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said the government's decision not to include pre-schoolers "beggars belief". But Mr Gibb said that older age groups had "fared better with remote education than other age groups" which is why the government was focused on helping younger pupils. Schools were shut across the UK on 20 March. Apart from the children of key workers, most children have not been to school since then and will not enter a classroom until after the summer holidays. Children in nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 have begun returning to primary schools in England, and some Year 10 and 12 pupils returned to secondary schools and colleges this week. Schools in Wales are reopening at the end of June, with only a third of pupils in class at any time, while in Scotland, schools are preparing to reopen on 11 August. Social distancing in schools has been halved to 1m (just over 3ft) in Northern Ireland, where ministers are aiming for a full reopening of schools on 24 August. However, head teachers have warned that parts of the Northern Ireland plan are "unrealistic and undeliverable". Plans for the subsidised National Tutoring Programme have been developed with a group of social mobility organisations and academics led by the charity Education Endowment Fund (EEF). The EEF has said that until now, access to tutoring has been the preserve of wealthy families - but this would no longer be the case as schools would be able to seek subsidised tutoring. However, individual schools would be expected to pay 25% of the tutoring costs in the first year, or from their share of the £650m in extra funding being made available to them as part of this package. The tutors themselves will be provided by organisations approved by the National Tutoring Programme. Many of them will be students or graduates trained by tutoring groups. Their modelling suggests between 550,000 and 650,000 courses, featuring three pupils to one tutor, would run for an hour a week over 15 weeks. "Tutoring is the catch-up approach supported by the strongest evidence," said the EEF's chief executive, Prof Becky Francis. She said the programme hoped to reach more than a million pupils, calling it a tremendous opportunity to create long-lasting change. Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Geoff Barton welcomed the investment, saying it would help support the work schools are already undertaking on pupil catch-up. But he noted that the investment was expected to be spent on tutoring, rather than being left to head teachers to decide. "As ever, we suspect the devil will be in the detail and we await further information," he said. He was also concerned that there was no investment for sixth forms. David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, criticised the decision not to include colleges for 16 to 19-year-olds in the plans. He said teenage college students deserved as much catch-up support as every other age group and it was "indefensible" to overlook them. National Association of Head Teachers general secretary Paul Whiteman said he was pleased ministers had listened to calls for a longer-term response, rather than short-term fixes. "This is a considerable sum of money," said Mr Whiteman, but he also warned there were many details still to be worked through.”  By the end of the week though, another article appeared entitled: ‘Coronavirus: All children in England 'back to school in September', which said: “All pupils in all year groups in England will go back to school full-time in September, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has announced. At the daily coronavirus briefing, he said the government was "signed up... to bring every child back, in every year group, in every school". Guidance on safety measures will be published in the next fortnight. It comes after the prime minister announced a £1bn fund to help England's pupils catch up with learning. Mr Williamson also said class size limits - or "bubbles" - imposed to curb the spread of the virus could be increased to allow every child to return to school. Under current rules imposed during the coronavirus pandemic, class sizes are limited to a maximum of 15 pupils, but the education secretary said ministers were looking at "expanding those bubbles to include the whole class". Class sizes vary in England, but this could be around 30 pupils. Teachers' unions say the proposals have not been thought through. "There is no social distancing if you've got 30 children in one classroom," Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), told the BBC. "But then you're going to ask them to abide by social distancing when they go out, I think that won't work and that will mean children aren't looking at social distancing at all." Schools closed to everyone except vulnerable children and those with a parent identified as a key worker on 20 March, in response to the pandemic. As the lockdown measures started easing at the beginning of this month, children in nursery, reception, Year 1 and Year 6 were encouraged to return to primary schools in England, albeit in smaller class sizes. Some Year 10 and 12 pupils - selected because they are sitting GCSEs and A-levels respectively next summer - returned to secondary schools and colleges this week. Ministers now want all pupils in England to return to classrooms full-time in the autumn, ending a near six-month absence for many pupils. "We have already been very clear that we want to see all children in all classes returning full-time to school in September. That's what we are working towards," Mr Williamson told reporters. It is a promise that many parents will have been waiting to hear. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has committed to all school pupils in all year groups going back full-time in September. The part-time, online, often not-really-anytime lessons will be over. But the much trickier question will be how to deliver this. Even if social distancing is reduced - and class size "bubbles" of 15 pupils can be increased - there will still be massive logistical challenges. Head teachers have warned any social distancing, even 1m, will require additional classrooms and teachers. And they have been exasperated at time ticking away without any clear plan - with heads' leader Geoff Barton complaining schools are working in an "information black hole". When the government had to U-turn on bringing back all primary pupils it was because nobody listened to similar warnings about lack of space. But a September deadline is now in place - and there will be high political stakes if there is another failure to deliver. The education secretary said signs that the spread of coronavirus was reducing meant that ministers could now look at "making sure that every child returns to school". He said he understood "there is anxiety still among parents" about their children going back to school, but stressed: "I want to assure you that the well-being of your children is the absolute top priority for every single one of us." The government will publish guidance for schools within the next two weeks on how to bring children back "so that schools have the maximum amount of time to prepare for the next phase", Mr Williamson said. However, there was no confirmation of whether the government's 2m social distancing rule was going to be relaxed in schools. Mr Williamson reiterated that a review of the measure is under way, and added that could not provide an exact date for a decision. Current Department for Education (DfE) guidance states that primary school classes should be split in half and contain no fewer than 15 pupils, desks should be spaced as far apart as possible and lunch, break, drop-off and pick-up times should be staggered. Schools should also consider introducing one-way circulation, or placing a divider down the middle of the corridor, to keep young people apart, it adds. Mr Williamson was speaking after the coronavirus alert level for the UK was downgraded from four to three, paving the way for a "gradual relaxation of restrictions". At level four, transmission of the virus was thought to be "high or rising exponentially"; at three, it is thought be "in general circulation". Earlier, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was "determined to do everything" he could to get all children back in school from September. "We will bring forward plans on how this will happen as soon as possible," he said. The prime minister's pledge prompted teachers' unions to call for further clarity on the proposals. Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said schools and colleges were trying to prepare for September amid an "information black hole" from the government. Mr Barton said school and college leaders were preparing for two scenarios for the autumn - using rotas to stagger the return of pupils or bringing students back full-time - amid an "absence of information". Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said: "The desire to bring everyone back is correct but we need to know what the government is thinking and the scenarios they are planning for. "This will give school communities what they need to get through this term and plan for the new academic year in September." Mr Courtney, of the NEU, said earlier: "The prime minister's hopes are not enough." "If the requirements of social distancing - in order to stop a second peak - are reduced even to 1m, then most schools could not have 30 children in a classroom," he added.”  And so you also know, the Government issued guidance this week entitled: ‘What parents and carers need to know about early years providers, schools and colleges during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak’, which says: “This guidance is for parents and carers of children at: - registered childcare providers (including nurseries and childminders) - primary and secondary schools including independent schools, maintained schools, academy trusts, free schools and special schools - colleges Main changes to previous guidance On 18 June, we: - added a new section on flexibility for primary schools to welcome back additional children this term - amended definition of vulnerable children and young people - added further information on safety in schools and the national NHS Test and Trace programmupdated content 30 hours free childcare and/or tax-free childcare - updated content on transport which includes information on using face masks on transport - revised section on school meals, adding more information on the reopening of school kitchens as well as meals in colleges - updated content on exams in 2021” 2. What does this mean? I’m not sure really! Extra money for education is always a good thing, but the devil is always in the detail they say. Let’s hope this is not just a knee-jerk reaction and there is now sufficient time to sort this out carefully and properly. 3. Where can I find further information?
There isn't really much more that I can say again in this update now. However, as I always like to do at the end of my updates, I would again remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get digital copies of the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas P.S I understand that there are a number of educational or other useful resources now on the web - I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that people are finding useful, so that I can direct others to them. P.P.S. I also want to highlight again the fact that there are currently a lot of scams out there, both online and through texts/WhatsApps. Please be extremely careful and help yourself and others not to become victims. You can learn more at: www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk. by Douglas Silas, specialist SEN solicitor Here is my update for this week. This week I am setting out only part of the text of this week’s update for those of you reading this update by email, to try to make it a bit easier for people to read things and only click on links which are of interest to them. (Again, anyone receiving this update through Social Media will be reading the full update as normal after clicking on the link). I hope that this helps people again. 1. What has happened this week?  It’s no surprise if you have already guessed from the title of this week’s update, what the issue was again this week in SEN news – primary schools going back, then not going back! I can do no better than quote an article from the BBC’s website early in the week entitled: “Plan dropped for all primary pupils back in school”, which said: “The plan for all primary school years in England to go back to school before the end of term is to be dropped by the government. There had been an aim for all primary pupils to spend four weeks in school before the summer break. But it is no longer thought to be feasible and instead schools will be given "flexibility" over whether or not to admit more pupils. Head teachers' leaders said it had never been a practical possibility. It comes after Health Secretary Matt Hancock conceded at Monday's Downing Street briefing that secondary schools in England may not fully reopen until September "at the earliest". Primary pupils in England in Reception, Year 1 and 6 began to return to school last week - and figures published by the Department for England have shown how many attended, based on 4 June. It shows that about three quarters of those who could have returned to school were still at home - reflecting that almost half of schools were not open for extra pupils. - 52% of primary schools opened for extra pupils - 11% of primary pupils were in school - about a quarter of those year groups who could have gone back - 659,000 children were in all schools, including children of key workers, almost 7% who would normally attend, up from 2.6% before half term Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair a cabinet meeting later to discuss the next steps to ease lockdown restrictions, before Education Secretary Gavin Williamson delivers a statement to the House of Commons on the reopening of schools. There are separate rules for managing the threat of coronavirus in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Children in England began returning to primary schools in a phased process last week, with Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils heading back first. Mr Williamson will give an indication later of how many more pupils in England have returned, but he is also expected to say that primary schools will no longer have to prepare for the return of all pupils, as previously proposed by the government. The "pressure" to get ready will be removed, with heads and governors being free to decide whether they can bring in more classes. Analysis Today's announcement is expected to make formal what head teachers and governors in England have been saying for some time. It's not possible to massively increase the space each class needs to meet social distancing rules, and bring everyone back. There's not enough room. While Number 10 and the education secretary pushed on with the plans, they lost the support of some groups of parents, people working in schools and teaching unions. There are the concerns that having more pupils in schools will contribute to an increase in Covid-19 infections, both among pupils and staff and in their communities, and the inconclusiveness of the scientific evidence on this. Balanced against this are also the very real fears of parents, about how on earth they are going to manage with their youngsters at home for another two or three months - minimum - let alone keep up to date with their educational needs. There are growing voices for the government to start to think more strategically and more creatively. A strategic national plan is being called for, one that realises the scale of the problem and matches the scale of the support the economy has seen. The announcement means that many children in these other year groups will not be back in school until September or even after. Care minister Helen Whately told BBC Breakfast that ministers "don't want to take risks that might increase the infection rates", but recognise that being out of school is "particularly a problem" for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and that the education gap "can widen". Children's commissioner for England Anne Longfield told the programme that the prospect of secondary school pupils not returning until beyond September was "deeply worrying". "It's a disruption we've not seen since the Second World War," she said. She added that "the education divide is broadening" and "almost a decade of catching up on that education gap may well be lost". She also called children's education to be made the number one priority in government, adding that otherwise there was a risk that "childhood is just going to be furloughed for months." Commons Education Committee chairman Robert Halfon called for a national strategic plan to get schools open as soon as possible. He also warned that with schools remaining closed the majority of pupils would lose 40% of their time in class this year. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think we're a strange country in which we turn a blind eye to mass demonstrations all over in every city, we campaign for pubs and cafes to open and yet we say to open schools before September is too risky when all the evidence... suggests otherwise." Mr Halfon also responded to concerns raised by a teacher on BBC Radio 5 live about schools having to fund supply teachers from their own budgets. "If schools need extra funding in order to make sure their classrooms are social distancing, then government should provide that funding," he said. One mother told the Today programme that she was "unsurprised" but "incredibly disappointed" by the news. "I feel really sad for my son. I've got one son in year two and another one in reception. "My child in reception [has] gone back, albeit only four days a week, every other week. "And my older son, who is just about to turn seven, is desperate to go back, can't understand, thinks it's so unfair - which it is." But another mother, with two children aged eight and six, disagreed. "I'm actually relieved if schools don't go back until September because I think it's too soon. "They don't socially distance at that age. I don't think there's enough protective equipment available in school." Head teachers had warned several weeks ago that it was not a realistic possibility to accommodate all primary year groups at the same time, with social distancing limiting their capacity. Class sizes are now only 15 pupils or less - so if each class occupied two classrooms, school leaders argued that they would have no space for all year groups to return. "The 'ambition' to bring back all primary year groups for a month before the end of the summer term was a case of the government over-promising something that wasn't deliverable," said Geoff Barton, leader of the ASCL head teachers' union. "It isn't possible to do that while maintaining small class sizes and social bubbles," he said. Paul Whiteman, of the National Association of Head Teachers, said "we're pleased to see the government will not force the impossible" and that the plan had too many "practical barriers". Ian Robinson, chief executive of the Oak Partnership Trust, which runs primary schools and a special school in Somerset, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the announcement shows ministers "are listening to the profession". Schools have remained open throughout the lockdown for children of key workers and vulnerable children. But last Monday primary schools began the process of inviting back another two million children across three year groups. Secondary pupils in Years 10 and 12 are to begin returning for some sessions in school from 15 June. It is thought that primary pupil numbers have been increasing as parents have become more confident - but there have also been local concerns about different regional rates of infection. Teachers' unions have warned that it is too early to return to school - and some local authorities have delayed a return in their areas. But the Department for Education has argued that children need to get back to lessons - and that safety has been "paramount" in the plans to bring back more pupils. Schools in Wales will reopen from 29 June to all age groups for limited periods during the week, while Scottish schools are to reopen at the start of the autumn term on 11 August, with some continued home-learning. Some Northern Irish pupils preparing for exams and those about to move to post-primary schools will go back in late August, with a phased return for the rest in September.”  A couple of days later, the BBC’s website published another article entitled: “Summer catch-up plan for England's schools pledged”, which said: “An extended catch-up plan for England's schools is to be launched for the summer and beyond, to help pupils get back on track amid school shutdowns. The PM's spokesman said the plans would involve all pupils, not just those from poor backgrounds who are expected to fare worse during closures. It comes after the education secretary ditched plans for all primary pupils to return to school before the break. PM Boris Johnson has been accused of "flailing around" over schools. On Wednesday, Labour leader Keir Starmer called for a national recovery plan for schools, saying the current plan to get pupils back to classrooms were "lying in tatters". Mr Johnson said at Wednesday's daily briefing that the government would be doing "a huge amount of catch up for pupils over the summer". Concerns have been raised about the potential for a lost generation of learners, whose education will have been interrupted for at least six months even if schools return as now planned in September. The PM's spokesman said the aim remained to have all pupils back in school for the start of the academic year, but gave no details about how ministers intended to achieve this. School capacity is severely restricted by guidelines on social distancing and separating out existing classes into smaller groups of up to 15 pupils from much larger class sizes. When the spokesman was asked about increasing this capacity, by creating extra classrooms or using village halls for example, he said the government was "looking at exactly what might be required to get all children back". The Scottish Government, which is bringing pupils back in staggered fashion from August, has said it will be working with local councils to seek out extra community spaces and empty offices to accommodate pupils, where necessary. Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Layla Moran has called for a register to be drawn up in local areas to map out where spaces could be brought into school use. There are few details of how the summer catch-up plans will work. A further announcement is expected next week. It is not clear whether this catch-up work would be offered in school buildings or elsewhere, or whether teachers would be asked to staff the programme. The general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, Paul Whiteman, said the plan was the latest in a long line of eye-catching announcements that would suffer from a lack of input from the teaching profession. He said it was not credible to think academic catch up could be achieved over the summer, and warned that the impact of enforced isolation on young people was little understood but likely to be significant. But he said support was clearly needed for pupils over the summer, and urged the government to fund a locally co-ordinated offer involving youth groups and charities. The Children's Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, warned last week that there were just two weeks left to set such summer learning projects up. And the House of Commons Education Committee chairman, Robert Halfon, has called for a Nightingale Hospital style plan to get schools back to capacity. Meanwhile, the Welsh government has published new guidance on the measures schools should consider when reopening, including outside learning, teaching in small groups, and pupils eating at their desks. Schools in Wales will reopen to all age groups from 29 June, but only a third of pupils will be in classes at any one time. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says Scottish schools will reopen from 11 August, but with some continued home learning. In Northern Ireland, ministers have set a target date for some pupils to go back on 17 August, with a phased return for the rest in September.”  By the end of the week, another article appeared entitled: “How will secondary schools reopen safely?”, which said: “As some Year 10 and Year 12 pupils in England prepare to go back to school on Monday, secondary head teachers are having to overcome an array of challenges. Plans shared with the BBC suggest the arrangements will vary widely. More than 300 schools and colleges told us they were mainly offering between five and 30 hours of face-to-face teaching each week. Some are making the return gradual, starting with pupils who are struggling the most, with many providing individual pastoral sessions to check on mental health. The Sixth Form Colleges Association says schools and colleges should ensure that extending face-to-face teaching does not impact on support for pupils who are still at home. At Ivybridge Community College on the southern slopes of Dartmoor in Devon, principal Rachel Hutchinson has been putting the final touches to plans for welcoming back just over a quarter of the college's 2,500 students. The Year 10 and 12 pupils who will be doing their GCSEs and A-levels next year will return to a very different school from the one they last saw in March. "Safety measures are key," says Mrs Hutchinson. "We're working very much with social distancing measures... looking very much at the timetable and what we can do safely and sensibly." But she's also determined to give them an "effective education". Pupils arrive by school bus, public bus and train, some are dropped off, while others walk or cycle. New mask-wearing and social distancing rules on public transport, plus a ban on sixth-formers car sharing, mean clear communication is key, she says. Each school bus can now carry just seven students, which means that, while bringing back a quarter of the pupils is feasible, larger numbers might be impossible, she says. How much face-to-face teaching will returning pupils get? At Ivybridge, even these smaller numbers of students will have to be part-time to ensure safety. It means only about 100 will be in at any one time, with only 10 in each class. For Year 10s, there will be one full day of teaching each week, with 90 minutes each of maths, English and science. The other subjects will continue to be taught remotely on the days pupils are at home. "They'll still get their full curriculum," says Mrs Hutchinson. The post-16 students will have seminar days to reduce movement around the site. They'll get two full days of each A-level over the five weeks before the end of term, says Mrs Hutchinson. "We think it's very viable, its do-able and it's really important for their education." How will social distancing work? There are 2m distancing markers along all the corridors and a one-way system. Staff in high-vis jackets will monitor every entrance, there are hand-sanitising stations and lots of posters and banners to remind children not to crowd each other. "It's going to be that supermarket feel - when you go to a supermarket for the first time with the trolley queues," she says. With reduced numbers, it's manageable, she says, but increased numbers of students would present a challenge. How will pupils cope with being back after so long? "I'd like to think as a college we've been really strong on our pastoral care," says Mrs Hutchinson. Tutors have had lots of email contact with students, with fun, remote activities like cake-baking to keep pupils engaged with the school community. However, she recognises some will have fallen behind and so there is a recovery programme to help them catch up. She says a key aim of returning to school is to ensure pupils' wellbeing and she will keep a particular eye out for socially disadvantaged children. About 30 children have opted to take up the college's offer of one-to-one tutoring, with support available for families who have suffered bereavement or illness or are anxious, she says. What about staff? One of the most important aspects is "getting it right for my staff", she says. "They are absolutely working round the clock to maintain communication, the pastoral welfare and wellbeing of the children, as well as checking in on the learning." Some have their own health issues, many will be running busy households without childcare and may feel anxious about returning to face-to-face teaching. "It's managing staff welfare and making sure that staff feel safe and are ready to come back to work," she says. And all other pupils at the school? Years 7, 8 and 9 will continue to be taught virtually and pupils in Years 11 and 13, whose exams were cancelled will still get support. "It's keeping an eye on a number of schools really; our virtual school as well as the new school that's going to be returning. "The exciting thing is, for the first time ever, children are saying they miss school," says Mrs Hutchinson. What about September and summer schools? Getting the college back to a "new normal for September," is another challenge. It will be welcoming the new Year 7s, plus a huge group who have not been in school since March. Mrs Hutchinson says that unless the distancing measures are amended, schools will have to run a blend of classroom lessons and virtual learning in September. She believes the idea of schools opening over the summer, when staff have already been flat out since March is "quite controversial". "The summer six weeks are going to be key for us to get ready for September," she argues - and many staff will have to work through to prepare. "So to open for children in as well will be incredibly challenging," she says. She hopes both children and teachers can take their normal summer holidays, ready for a new start, whatever form it will take. Wales will begin opening schools on 29 June, with Scotland and Northern Ireland waiting until August.” 2. What does this mean? It’s a real mess isn’t it… The world is currently changing very rapidly. On the one hand, it seems like we are progressing 10 years in 10 weeks regarding our working practices. However, on the other hand, I am also concerned that we may be regressing 10 years in 10 weeks in our educational practices! I still think though we have to wait and see how things ultimately pan out, as it is still too early to be too definitive about anything. 3. Where can I find further information?
There isn't really much more that I can say again in this update now. However, as I always like to do at the end of my updates, I would again remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get digital copies of the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas P.S I understand that there are a number of educational or other useful resources now on the web - I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that people are finding useful, so that I can direct others to them. P.P.S. I also want to highlight again the fact that there are currently a lot of scams out there, both online and through texts/WhatsApps. Please be extremely careful and help yourself and others not to become victims. You can learn more at: www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk. by Douglas Silas, specialist SEN solicitor Here is my update for this week. Again, I am setting out the full text of this week’s update for those of you reading this update by email to try to make it a bit easier for people to read things without having to click on any links (again, anyone receiving this update through Social Media will be reading this as normal after clicking on the link). I hope that this helps people again. 1. What has happened this week?  Again the issue about schools returning dominated the media this week in SEN news with the BBC’ website publishing an article at the beginning of the week entitled: “Coronavirus: Primary schools back but mixed picture on turn-out”, which said: “Head teachers are reporting "highly variable" levels of attendance, ranging from 40% to 70%, as primary schools in England bring back more pupils. Geoff Barton, leader of the ASCL heads' union, says the return has been "very mixed" - with some schools not yet open and some children staying away. Children in Reception, Years 1 and 6 are the first groups able to return. It comes as lockdown measures are eased in England, including groups of six people being allowed to meet outside. Schools have remained open throughout the coronavirus restrictions for the children of key workers and vulnerable children - but from Monday more than two million more pupils have been invited back. Latest government figures show 39,045 people with the virus have died in the UK, across all settings. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there had been a day-on-day increase of 111 deaths and 1,570 new positive tests. An additional 445 deaths have been added to the overall death toll in the past day. The increase is explained by the retrospective inclusion of some patients whose tests were carried out by commercial partners, rather than the NHS or Public Health England. The head teachers' leader says the "first impression" has been of a very varied local picture - with not all schools either open or bringing back pupils as outlined in the government's plans. Some local authorities have not yet started to bring back more pupils, some schools have limited space, some are still training and not all staff are available, he said. "Caution is the watchword, and everybody is approaching this task with the safety of pupils and staff as their absolute priority," said Mr Barton. A survey from the National Foundation for Educational Research suggested almost 50% of children would be kept at home by parents. Mr Barton's early feedback suggests ranges of between 30% and 60% of pupils not attending school. But he said more key workers' children seemed to be coming in and he expected the overall numbers to increase as "more parents become confident". The biggest teachers' union, the National Education Union, has warned it was not yet safe to open schools - and the union's co-leader, Kevin Courtney, said delaying the wider opening of schools would "make our communities safer". Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said children needed to catch up with missed lessons and at school they "will be with their teachers and friends again". "I'm excited to see my friends and see everyone but not excited for the work," says 11-year-old Sean, returning to school in Mortlake, West London. BBC News education reporter Judith Burns describes the return to school: "You look like you've grown," says teacher Catherine Hughes to a reception pupil who hasn't been in school since March. "Are you excited to be back?" Helen Frostick head of St Mary Magdalen's Catholic primary school in Mortlake, West London asks another. About half of those who could have returned have taken up their places, alongside 15 children of key workers who have continued to come into school throughout the lockdown. The classrooms have been completely reorganised, with desks in rows, facing forwards, instead of pushed together into big tables. The school has split each class into two separate bubbles with one half in on Monday and Tuesday and the other on Thursday and Friday, which allows for a deep clean on Wednesdays. In the Reception class each table is separate, with its own tray of equipment so that the children don't need to get out of their seats so much, says teaching assistant, Clare Gordon. "It really is best for the family," says mum Sophia as she brings her two sons to school. She has managed to do some home schooling with the boys over the past few weeks but it hasn't always been easy. "I was 10% worried but 90% thinking it was the right thing to do," says Julia, who has just dropped off her son. "The main thing is for normality and for his mental health. He needs the interaction with his friends. He's been begging to come back," she says. A survey from the National Foundation for Educational Research suggested approaching half of families would keep their children at home. It expected that: 46% of parents will keep children at home 50% of parents in schools in disadvantaged areas will keep children at home 25% of teachers are likely to be absent because of health issues for themselves or their families. Jane Reid, a parent from York, said it was still not safe for her son to go back to school, saying: "It's a definite no from me. "Plus, the contradictory information is infuriating. I can take him to school, but can't get his hair cut." "How can I send them to school now, knowing it will be impossible for teachers to implement social distancing rules properly?" asked Valerie Brooker from Haslemere in Surrey.  A couple of days later, the BBC’s website published another article entitled: “Summer catch-up plan for England's schools pledged”, which said: “An extended catch-up plan for England's schools is to be launched for the summer and beyond, to help pupils get back on track amid school shutdowns. The PM's spokesman said the plans would involve all pupils, not just those from poor backgrounds who are expected to fare worse during closures. It comes after the education secretary ditched plans for all primary pupils to return to school before the break. PM Boris Johnson has been accused of "flailing around" over schools. On Wednesday, Labour leader Keir Starmer called for a national recovery plan for schools, saying the current plan to get pupils back to classrooms were "lying in tatters". Mr Johnson said at Wednesday's daily briefing that the government would be doing "a huge amount of catch up for pupils over the summer". Concerns have been raised about the potential for a lost generation of learners, whose education will have been interrupted for at least six months even if schools return as now planned in September. The PM's spokesman said the aim remained to have all pupils back in school for the start of the academic year, but gave no details about how ministers intended to achieve this. School capacity is severely restricted by guidelines on social distancing and separating out existing classes into smaller groups of up to 15 pupils from much larger class sizes. When the spokesman was asked about increasing this capacity, by creating extra classrooms or using village halls for example, he said the government was "looking at exactly what might be required to get all children back". The Scottish Government, which is bringing pupils back in staggered fashion from August, has said it will be working with local councils to seek out extra community spaces and empty offices to accommodate pupils, where necessary. Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Layla Moran has called for a register to be drawn up in local areas to map out where spaces could be brought into school use. There are few details of how the summer catch-up plans will work. A further announcement is expected next week. It is not clear whether this catch-up work would be offered in school buildings or elsewhere, or whether teachers would be asked to staff the programme. The general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, Paul Whiteman, said the plan was the latest in a long line of eye-catching announcements that would suffer from a lack of input from the teaching profession. He said it was not credible to think academic catch up could be achieved over the summer, and warned that the impact of enforced isolation on young people was little understood but likely to be significant. But he said support was clearly needed for pupils over the summer, and urged the government to fund a locally co-ordinated offer involving youth groups and charities. The Children's Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, warned last week that there were just two weeks left to set such summer learning projects up. And the House of Commons Education Committee chairman, Robert Halfon, has called for a Nightingale Hospital style plan to get schools back to capacity. Meanwhile, the Welsh government has published new guidance on the measures schools should consider when reopening, including outside learning, teaching in small groups, and pupils eating at their desks. Schools in Wales will reopen to all age groups from 29 June, but only a third of pupils will be in classes at any one time. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says Scottish schools will reopen from 11 August, but with some continued home learning. In Northern Ireland, ministers have set a target date for some pupils to go back on 17 August, with a phased return for the rest in September.”  Later in the week, I saw some more practical guidance came in an article entitled: “Lego used to explain social distancing to children”, which said: “A mother is using Lego to teach her children about social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. Cat Cook said her seven-year-old son - who has severe respiratory problems, and her daughter, four, had been in a "safe little bubble" during lockdown. "They've been living a very sheltered life... without a care in the world." Among the images created are a child and a dog inside a glass jar looking out at an elderly person, and two people sat on separate benches. Ms Cook said the scene inside the jar was inspired after the children's grandparents came over to collect some groceries she had ordered for them. "We left the groceries out on the doorstep for them and were then able to talk and wave at them through the closed windows. "It was the first example they thought of when we started talking about social distancing." Ms Cook, 42, and her family have been in strict lockdown in Surrey since a week before the official order was given by the government in March, with her husband also working remotely from home. She said: "If and when we start going out again, it's important that they understand the importance of social distancing as my son is high risk. "Each picture we created was inspired by my discussions with the children about social distancing and things they'd experienced or seen on the TV, like the spaced-out queues outside supermarkets." She added that talking it through in "a gentle way" had helped give her children a better understanding of what the "new norm" looks like outside their home."  But still concerns were expressed, as another article appeared on the BBC’s website during the week entitled: “Disruption to schools could continue to November, MPs told”, which said: “The partial closure of schools in England could continue into the autumn and into November, the Commons education committee has been told. Primary schools opened more widely to several year groups in some areas this week, 10 weeks after they were closed as part of Covid-19 lockdown measures. Secondaries remain shut and around eight million pupils are out of school. David Laws, chair of education charity EPI, said assumptions all pupils will return in September may be wrong. The committee was hearing evidence on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on education and children's services. Mr Laws, also a former education minister, said: "There's a temptation to think we are in a kind of home learning now and hopefully all back in September. Sadly we may end up with considerable disruption to school in September, October and November." He urged ministers to make plans and give guidance to schools for "a situation where there may be some home learning for a lot of pupils for a very long time". Anne Longfield, the Children's Commissioner for England, highlighted that eight million pupils were currently out of school, despite limited opening of primary schools this week. She said the sheer scale of children not reaching their potential because of this lockdown would be immense. "That could be eight million children all of whom could well be out of school for six months." And she warned as more of society and many parents go back to work, there would be a fall-off in the numbers of those engaging in learning from home. "As things become more interesting, the shops will be open soon and many kids could spend two and half months browsing in Primark and not going to school." She added that head teachers had told her they were kept awake at night by fears about some children never returning to school. The leap that children who had had a negative experience of school would have to make, in order to return to school, would be "vast", she said. The committee was told the Department for Education needed to publish its guidance on how schools would look in September very soon. And plans for catch-up summer schools, which were backed by witnesses, needed to be set out by ministers soon, if they were to happen. The hearing comes as a report suggested school closures could wipe out 10 years of progress in closing the achievement gap between poor and rich pupils. Modest estimates in the government-commissioned report suggest the shutdowns could cause the gap to widen by around a third of what it is now. This could mean poorest primary pupils, who are already nine months behind, slipping back a further three months. The Education Endowment Foundation study said catch-up tuition would help. The charity's research also warned of a risk of high levels of absence after schools formally reopen and that this posed a particular risk for disadvantaged pupils. The rapid evidence assessment drew together evidence on 11 studies from a number of countries on the impact of school closures, focussing on those which looked at learning loss over the summer holiday period. It found the estimated impact on the gap between the poorest group of pupils, and their wealthier peers ranged widely from 75% to 11%. The median estimate was 36%, although the researchers said there was high level uncertainty about this average. The report is published days after a small proportion of the school population returned to lessons. Although effective remote learning would limit the extent to which the gap widens, the report said there would still need to be sustained support for disadvantaged pupils to catch up. Over the past decade, the Department for Education has focused attention and resources on closing the disadvantage gap. It has narrowed from 11.5 months in 2009, at the end of primary school to 9.2 months in 2019. Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the EEF, said: "School closures are likely to have a devastating impact on the poorest children and young people. The attainment gap widens when children are not in school. "There is strong evidence that high quality tuition is a cost-effective way to enable pupils to catch up." His organisation has teamed up with a number of other organisations to run a trial in which 1,600 disadvantaged pupils around England are offered one-to-one and small group tuition. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said being in school was vital for children's wellbeing. He added: "This innovative online tuition pilot is an important part of our plans to put support in place to ensure young people don't fall behind as a result of coronavirus, particularly those facing disadvantages." Russell Hobby, head of teacher training charity Teach First, described the potential loss as "tragic". This should start with intensive catch-up provision when possible, he said, adding more resources need to be targeted towards those pupils who have suffered the most.”
There was some other helpful guidance though which I saw on the website of ‘The Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health’ entitled: “Helping parents and teachers deal with apprehension and anxiety when returning to school”, which highlights a video resource produced by a charity called ‘Nip In The Bud’, which said: “The charity Nip in the Bud has produced a short film and fact sheet to help parents and teachers deal with any potential feelings of apprehension and anxiety that children may experience on returning to school. In this film 8 minute film Dr. Jess Richardson, Principal Clinical Psychologist, National & Specialist CAMHS and Maudsley provides important and straightforward advice. There is also an accompanying comprehensive Fact Sheet. Nip in the Bud provides free resources about mental health awareness for primary school teachers and parents. Their short films and fact sheets can be accessed freely on their website. The content for their ‘Information Films’ has been provided by experts from the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and from Great Ormond Street Hospital. In addition their ‘Real Life Experience’ films show interviews with young people and parents who have been affected and who speak frankly and movingly about their experiences. The conditions covered so far are ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, Conduct Disorder, Depression, OCD and PTSD." The Government also issued a press release over the weekend entitled: “Extra mental health support for pupils and teachers”, which said: “New online resources designed by health and education experts will be provided to schools and colleges to boost mental health support for staff and pupils, encouraging them to talk more confidently about the anxieties and concerns they feel as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Videos, webinars and teaching materials, produced in partnership with charities, will be made available to schools and colleges, helping to foster conversations about mental health and reassure many young people who are worried about the impact of the virus on their lives. As more pupils return to the classroom as part of the Government’s phased approach to the wider opening of schools, the Department for Education has announced grants worth more than £750,000 for the Diana Award, the Anti-Bullying Alliance and the Anne Frank Trust - to help hundreds of schools and colleges build relationships between pupils, boost their resilience, and continue to tackle bullying both in person and online. A new £95,000 pilot project in partnership with the Education Support Partnership will focus on teachers’ and leaders’ mental health, providing online peer-support and telephone supervision from experts to around 250 school leaders. It adds to the support the Government has already put in place to help families and children during the pandemic, with more than £9 million already being invested in mental health charities to help them expand and reach those most in need, and priority given to it within planning guides for a phased return to education. Children and Families Minister Vicky Ford said: There has never been a more important time to speak about mental health and wellbeing – especially for thousands of children, young people and teachers who are adapting to education and different ways of living and learning in these unprecedented times. Schools and colleges are often a safe haven for children and young people, but the challenges we face at this time mean we are all more likely to feel anxious or sad – no matter our age or circumstances. These new resources, created with charities and health experts, will encourage confident conversations between friends, colleagues, pupils and their teachers, and improve our understanding of how to make ourselves and others feel better. Minister for Mental Health Nadine Dories said: The coronavirus pandemic has shone a light on the importance of looking after our mental health. It is very normal during these uncertain and unusual times to be experiencing distress or anxiety, or be feeling low. What’s important is that you get help. We know the impact on our children and young people has been especially tough, which is why as schools return we’re determined to equip teachers and pupils with the tools they need to look after their wellbeing. Mental health must be a priority as we get start to get back to normality and I hope these brilliant new measures alongside our NHS services will help start new conversations and reassure children that it’s ok not to be ok, and that support is available. A new training module for teachers will also be published next week to support them in giving lessons on the Government’s new Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum, which will make mental health and wellbeing a compulsory part of pupils’ education in primary and secondary school. Developed with clinical experts, the training module will help subject leads and teachers deliver the new curriculum effectively when it becomes compulsory from September, as well as improving their confidence in talking and teaching about mental wellbeing in class, especially as many measures to stop the spread of coronavirus remain in place and many people continue to experience restrictions in their daily lives. While schools have some flexibility over how they introduce the new curriculum within the first year of compulsory teaching, the new module will help schools prepare ahead of time. The Government’s announcement today (Sunday 7 June) builds on the excellent partnership working already seen between schools, colleges and health services in local areas in response to the pandemic. Professor Prathiba Chitsabesan, NHS England Associate National Clinical Director for Children and Young People’s Mental Health, said: The coronavirus outbreak has had an impact on everybody’s lives, so it is understandable that children and young people may be experiencing anxiety, distress or low mood which is a normal response to a significant disruption to their lives. The NHS is here for anyone who needs it, and has adapted to the pandemic through offering flexible options including phone and video consultations. We will continue to work in partnerships with schools and other services to ensure children and their families access the support they need. In addition to the RSHE module, the new resources will include examples of good practice already being used around the country, developed by mental health charity MindEd, to be provided to schools and colleges before the end of the summer term. These are in addition to high quality tools already made available by mental health charities, including the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families and Place2Be. Professor Peter Fonagy, Chief Executive of the Anna Freud Centre said: We welcome this important announcement. At this time of immense stress children have a right to expect that their teachers are well supported. This directly benefits children and young people not just in their education the quality they receive but also in their own wellbeing and the sense of support they experience. Catherine Roche, CEO of children’s mental health charity Place2Be said: As a charity providing expert mental health support within school communities, at Place2Be we’ve heard first-hand from teachers, parents and children of the huge mental health challenges they are facing as a result of this pandemic. These resources and training courses will be a welcome addition to help support the emotional wellbeing of teachers and pupils in the short and long term. In response to continuing social distancing measures, while many older pupils remain at home to allow for vital year groups to return in a phased way, existing school and college-based mental health programmes have also adapted their work to make sure their services are still accessible for those who need them the most. This includes: The Link Programme, which connect schools and colleges to external specialist mental health services, which will begin offering online workshops nationally to facilitate joined-up working to plan for the recovery phase, and to ensure learning from successful areas already using this approach is shared; and Mental Health Support Teams around the country, which join up schools and colleges with additional trained staff supervised by their local NHS mental health services, will encourage teams to step up their support to more schools and colleges locally, accept referrals through new pathways, and help develop a recovery approach. School Standards Minister Nick Gibb has also written to the members of the Department for Education’s Expert Advisory Group (EAG) on education staff wellbeing, accepting its recommendations including a commitment to develop a wellbeing charter for the teaching sector. The charter will help create an open culture around wellbeing and mental health, breaking down stigma, and will include commitments from the Government to regularly measure staff wellbeing, and to embed this into training, guidance and policy making. The grant to the Education Support Partnership will respond specifically to the mental health needs of school leaders at this challenging time and additional funding of £45,000 to Timewise will provide practical support and resources on flexible working in light of new arrangements for schools responding to coronavirus. Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, said: Mind was pleased to contribute to the Expert Advisory Group on school staff wellbeing, but what is most important is that concrete action comes out of this when it comes to making sure mental health and wellbeing are prioritised within our education system. Today’s announcement is a welcome first step, and we hope it will be the start of a sincere commitment to address issues like stress, and other mental health problems among school pupils and staff, helping make sure we build a fairer and kinder working and learning environment for everyone. Coronavirus has impacted all of our lives, but some more than others. We cannot underestimate the long-term effects that this pandemic will have, especially on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. Wellbeing and emotional support must be available to anyone who needs it, now so more than ever. As the UK Government asks schools to begin to open to more children, it is crucial that we all come together to support the mental health and physical health of teachers and pupils, not just now but for the years to come. Stuart Rimmer, Principal of East Coast College and Expert Advisory Panel member said: It is a hugely positive step that we are seeing thoughtful and considered announcements to support staff mental health and wellbeing in the school and college sector. Supporting leaders and front line staff is critical, amplified recently by significant additional pressures of COVID-19. Developing support programmes, peer to peer and coaching will help at these critical and complex times. Sinead McBrearty, CEO of Education Support Partnership, said: The mental health and wellbeing of teachers and senior leaders must sit at the heart of our education system. The Expert Advisory Group has brought new voices into the policy-making process, and the resulting recommendations set a direction for supporting and improving the wellbeing of those working in education. Education Support is pleased to have the opportunity to pilot remote services for school leaders. Early testing has shown that online peer support and telephone supervision can help school leaders find ways to process the impact of work-related stress. We hope that the timing of this work will help school leaders in the short term, and inform best practice post-pandemic.” 2. Where can I find further information?
There isn't really much more that I can say again in this update now. However, as I always like to do at the end of my updates, I would again remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get digital copies of the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Remember also, that there are other videos on this website, especially the one at the top of this page which explains the coronavirus and its effect clearly to children. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas P.S I understand that there are a number of educational or other useful resources now on the web - I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that people are finding useful, so that I can direct others to them. P.P.S. I also want to highlight again the fact that there are currently a lot of scams out there, both online and through texts/WhatsApps. Please be extremely careful and help yourself and others not to become victims. You can learn more at: www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk. by Douglas Silas, specialist SEN solicitor 1. What has happened this week?  On Monday, there was an article on the BBC's website entitled: "'Virus could be here for year' so schools must open, says education secretary”, which said: "The coronavirus could be with us for a year or more" so children cannot continue to stay out of school for "months and months" longer, says Education Secretary Gavin Williamson. But he told BBC Breakfast he recognised there would be "initial nervousness" among parents about children returning. Teachers' unions have warned it is not safe to open England's primary schools on 1 June. On Sunday, Boris Johnson accepted some schools would not be ready to open. The education secretary said the first steps for returning to school had to begin. "We cannot be in a situation where we go for months and months where children are missing out on education," said Mr Williamson. This has not persuaded teachers' unions - with no sign of a resolution to the stand-off over bringing increasing numbers of children into schools. Geoff Barton, leader of the ASCL head teachers' union, said the government had "not done a good job in building confidence in its plans". Ministers were failing to win "trust and confidence", said Patrick Roach, leader of the Nasuwt teachers' union. Mr Williamson told BBC Breakfast that he recognised there would be hesitation among parents. "We do realise there will be an initial nervousness about the return of schools," he said. And he said it was right that there would be no penalties for parents who decided to keep children at home. Asked whether parents should now rely on their "instincts" rather than official guidance, he said he hoped that parents would start to send their children back to school. He said the guidance for returning to school ensured a "maximum amount of safety" - and going back would be important for children's well-being as well as helping them to catch up on lost lessons. Schools have remained open for the children of key workers and vulnerable children - and the government's plan is for all pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 to return to school from 1 June. But many local authorities have already indicated that their schools will not be ready to open, or that schools will have their own variations on which pupils will return. Mr Williamson said there was no reason why most schools should not open - but gave no indication of any sanctions for those that did not. The first children returning to secondary school, in Years 10 and 12, will begin on 15 June. School leaders have questioned the feasibility of the next stage of reopening, which would have all primary children back in school together for the last month of term. The Department for Education says this part of the plan is now "under review". In Scotland and Northern Ireland there are plans for a phased return to school for pupils, starting in August. Schools in Wales will not go back on 1 June, but a date has not yet been set.  On Tuesday, the Government then issued guidance called: "Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening”, which stated: “From the week commencing 1 June 2020 at the earliest, we will be asking primary schools to welcome back children in nursery, reception, year 1 and year 6, alongside priority groups (vulnerable children and critical worker children). From the week commencing 15 June 2020 at the earliest, we will ask secondary schools, sixth form and further education colleges to offer some face-to-face support to supplement the remote education of year 10 and year 12 students who are due to take key exams next year, alongside the full time provision they are offering to priority groups. As settings prepare for wider opening, this guidance provides information on provision for children and young people with education, health and care (EHC) plans and others with complex needs, such as children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND) who do not have an EHC plan, but for whom the educational setting or local authority has exercised its discretion to do a risk assessment and offer a place at an educational setting1. Throughout the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, educational settings have been asked to ensure that vulnerable children and young people can attend where appropriate, including those children and young people who have an EHC plan, and for whom it is determined, following a risk assessment, that their needs can be as safely or more safely met in the educational environment. As settings prepare for wider opening, they should continue to offer places to vulnerable children and young people and should look to bring back more children and young people with EHC plans in these target year groups. Their return should be informed by their risk assessments, to help educational settings and local authorities ensure that the right support is in place for them to come back. From 1 June we will be asking special schools and hospital schools to work towards a phased return of more children and young people, without a focus on specific year groups and informed by risk assessments. From 15 June, we will be asking specialist post-16 institutions to work towards a phased return of young people, without a focus on specific year groups or proportion of learners and informed by risk assessments….”  By the end of the week, we heard that the Government had also issued an extension of their previous Notice under the Coronavirus Act 2020 to the end of June 2020 to relax legal duties in relation to the laws surrounding SEN and in the past couple of days, Vicky Ford MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families, has issued another letter addressed again to: "To all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), their parents/carers and families, and others who support them", which stated: “I would like to express my sincere thanks for everything you are doing at this challenging time. I also wanted to explain how the wider opening of schools and other educational settings may affect your family. This letter has been distributed through as many of our partner organisations as possible. I would be grateful if you could also circulate it widely. I realise that this is a particularly difficult time for children and young people with SEND and their families, and I’m sure that you have lots of questions. As you will be aware, on 28 May the Prime Minister announced that the Government’s five tests had been met and, based on all the evidence, primary schools and early years’ settings will be opening to more children and young people from the week commencing the 1 June. Secondary schools and colleges will begin to offer some face-to-face support to Year 10 and 12 students and 16-19 learners taking key exams next year. On 26 May, the Department for Education (DfE) published guidance to help colleagues working in local authorities and educational settings to support the needs of children and young people with SEND through the process of wider opening to more children and young people. The full guidance is available at this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-send-risk-assessment-guidance We have produced this guidance with help from SEND sector organisations, including parent carer forums and representatives, to outline pragmatic approaches that local authorities, educational settings, and parents or carers may wish to take to support children and young people with SEND throughout the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. This guidance updates our existing advice to local authorities on risk assessments to determine which children and young people should be attending their education setting. It now also includes advice on how to approach the phased return to face-to-face education for children and young people with SEND. I want to assure you that safety will always be our primary concern. Local authorities and educational settings should work with families to bring children and young people back to face-to-face education to ensure they receive the support that every child or young person deserves. This new guidance sets out that children and young people with SEND in mainstream and Alternative Provision settings who have not been attending and are in eligible year groups should experience the same return to their school/college or contact with their teachers as their peers without SEND in the same year group. We recognise that each individual child with SEND has their own needs, so decisions should be based on each child’s risk assessment with families and schools working together. Special schools, special post-16 institutions and hospital schools should work towards welcoming back as many children and young people as can be safely catered for in their setting based on risk assessments but not using their year group as a primary deciding factor. Educational settings and local authorities should keep risk assessments up to date, to ensure they are able to offer places to pupils and students, whatever year group they are in, where circumstances have changed. I know that there has been a huge amount of change at this time, so if you want more details, you may also wish to read further guidance including: • Actions for education and childcare settings to prepare for wider opening from 1 June 2020 and actions for FE colleges and providers during the coronavirus outbreak, which sets out the overarching aims and principles of wider opening and the next steps for education and childcare providers. • Guidance on implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings. • Guidance on safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care, including the use of PPE in education, childcare and children’s social care settings during the coronavirus outbreak. • Guidance on isolation in residential educational settings. • Guidance on supporting vulnerable children and young people during the coronavirus outbreak. • Guidance on the changes to the law on education, health and care needs assessments and plans due to coronavirus. I realise that whilst the coronavirus pandemic has affected us all, children and young people with SEND and their families have often faced particularly acute challenges. This is why I was happy to announce on 19 May that the Family Fund will receive funding of £37.3 million in 2020-21. The Family Fund provides grants to families on low incomes who have children with disabilities or severe medical conditions, and this funding includes £10 million which has been allocated to help families in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. More details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/37-million-to-support-children-with-complex-needs You can also keep up to date by regularly checking the gov.uk webpages and if you want to speak to an advisor from the DfE, please do call the DfE Coronavirus helpline which we have established for local authorities, providers and parents. The number is 0800 046 8687, and lines are open 8am-6pm (Monday – Friday), and 10am – 4pm (Saturday and Sunday). The Council for Disabled Children has also pulled together a wide set of resources to respond to frequently asked questions: https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/help-resources/resources/covid-19-support-and-guidance. Finally, I would like to express my personal gratitude towards all those in the SEND sector for continuing to care for, teach and support vulnerable children and young people in these difficult times.”  There has already been a bit of a backlash to this which is probably best summarised in another article which I saw earlier today on the BBC's website entitled: " Coronavirus: Drop plan to reopen primaries to all pupils, ministers urged", which states: “The first wave of children is due back from Monday but the government wants all primary pupils in class for the last four weeks of term. This ambition piles pressure on schools "when actually it wouldn't be safe", said Emma Knights, chief executive of the National Governance Association. Ministers say the return of all pupils will depend on updated safety advice. Last week the schools minister Nick Gibb told MPs any decision on whether all pupils should return would be led by the science, and no decision had as yet been made. Many schools have been open to the children of key workers and vulnerable children throughout the lockdown, with all the others attempting to follow the primary curriculum at home. From Monday, the government wants all pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 to return to their classrooms, with no more than 15 pupils per class. This means every class of 30 would have to be spread across two classrooms. Under these rules, if all year groups went back, there would not be enough classrooms in the vast majority of primary schools. Ms Knights has written to the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, "asking him to review and to drop" the expectation that all primary pupils should be back at school for the last four weeks of term. "Unless something dramatic changes very soon in terms of the government's scientific and medical advice, it will simply not be possible for primary schools to invite all pupils back for a whole month of education before the summer holidays," she told the BBC. "Indeed many of them won't be able to invite all pupils back at all before the summer holidays... "It is adding to uncertainty for parents, but also extra pressure on school leaders and governing boards who think that they need to try and do this when actually it wouldn't be safe." Mr Williamson has not as yet responded to the letter. Kerry Hill, head teacher at Eyres Monsell primary school in Leicestershire, told BBC Breakfast that her school would not reopen until the middle of June. She said that even then, it will be closed one day a week to all pupils apart from the children of key workers for deep cleaning. A one-way system will be put in place and any non-essential items that could potentially spread the virus, such as toys and soft furnishings, are being removed. "In our classrooms we can't even fit 15 in and still observe social distancing," she said. "In terms of the logistics, rearranging the entire school and having the available staff to come in and take all of those groups has been incredibly challenging - as well as the logistics of how are we going to do regular cleaning across the day." She added: "It is not just about the safety of minimising risks. We know parents are scared, anxious, and our staff a worried, so we're really trying to put in place measures that help keep that trust and confidence." Just over 2,350 governors shared their plans for the return of pupils with the BBC. Many say, even with the limited numbers due to return in the first phase, they are already having to ask pupils to attend part-time, due to space constraints and the need for deep cleaning to keep the virus at bay. Of the governors who answered a BBC snapshot questionnaire: About four in five said they were able to accept pupils from all the eligible year groups. About a third of the schools are planning rota systems, for example with one half of pupils attending school for two days at the start of the week, and the other half for two days at the end, with a day for deep cleaning in between. There are wide variations in the numbers of parents who have committed to sending their children to school from Monday, with some schools expecting almost everyone, and others just a handful. Of the 2,350 governors asked whether it would be possible to have all pupils back for the last four weeks of term, 1,682 said this was unlikely or very unlikely. "It would be physically impossible to bring all pupils back with reduced class sizes - we do not have the extra classrooms or staff to accommodate them safely," one governor wrote. "It is going to be challenging enough to get Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils back into school, respecting all of the social distancing and also providing spaces for key worker and vulnerable children. This will take up all the classroom space in the school and use up all of the staff who are available," wrote another. However, another expressed frustration at being unable to welcome all children back to school immediately, saying parents "need a break and the children are getting feral". Overall, governors expressed concerns about the pressure placed on themselves and on headteachers by the pandemic. "I can only say that the professionalism of our team has shone through and for everyone's sake we hope the advice is right and that safe and effective learning returns for some and continued remote learning carries on for others," said Nick Horslen, chair of governors at Kings Wood Primary and Nursery School in High Wycombe. "The situation is a long way from ideal but the creativity and determination to help children is the constant priority." Schools in Wales do not have a date for returning and schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland are going back in August. 2. What does this all mean? Again, I'm not going to share any thoughts with you today, as I feel a bit conflicted still because I can see both sides of the argument is sometimes you find that both people can be right! One thing I'm sure of though is that this debate is going to continue probably for some time to come. 3. Where can I find further information?
There isn't really much more that I can say in this update now. However, as I always like to do at the end of my updates, I would again remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get digital copies of the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Remember also, that there are other videos on this website, especially the one at the top of this page which explains the coronavirus and its effect clearly to children. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas P.S I understand that there are a number of educational or other useful resources now on the web - I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that people are finding useful, so that I can direct others to them. P.P.S. I also want to highlight again the fact that there are currently a lot of scams out there, both online and through texts/WhatsApps. Please be extremely careful and help yourself and others not to become victims. You can learn more at: www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk. 1. What has happened this week?
In education news, the issue was again about when schools would reopen and how they would reopen… On Monday 11th May, the Government issued guidance entitled: “Actions for education and childcare settings to prepare for wider opening from 1 June 2020”… For children and young people with Special Educational Needs, the best summary I found was on the website of the Council for Disabled Children, on a page entitled: “The Department for Education has published new guidance on phased returns to schools, colleges and nurseries” which said:… “By 1 June at the earliest, primary schools in England may be able to welcome back children in key transition years – nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. In particular, as per the existing guidance on vulnerable children and young people, vulnerable children of all year groups continue to be expected and encouraged to attend educational provision where they can safely do so… The guidance sets out principles that will apply to the phased return including:…
The guidance sets out a range of protective measures to ensure education settings remain safe places including:… - reducing the size of classes and keeping children in small groups without mixing with others… - staggered break and lunch times, as well as drop offs and pick ups… - increasing the frequency of cleaning, reducing the used of shared items and utilising outdoor space.”…  But there then followed a bit of a backlash. In an article on the BBC’s website entitled: "Class size of 15 pupils when primary schools return", it said: … “There is an "ambition" for all primary school children in England to spend a month back at school before the summer holidays, says the government's updated Covid-19 guidance… But to support social distancing there will be class sizes of no more than 15 pupils, staggered break times and frequent hand washing… The National Education Union rejected the reopening plans as "reckless"… Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in his televised address on Sunday, said if the level of infection remained low enough, children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 in primary schools might begin to return, from 1 June "at the earliest"… Further guidance on Monday announced plans to widen this to all primary year groups, including early years settings and childminders - but with strong warnings of delays if "insufficient progress is made in tackling the virus"… The decision to make Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 the first classes to return was "to ensure that the youngest children, and those preparing for the transition to secondary school, have maximum time with their teachers"… Details set out by the Department for Education show classes will be divided into groups of no more than 15 pupils - and these small groups will not mix with other pupils during the school day… The guidance says pupils should be kept two metres apart if possible - but it accepts that young children cannot always be expected to keep that distance apart, from each other or staff… There will be staggered break and lunch times, and different times for starting and finishing the school day… Children will be encouraged to wash their hands often, cleaning of rooms will be more frequent and schools will be encouraged to use outdoor spaces… But the wearing of masks is not recommended, for either pupils or teachers… This follows the pattern of a return of schools in Denmark, which has used a system of teaching children in small groups which are kept separate from each other and where there is regular hand washing… Secondary schools and further education colleges are likely to stay closed until September - apart from pupils with exams next year, who will get more help in addition to their current online lessons… Schools and colleges are told to "prepare to begin some face-to-face contact with Year 10 and 12 pupils who have key exams next year"… But Labour's Shadow Education Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said the government needed to address teachers' "concerns, anxiety and confusion"… "There is no information about how social distancing will work in schools, how teaching and support staff, pupils and parents will be protected from the virus, how small class sizes will be achieved."… More than 400 thousand people have signed an online petition urging the government to give parents a choice on whether they send their children back to school this term… But it is understood that parents who decide to keep their children at home will not face fines for non-attendance… At present, parents who are key workers have the option of sending their children to school, but there are no penalties for those who have not taken up places… This temporary arrangement during the coronavirus crisis will also continue for the year groups going back to school… "As a mum, I don't want to face serious repercussions for making a choice I feel affects the safety of my daughter during a global pandemic," said petition organiser, Lucy Browne… When schools were kept open for key workers' children, there were worries that too many would turn up. But in practice the opposite happened, with lower numbers than anticipated… The latest guidance says 2% of pupils are currently going to school - and with no fines and lessons likely to be complicated by social distancing, it remains to be seen how many children will return… But it will give more parents an option for going back to work - and children might be relieved to get out and see their friends again… Speaking at the government's press conference on Monday evening, the chief medical officer for England, Prof Chris Whitty, said the risks of coronavirus were "very, vey low in children in contrast to other infectious diseases"… He said the question was whether re-opening primary schools would lead to a "significant upswing or a change in the R"… "The view is that if it's done very carefully, slowly, it is very unlikely to do that - but it has to be done very carefully… "Teachers and parents are understandably concerned about individual risk and that's very much what we're consulting on at the moment with the profession, and it is very important that we have a proper debate around that, to make sure people understand that we can do many things to reduce the risk."… "This timetable is reckless. This timetable is simply not safe," says Mary Bousted, co-leader of the biggest teachers' union, the National Education Union… She said the reopening plans had "stoked teachers' anxiety and triggered real confusion because the announcement is inconsistent on the importance of social distancing and how or whether it can be achieved in schools"… "The profession has got very serious concerns about that announcement of 1 June - whether indeed it is possible to achieve it, but also how to achieve that in a way which is safe for pupils and staff," said Patrick Roach, leader of the N.A.S.U.W.T teachers' union… Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the school leaders' union NAHT, said the ambition to return all primary pupils within the next seven weeks was "wildly optimistic, to the point of being irresponsible"… "School leaders do not want to see classrooms empty for a day longer than they need be - but there is not a school leader in the land who wants to risk admitting more pupils unless it is safe to do so."… Many parents on the BBC's Family and Education Facebook page expressed concerns over safety… Kirsty Smith said: "I have a Reception-aged child and then three others in years that aren't going back… "First thing my youngest will want to do is give her teacher and friends a hug - she's five… "Telling a child 'no this no that' is going to make them think they're constantly doing wrong by doing things that are natural to them… "They may split the classes and stagger lunch times but they won't be able to sanitise every pencil, toy, lunch table even before the next child uses it."… Gurmeet Bhachu added: "No, my child is not going back to school until it is absolutely safe for them and teachers."… Louise Richards said: "Many children are in families with at risk members. They can't go back. It will simply disadvantage those and put the rest at risk."… Suzanne Mattinson said she would not send her child back to school until there was a vaccine… "If my hand is forced, I'll remove him formally and home school."… In Wales, the First Minister Mark Drakeford has said: "We're not going to be reopening schools in Wales in the next three weeks, or indeed in June," he said… In Scotland, it seems unlikely that schools will re-open before the summer holidays, with most schools due to break up before the end of June… In Northern Ireland, Education Minister Peter Weir has spoken of a possible phased return of schools in September.”…  There was also criticism from teaching unions. In another article on the BBC’s website, entitled: “'Not safe to reopen schools,' warn teachers' unions”, it said:… “Plans to reopen primary schools in England do not have adequate safety measures and need to be halted, warns an alliance of school teachers' unions… A joint education union statement called on the government to "step back" from a 1 June start date… In the House of Commons, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson warned against "scaremongering" over safety… But his department's chief scientific adviser cast doubt on suggestions the virus spreads less among children… Mr Williamson, facing questions from MPs on reopening schools, rejected fears over safety and said it was the most disadvantaged who were losing out from schools being closed… "Sometimes scaremongering, making people fear, is really unfair and not a welcome pressure to be placed on families, children and teachers alike," he told MPs… Mr Williamson said that pupils, like teachers, would be a priority for testing if they or their families showed symptoms… The Liberal Democrats' education spokeswoman, Layla Moran, challenged the education secretary to publish the scientific evidence on which the return to school was based… But the Department for Education's chief scientific adviser, Osama Rahman, appearing before the Science and Technology Committee, said decisions around opening schools, such as which year groups went back first, had not been taken by the department… Asked whether he had assessed the safety guidance given to schools and how it might be implemented, the DFE's scientific adviser told MPs: "I haven't."… As such he was unable to say what evidence was behind the decision to reopen schools - or to say how many under-18s had died from the virus… And Mr Rahman told MPs there was only "low confidence" in evidence suggesting that children transmit Covid-19 any less than adults… "As a former teacher listening to this I don't think the profession is going to be at all satisfied by what they are hearing at the moment," said Scottish National Party MP Carol Monaghan… Patrick Roach, leader of the N.A.S.U.W.T teachers' union, said the DFE adviser's comments were "truly shocking and disturbing"… The Department for Education later circulated a letter from Mr Rahman in which he said he had been "closely involved" in advising on reopening schools - and that he had "full confidence in in the plan to reopen education institutions for all the reasons set out by the government"… In their joint statement, nine unions, including the National Education Union and the National Association of Head Teachers, rejected the plans for a phased return of primary school pupils after half term - saying it was still too early to be safe… The unions called for a delay until a "full roll-out of a national test and trace scheme" was in place and there were extra resources for cleaning, protective equipment and risk assessments… The joint statement said that "classrooms of four and five-year olds could become sources of Covid-19 transmission and spread"… "We call on the government to step back from the 1st June and work with us to create the conditions for a safe return to schools."… But Mr Williamson told MPs that opening schools was the "responsible" course of action, now the virus was "past the peak" and that safety was uppermost in how it was being planned… "The best place for children to be educated and to learn is in school," he said, particularly for the disadvantaged who would be most likely to fall further behind… Instead of a fixed date for a return, Labour's shadow education secretary, Rebecca Long-Bailey, argued that schools should reopen only when there was clear evidence it was safe… "The guidance provided so far does not yet provide the clear assurances over safety that are needed," she told MPs… She said that families were still worried about the implications of pupils going back to school, such as for relatives who might have illnesses… In Wales, the First Minister Mark Drakeford has said schools would not open on 1 June… In Scotland, it is not expected that schools will re-open before the summer holidays… In Northern Ireland, Education Minister Peter Weir has spoken of a possible phased return of schools in September.”… 2. What does this all mean? Again, it’s a very difficult one, isn’t it? I really appreciate how important it is for children to be able to get back into education as soon as possible, but I am very concerned that there are many pressures being applied to try to get children back into schools before things are ready for them and it is safe to do so. 3. Where can I find further information? There isn't really much more that I can say in this update now. However, as I always like to do at the end of my updates, I would again remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get digital copies of the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Remember also, that there are other videos on this website, especially the one at the top of this page which explains the coronavirus and its effect clearly to children. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas P.S I understand that there are a number of educational or other useful resources now on the web - I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that people are finding useful, so that I can direct others to them. P.P.S. I also want to highlight again the fact that there are currently a lot of scams out there, both online and through texts/WhatsApps. Please be extremely careful and help yourself and others not to become victims. You can learn more at: www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk. by Douglas Silas, specialist SEN solicitor Here is my update for this week. Following last week's very long and detailed update about the recent changes to the law regarding SEN (which I will explain more soon), I have realised this week that I have a lot more detailed than information to provide to you, both of which may have been or may well be a bit of a 'wall of text' for people to read. So, I have decided this week to try and do things slightly differently by putting the first couple of sections of this update into an animated video that should be easier for people to understand more quickly. Apologies for any mispronunciations! I hope that this helps people again. 1. What has happened this week? 2. What does this all mean?
It's a really tough one isn't it? I can see arguments on both sides. I guess though, thankfully, it is not up to people like me to make these very hard decisions and my heart goes out there is who have to wrestle with these kinds of decisions. I genuinely wish you the best if this is you. 3. Where can I find further information? There isn't really much more that I can say in this update now. However, as I always like to do at the end of my updates, I would again remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get digital copies of the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Remember also, that there are other videos on this website, especially the one at the top of this page which explains the coronavirus and its effect clearly to children. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas P.S I understand that there are a number of educational or other useful resources now on the web - I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that people are finding useful, so that I can direct others to them. P.P.S. I also want to highlight again the fact that there are currently a lot of scams out there, both online and through texts/WhatsApps. Please be extremely careful and help yourself and others not to become victims. You can learn more at: www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk. by Douglas Silas, specialist SEN solicitor Here is my update for this week.
In the past few weeks, I have been trying to signpost people to as many resources as possible to help them get through the current Coronavirus lockdown. But in this update, I want to talk to you about some of the things that people are talking about more now than they used to, as well as give you some more links to useful resources/information. I hope that this helps people. 1. What has happened this week? Firstly, I want to talk about the subject which most people involved with children and young people (with or without SEN) are talking about – when will schools reopen... In an article entitled: ‘Coronavirus: Heads say 1 June earliest realistic school opening’, the BBC said: ‘The earliest "realistic" point at which schools in England could start re-opening would be 1 June, head teachers' leader Geoff Barton has said. "We cannot see any realistic way that schools could be re-opened to more pupils before the second half of the summer term," said the ASCL leader. And "planning would need to begin very soon" in order to meet a 1 June target. Schools closed their doors to all except vulnerable children and those of key workers over a month ago. At the weekend, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said no date was set for returning to school, quashing speculation about an imminent return. The education secretary said if and when five thresholds in the fight against coronavirus were reached, a date could be set for schools to reopen: - the NHS's ability to cope is fully protected - the daily death rate is dropping - infection rates are falling to manageable levels - there are sufficient supplies of testing and protective equipment - there is no risk of a "second peak" of infections It's a safety-first approach, with school leaders backing the reliance on medical advice. Once those requirements have been met, a date could be set for schools to re-open. But it would not be immediate, with schools expecting a further "lead in" time, possibly of weeks, to prepare for a complicated, staged return that allows them to maintain social distancing. Parents would also have to be persuaded it was safe. With such a time frame, starting this half term becomes very unlikely. If opening after half term, it would mean somewhere in the seven weeks between 1 June and the term ending in mid-July. But doubt has been cast on whether social distancing can really be feasible in schools. Katharine Birbalsingh, head of Michaela Community School, in Brent, north London, criticised the "pretence" social distancing might work in schools, with narrow corridors, small classrooms and lots of interactions, particularly between younger children. "Social distancing in schools is simply impossible," she said. "We're considered to be the strictest school in Britain and even we would find it impossible." And there are other questions around safety: - Would children with family members vulnerable because of health conditions return to school? - How many vulnerable staff would need to be shielded? - What protective equipment might be needed for teachers? Earlier this week, a petition from NHS nurse Iain Wilson warned against any early push to re-open schools. "Do not make us the global guinea pigs," he said. "It is self-evidently unwise to force hundreds of people into small rooms in small buildings during a pandemic." If schools are to maintain social distancing, they could not run at full capacity, meaning a phased return, such as starting with a few year groups or pupils rotating between studying at home and school. Mr Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said it could mean staggering break times and putting a limit on class sizes. Robert Halfon, who chairs the Education Select Committee, said primary schools should be the first back. This would help parents and stop disadvantaged youngsters falling behind at an early stage, the MP said. But Mr Barton said the priority should be Years 10 and 12, who are part-way through GCSEs and A-levels, and Year 6, where children are about to move to secondary school. And Jules White, head of Tanbridge House School, in West Sussex, asked what plans there would be for next summer's exams when so much study time has been lost. Star academy trust chief executive Hamid Patel, meanwhile, said it should be up to each school to decide the order in which its pupils return. There is also a possibility that some pupils will not go back at all this term - or at least for anything like a regular timetable. "We want to be back as soon as it's safe," said National Education Union joint head Kevin Courtney. "But there's a chance that there will be no full re-opening before the end of term. "There's a responsibility to think about what that will mean for children's education." But school leaders have repeatedly talked about the importance of getting pupils back before the school year finishes. And in the meantime, other countries might provide evidence of how a return might work. In France, primary-school pupils will start to go back, in classes of no more than 15, from 11 May. And in the Netherlands, they will go back, on a part-time basis, on the same date, with secondary pupils returning from 1 June. "What is crucial is that schools are able to re-open in a manner which inspires confidence among staff, pupils and parents - and that it is as safe as possible," said Mr Barton.’ --- In a similar article on the Guardian’s website entitled: ‘Older pupils ‘should be first’ when England’s schools reopen’, it said: ‘Headteachers say priority should go to students preparing to sit exams A headteachers’ union is calling for older pupils to return to school first as part of a phased approach to reopening schools in England, amid warnings that students preparing for exams may need to repeat the whole year because of the impact of lost learning. The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) said the pupils who have most to gain from getting back to school are those in years 10 and 12 who are in the middle of GCSE and A-level courses, and those in the final year of primary, preparing to move to secondary. The approach contrasts with Denmark, which became the first country in Europe to reopen its schools last week, when under-12s were the first to return. Younger children are less able to study on their own and having them back in school allows parents to return to work. Speculation surrounding when and how schools in England will safely reopen has become increasingly fraught as the lockdown has persisted, with sharp disagreement among ministers and divergent views among teaching unions. ... Pressure to reopen is mounting amid growing concern, particularly for disadvantaged students who will be hardest hit. The former head of Ofsted Sir Michael Wilshaw, speaking on BBC Radio 4’s World at One, warned that some pupils preparing for exams might have lost out so much that they would have to repeat the whole year. Other teaching unions, which are worried about schools having to reopen prematurely because of fears over the economic impact of parents having children at home, have denounced speculation about return dates and focused purely on the public health risks to pupils, school workers and the wider community. The NASUWT wrote to the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, this week setting out five conditions for reopening, including access to personal protective equipment where required, ranging from soap to gloves, aprons and in some cases face masks, as well as guarantees on adequate staffing and physical distancing advice. The NASUWT general secretary, Patrick Roach, also warned that teachers should not be expected to clean. “The NASUWT would not expect teachers to be asked to undertake cleaning tasks or to be expected to undertake them to the necessary standards to protect the health of pupils and the workforce.” The National Education Union, which is the biggest with 450,000 members, has insisted the science should decide when schools reopen. Its petition to delay reopening until safe to do so has gained more than 160,000 signatures. Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Schools should only reopen when the scientific evidence is clear that it is safe to do so. Safe for pupils, safe for staff, safe for parents.”’ --- Focusing more on SEN, the BBC website also published an article entitled: ‘Tiny fraction of 'at risk' children attending schools’, which said: ‘Only a tiny fraction of vulnerable children in England are taking up the emergency school places kept open for them, official figures show. This has prompted concerns "at risk" children are facing increased danger in the lockdown, while schools and teachers struggle to get hold of them. New data shows only a maximum of 5% of the most needy children have been at school during the Coronavirus crisis. The Children's Commissioner says social workers should be "knocking on doors". The Department for Education data shows just 29,000 so-called vulnerable children attended school in the week before the Easter holidays. This includes a group of children with greater levels of special educational needs - but many of this larger group may be staying at home with their families for a range of legitimate reasons. However, more than 723,000 children were known to children's social care services in 2019. The figures were described as "utterly shocking" by the Liberal Democrats. But children's minister Vicky Ford said children who were not in school were being monitored by social workers and supported in other ways. 'Substance abuse' Anne Longfield England's Children's Commissioner told the BBC: "What we now know is, what we've been hearing over the last few weeks, that the vast majority of vulnerable children in this country are not attending, despite the fact that schools are open. "What that means is that they are at home, potentially with a cocktail of risks. "They may be in homes with quite fragile environments, potentially domestic violence in the home - which we know is increasing, parents with drug and alcohol addictions or indeed severe mental health conditions. "So often these children are quite invisible at home and not in the place which is best at keeping them safe - school." Ms Longfield said referrals to social services had dropped by half, and she expressed concerns that bored, vulnerable teenagers could be leaving their homes and getting into situations where they would be exploited and groomed by criminals. She called for a clearer message from government, adding that "social workers need to be knocking on doors and everyone needs to be working tirelessly to get these vulnerable children into schools".' … --- There was also an article on the BBC’s website entitled: 'Digital poverty' in schools where few have laptops’, which said: "In our schools, 60% to 70% of children wouldn't have laptops," says Wayne Norrie, head of an academy trust with schools in disadvantaged areas. With schools closed and pupils studying online at home, he says, it is important to recognise the social gap in access to technology. "Coronavirus has revealed the scale of the digital divide," he says. The Department for Education in England has promised laptops will be lent to some poorer teenagers. These will be available to disadvantaged Year 10 pupils without access to a computer, and those with social workers. The scheme, announced last Sunday, for an unspecified number of laptops, is expected to soon start taking bids from local authorities and academy trusts. Mr Norrie, chief executive of Greenwood Academies Trust, with 37 schools in the Midlands and east of England, says many families rely on a single mobile phone for an internet connection, which is "not realistic" for online learning and streaming video lessons. "Many don't have broadband contracts," he says. For instance, he describes a family in Skegness who have a mobile phone shared between parents and three children. The schools have been providing laptops and some families have their own tablet computers - but there are still barriers in terms of parents' IT skills and children having space to study. "Digital poverty" is a significant problem, says Matt Morden, co-head teacher of Surrey Square primary school, in south London. In his school, 24% of pupils are effectively offline, in terms of being able to study from home. Their families might have mobile phones with internet connections - but for those in low-paid, insecure jobs, data is expensive. "If families are struggling, the priority is going to be food, not data," he says. As well as missing out on learning, those without online connections miss "the sense of belonging" from staying in touch with their friends and teachers, Mr Morden says. The lockdown and the closure of schools has "brought the digital divide to the forefront", he says. There has been a new virtual academy launched and the BBC has provided educational resources - but those without internet access or usable computer devices are being left behind. Mr Morden's school has been lending laptops - but for families with several school-age children, one might not be enough. Seb Chapleau, director of the Big Education Conversation charity, says it is "important to understand that this is a deep problem across many schools". Chris Tomlinson, who chairs the trust, says online lessons are "no good if the children don't have the necessary hardware to access the internet". The AET academy trust is providing 9,000 laptops for its 58 schools, one for all pupils on free school meals. The current lockdown has turned technology into an educational necessity rather than a luxury, said the trust's chief executive, Julian Drinkall. Robert Halfon, chair of the education select committee, says too often there are assumptions about access to broadband and up-to-date computers. As an MP, he says he deals with constituents who have to weigh up the cost of data before sending emails or getting information online. He suggests educational programmes could be put on free-to-air television to reach those not online.’ --- But it was not all bad news, as The Guardian also ran a piece entitled: ‘Covid lockdown opening up world for people with disabilities’, which said: ‘While the coronavirus pandemic has led to unprecedented restrictions for billions of people, for many with disabilities, the lockdown has paradoxically opened up the world. As society embraces “virtual” living, disabled people – who for years have missed out due to poor access – are suddenly finding themselves able to take part in work, culture, or socialising from their own home. Nicola Welsh, 43, has always loved going to museums but a painful nerve condition means she’s been housebound for 17 years. As cultural institutions including the National Theatre and the Royal Opera House go online, she’s been able to tour the world visiting museums. “I ‘went’ to the Watts Gallery [in Surrey] and then the Louvre. The Rijks [museum in Amsterdam] had a walkthrough on their Instagram account,” she said. The experience has been profoundly moving. “Having the opportunity to visit virtually has given me back something that I’d resigned myself to not being able to do within my limitations. I hadn’t realised how much I had missed it.” … Even healthcare has opened up; disabled people who have long campaigned to see their doctors virtually, report they are now being offered Skype time with consultants. As well as joy at being offered new opportunities, many feel frustrated that it took the non-disabled world to become house-bound before access was granted. Emma Duke, 21, who has Pots syndrome – which results in an abnormally increased heart rate after sitting up or standing – and neurological problems, has been trying to get remote access to film classes for her degree for the last three years in Los Angeles. She was frequently refused – “I was told it wasn’t ‘feasible’” – but the coronavirus pandemic means her entire university is now online. “I am so torn between being so grateful that I can get my education and […] feeling a bit betrayed that it was possible the whole time,” she said. Rather than “more” opportunities opening up, 30-year-old Tom Staniford in Exeter describes the phenomenon as a levelling of the playing field. “I find it infuriating to see people moaning about reduced mobility, challenges of remote working, fear of illness risk, long periods of isolation – all things many disabled people already endure on a daily basis,” said Staniford, who has the rare MDP syndrome, which leaves him with physical and auditory disabilities. He thinks the lockdown could open up the chance for permanent accessibility. “But my overriding suspicion is it will be a massive missed opportunity.” Turner is more hopeful. “I feel like people are finally understanding the physical barriers disabled people face,” she said. “I’m actually really optimistic good will come out of this.”’ --- But I also need to turn your attention here back to children and young people with SEN, who are considered more ‘vulnerable’ at this time and refer here to an article on the NCB’s (National Children's Bureau’s) website entitled: ‘Coronavirus spotlight: vulnerable children’, which said: ‘For some children, circumstances at home or in their community mean they face greater risks than others. Some, but not all, of these children will be supported by a social worker. The coronavirus crisis is likely to elevate the risks to these children, and services may be less able to respond to their needs. School closures and vulnerable children The closure of schools for most children, while necessary to halt rates of infection, is one reason why some children will be at greater risk. Schools act as crucial sources of safety and support, and act as warning systems for all children, especially those at risk. At a basic level, schools often provide some children with their only hot meals of the day, but they also provide counselling, or just a place where they can feel safe and settled. Schools also act to alert other professionals when things go wrong. The emergency measures put in place by the Government mean many children are not in school, and they no longer benefit from this scaffolding. But even for those children who are able to remain in school, it is not clear that the structures that help them will remain – with significant staffing shortages, and classes of different ages and levels grouped together, the environment will be significantly different.' ... --- Another article on the BBC’s website entitled: ‘The parents in lockdown with violent children’ said: ‘For some parents, being at home with their children means facing threats, abuse and violent outbursts. How can they cope in the isolation of lockdown? Julie found out you could buy large knives on the internet when she witnessed her son brandishing one and slashing the furniture at home. In the past couple of months, she says she has had to call the police twice to their home, most recently as she was barricaded in the bathroom while her son - a young adult - tried to break down the door with a knife. Now the family are living in lockdown together, struggling with isolation, a loss of their support network and a claustrophobic atmosphere that Julie describes as a "tinderbox". She says she believes her son when he told police that he never meant to hurt her, that he just wanted her to know how angry he was. But incidents of intimidation happen two or three times a week, she says. Liam suffered trauma as a child and has learning difficulties which affect memory, emotional regulation and social skills. The family manage his aggressive outbursts with the help of a list of friends and supporters who come round at a moment's notice to help defuse tensions. But these coping techniques are threatened by the social distancing rules. Her husband has to work outside the home, so Julie says if she cannot call on these supporters, "I am very much on my own". It's not known precisely how many parents live with violence from their children. Figures compiled by the BBC last year suggest the number of incidents recorded by police doubled to 14,133 between 2015 and 2018 - but many may go unreported. 'Like living with nitroglycerine' Helen Bonnick, a former social worker and campaigner on the issue, says that international evidence suggests about one in 10 parents may experience some violence from their children, although severe incidents are more rare. Some aggressive children have problems dealing with their emotions, she says, but others are "much more manipulative and controlling, in a way that feels more like adult violence". Lockdown raises the stakes for these families, reinforcing their isolation and underlining the message to parents from violent children "that they can't go out, that they're stuck in here with them, that they can do what they want and no one will know," says Ms Bonnick. "Parents who have experienced intimate partner violence and then child-to-parent violence will often say this feels worse - because it's your own flesh and blood," she says. Neil, who lives in the east of England, says the aggression from his son, Ben, was just "cute" aged four and became worrying when he was eight. Now he is living with a teenager and "suddenly it's quite dangerous" - with Ben increasingly reaching for knives or bottles. Ben is autistic and has moderate learning difficulties as well as ADHD. The disruption to his routine caused by the coronavirus outbreak has sent his stress levels soaring and made angry outbursts more likely, his father says. "He's that much closer to boiling over constantly. It really doesn't take much for him to turn around and explode. It's like living with a bucket of nitroglycerine sometimes," says Neil. A key coping strategy before the lockdown was taking Ben for long drives, which he found calming. Now even that has become loaded with anxiety, as they fear being stopped by the police for making an unnecessary journey. "Life was hard already and Covid is making it harder," Neil says. Peter Jakob, a clinical psychologist who helps people facing this issue, says the isolation and shame that parents already feel is a major challenge in tackling violence from their children. But he says it can still be addressed, even in lockdown. Dr Jakob encourages parents to have a network of supporters who can launch what he calls a "campaign of concern" - where after an incident, a number of people contact the child using messaging or video-chatting apps like WhatsApp or FaceTime. "Most children don't want others in the community to know that they act in violent, aggressive or otherwise destructive ways," he says. If they can no longer "silence their parents" from telling others about their behaviour, they often feel forced to change, he says.' ... 2. What does this all mean? It is now very clear that the Coronavirus lockdown is affecting different sections of people in society in different ways. But it is also important for everyone to remember that we're all in this together and that we need to do as much as we can to support others, particularly parents of and children and young people with SEN, as well as those schools catering for them. 3. Where can I find further information? As I always like to do at the end of my updates, I would again remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites: - IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle This week, I also came across other useful information which you can find here: - The BBC’s Parents' Toolkit: SEND - Contact’s guide for families with disabled children and their helpful podcast for families with disabled children - The CDC (Council for Disabled Children) Guidance and Advice on Coronavirus: Learning Disability and Autism Focus - Scope’s Navigate: emotional support for parents I would also highlight again the fact that you can now get digital copies of the magazines: SEN Magazine and Autism Eye which are both very helpful to any parents or professionals involved with children/young people with SEN. Remember also, that there are other videos on this website, especially the one at the top of this page which explains the coronavirus and its effect clearly to children. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas P.S I understand that there are a number of educational or other useful resources now on the web - I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that people are finding useful, so that I can direct others to them. P.P.S. I also want to highlight again the fact that there are currently a lot of scams out there, both online and through texts/WhatsApps. Please be extremely careful and help yourself and others not to become victims. You can learn more at: www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk.
by Douglas Silas, specialist SEN solicitor
This is my weekly update for SEN and Covid–19.
This week, rather than me just writing a wall of text for you to read (although there is that too), I am going to try to sometimes use videos that I have found on the web, which you may find useful. I hope that this helps people. 1. What has happened this week? Although a lot of people were initially quite active on the web last week during the first week of school closures and our primary 'lockdown', this week there has not been so much activity, as I fear that the novelty of doing things differently for many people may have already started to wear off. Here's a video which summarise things well...
and here's a reminder about what is happening with schools...
Also, many people with children who are at home now may be finding it very difficult to both educate and amuse them, as well as get on with their regular 'day job'. If this is you, you may find it helpful to watch the following video...
Guidance
I have seen guidance this week from the National Education Union (NEU - a teaching union), which states (I have underlined some things): 'Guidance for primary teachers - Taking care of your physical and mental health is crucial at this time: this goes for children, parents and teachers. Keeping minds active and happy, ready to return to school when the time comes is the most important factor. - Teachers working at home can only carry out a reasonable workload and this must be negotiated with staff. Teachers should not be asked to personally contact their students daily, except where they have agreed with the headteacher a system/ rota for contacting vulnerable children and families. Teachers must not use personal phones, emails or social media to carry out this contact. - Teachers should not live-stream lessons from their homes, nor engage in any video-calling unless in exceptional circumstances, with the parent. Online lessons are not desirable for primary children as the teacher-pupil interaction is not easily replicated. - Many children need a lot of guidance when working and cannot be left for long periods of time to complete complex tasks. Schools should suggest activities that children can complete on their own. We must recognise that many parents are also trying to work from home, and parents might struggle to assist with schoolwork for a number of reasons. Parents cannot be expected to become teachers. - Tasks that do not need the internet or a device such as a laptop or tablet to access them are preferable, as some children and families will not have internet access or more than one device to use. - Work and tasks should suit the age range and capabilities of the children and expected outcomes should be flexible. Try to set tasks that all pupils can complete to some degree of success, with extra and more stretching activities for the more able. - Work that can be done in bite-sized chunks is more likely to be completed than longer tasks. If there are projects, suggest how these could be broken down. - Worksheets/textbook pages for maths and English can work if they are already used in school and all children have them at home. Teachers cannot be expected to mark work. Schools should not be setting SATs tests or mocks at this time. - A list of flexible tasks that cover different areas of the curriculum allows children to choose the tasks that interest them, and the ones parents feel they can manage. - It is most beneficial and realistic to offer a variety of tasks which are done working at a table (keep these to a minimum) or while moving around, including creative tasks. 'Guidance for secondary teachers [the first two paragraphs above are the same] - Teachers should not live-stream lessons from their homes, nor engage in any video-calling, unless in exceptional circumstances with the parent. - Not all pupils will have a quiet place to work, and some will be expected to take care of younger siblings or perform household chores. - Schools should suggest activities that children can complete on their own regardless of ability level. We must recognise that most parents are also trying to work from home. Parents cannot be expected to become teachers. - Variety is key and bite-sized chunks of work are more likely to be completed and could be part of a bigger project. We cannot expect pupils or parents to replicate the classroom at home. - Set tasks that can be completed to varying degrees of success with more complex and additional tasks for the most able pupils. Tasks that require little or no access to technology are preferable in order to cater for everyone. Where schools do use technology, they should use the technology that pupils and teachers are familiar with. - A list of flexible tasks that cover different areas of the curriculum allows pupils to choose the tasks that interest them and makes it more likely that they will complete them. Post-16 learners might be able to carry out more open-ended, independent work, but structure and guidance is still needed for them. - If schools have systems set up for online lessons, these should be kept to a minimum as the interaction needed between teacher and pupils in school is high and cannot be easily replicated for a young audience, even at KS4 level. Any school which carries out online lessons must have protocols in place to protect staff and safeguard pupils, and no teacher should be expected to carry out any online teaching with which they feel uncomfortable or in the absence of agreed protocols. - At this time, teachers should not be expected to carry out routine marking or grading of pupils’ work. To do so would be to disadvantage those who do not have the resources and support available at home to make that fair. There is also other guidance, which says that children may only need 2–3 hours a day of "work" and that helping with gardening, cooking and washing can all be "educational". The Law But the main thing that people reading my updates may want to know in this section is what is actually happening in relation to the law concerning children and young people with SEN with the impact of Covid-19/the Coronavirus. I attended a webinar earlier in the week staged by 11KBW, where barristers, Jonathan Auburn and Joanne Clement covered the following issues: - the temporary closure of educational institutions - the temporary continuity directions ⁃ the powers of the Secretary of State for Education to now disapply or modify legislative provisions ⁃ the fact the 'absolute' obligation on a Local Authority (LA) to provide SEN provision in an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan can be converted into a 'reasonable endeavours' duty ⁃ the fact that the Secretary of State for Education must first issue a 'notice' to bring this into effect and will only do so where appropriate and proportionate action is needed in the circumstances ⁃ the fact that there is no threshold for a 'notice' in the Act, but that the letter from Vicky Ford MP of 24/3/20 says that powers will only be exercised ... where necessary ⁃ the fact that a 'notice' must not exceed one month (although it could be re-issued) - the need sometimes for appropriate risk assessments to be carried out They also pointed out that there has been no modifications or disapplications of current legal duties (AT PRESENT), in relation to: ⁃ EHC Assessments ⁃ finalising EHC plans ⁃ Annual Reviews Finally, they also referred to other helpful DfE (Department of Education) guidance, including: 'Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on vulnerable children and young people', which they said was the most useful guidance currently on SEN provision and answered numerous questions. 2. What does this all mean? As I said in my first update, although the Government has allowed 'vulnerable' children and those of key workers to still go to school during the current pandemic, my experience has been that so far very few parents have taken this on board and many children with SEN are now being kept at home for the duration of this crisis. Also, although many schools have closed. some should remain open for caring for/educating these children and the Government initially asked special schools not to close, but some have done. There is a great difficulty for many children and young people, especially those with special educational needs, between distinguishing between doing schoolwork at school and being more relaxed at home. Whilst, as I say above, the novelty of not having to go to school and parents not having to go to work, may have initially felt very good, it is extremely difficult for many parents at the moment to keep their children continuously educated and entertained. In addition, there are always going to be good days and bad days and the advice I have seen many times (although I am not a teacher or psychologist) is that trying to force a child to learn when they really do not want to, may actually be counter-productive in the long run, particularly when remembering that parents are going to be living 24/7 with them every day. It is very important to bear in mind that there is no legal duty on parents to try to maintain the provision in their child's EHC plan whilst they are out of school and trying to do so will be an impossible task, so parents should not feel they need to try to. It seems to me that the best that can be achieved in these difficult times is to come up with some kind of alternative or different schedule for home-schooling that everyone can 'buy into'. I realise though that this is not going to be satisfactory for many people. In terms of the law itself, I believe that we are still, effectively, in the early days for me to give any definitive advice yet as to what is happening. As a 'notice' under the Coronavirus Act 2020 has not yet been brought into effect, this should mean that LAs are under the same legal duties as before in respect of assessments/timescales/maintaining provision for EHC plans, although I do believe that we should all be as flexible as we can in the current circumstances. 3. Where can I find further information? I've seen a number of videos on the web, which I think many people may find helpful, such as...
There are also a number of online resources for children and young people, including for younger children.
These even include covering simple things like taking exercise or learning how to wash your hands properly, such as...
Finally, I would again remind you of the very useful resources and information provided on the following websites:
- IPSEA - Council for Disabled Children - Contact - Scope - Special Needs Jungle Remember also, that there are also other videos on this website, especially the one at the top of this page which explains the coronavirus and its effect clearly to children. Keep safe until next week. With best wishes Douglas P.S I understand that there are a number of educational or other useful resources now on the web - I would be very grateful if you could let me know of any that people are finding useful, so that I can direct others to them. P.P.S. I also want to highlight again the fact that there are currently a lot of scams out there, both online and through texts/WhatsApps. Please be extremely careful and help yourself and others not to become victims. You can learn more at: www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk. As I always like to say at this point of the year at the start of the summer term, we are already now nearly at the end of another academic year once more. In this SEN Update, you will find sections entitled:
As I always say, I know how busy everyone is, so please feel free to read just the sections that are of interest to you or read everything; the choice is always yours! Don’t forget, to ensure that you never miss out on one, you can get my SEN updates personally by completing your email details below, or by following me on one of the Social Media platforms that I use, at the top of this page. You can also share this update with others (please only do so if it may be relevant to them) by using one of the icons usually to the right or at the bottom of this page.  (please note that this section is longer than usual, as there is so much information that I need to pack in here) ITS ALL ABOUT...TIMING! (PHASE TRANSFERS) At this time of year, many parents of children with SEN, or young people with SEN themselves often get very anxious and worried. This is because, in September (just 4 months away – or just 3, if you discount August/the Summer holidays), many children with SEN are due to be starting primary/infant school or transferring from primary/middle school to secondary school. Also, many young people with SEN are due to be transferring from secondary school to post-16 placements (e.g. colleges, as well as schools), or from post-16 placements to post-18/19 placements. This is also because, if they have not been given their preferred choice of school/placement, then they now start to realise that they only have a very limited time left to do something to, for example, challenge an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan (if they have one) through an appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Tribunal. The law about EHC plans (quoting the SEND Code of Practice 2015) states as follows: ‘Transfer between phases of education 9.179 An EHC plan must be reviewed and amended in sufficient time prior to a child or young person moving between key phases of education, such as: · Early years provider to school · Infant school to junior school · Primary school to middle school · Primary school to secondary school, and · Middle school to secondary school Reviews and amendments must be completed by 15 February in the calendar year of the transfer at the latest for transfers into or between schools. 9.180 For young people moving from secondary school to post-16 institutions or apprenticeships, the review and any amendments to the EHC plan (including specifying the post-16 provision/naming the institution) must be completed by 31 March in the calendar year of the transfer. 9.181 Where it is proposed that a young person is to transfer from one post-16 institution to another within the following 12 months, the LA must review and amend (where necessary) the young person’s EHC plan at least five months before the transfer takes place in all cases.’ So, for children coming to the end of Year 6 and starting Year 7/secondary school in September 2019, or children who are starting their primary schooling in September 2019, their next placements should have been determined and their EHC Plans finalised by 15 February 2019. This is, theoretically, enough time to give parents the right to appeal to the SEND Tribunal and have their cases heard by the end of the academic year in July 2019. (Following a 12 week timetable from registration to hearing, with 2 additional weeks set aside at the beginning for registration [after an appeal is lodged] and 2 weeks set aside at the end after the hearing [to produce a written decision]). For young people with SEN who are transferring to post-16/18/19 placements, their next placements should have been determined and their EHC Plans finalised by 31 March 2019. This is, again, to allow them the right to appeal to the SEND Tribunal and have their cases heard by the end of the academic year in July 2019. (This is often with their parents supporting them, provided they have 'mental capacity', otherwise it is often their parents who bring the appeal for them). Well, that’s the theory… However, there is an appeal window of 2 months from the date of the issue of the final EHC Plan to bring an appeal (i.e. by 14 April 2019 or 30 May 2019) and there is also a requirement (since the new SEN framework was brought into effect from September 2014) only to be able to appeal against the contents of an EHC plan after they have obtained a Certificate of Mediation before they can lodge an appeal. They then need to appeal within one month of a certificate being issued following mediation, or the parent or young person being given mediation information. You do not have to be a genius to work out that, if you do not appeal quickly (in relation to secondary transfer and especially in appeals for post-16 provision), then with a 12-week (+4) timetable, the need to get a mediation certificate and the 2-month (potentially +) window to appeal, you are very lucky to get an appeal listed for hearing before the end of the academic year in primary/secondary cases and even more so in post-16/18/19 cases). In previous years, this has unfortunately led to situations sometimes where parents or young people have had their appeals listed for hearing in September (or even October/November), in relation to where they should go to in September. Unless parents of children/young people agree to (or let them) have an extended summer holiday, are home-educated, or decide to in the meantime go to the school/placement put forward by the Local Authority (LA) then, unless it can be shown clearly that the school/placement that they are appealing against is inappropriate, the LA/their proposed school may then argue that the child/young person is doing well/has settled in and should not be moved. If this happens, the person bringing the appeal may then end up undermining their own appeal for a different school/placement. To be as fair as possible, I should also say that many LAs also find themselves in difficulties with sometimes no previous notice of a potential dispute until they receive an appeal (with then less time to prepare) and being faced with an increasing number of appeals from parents/young people who wish to challenge a future placement and lodge appeals, sometimes at the last minute, so that the LA often find themselves on the back foot and under pressure of dealing with many appeals at the same time, at the very end of the academic year. I am afraid that both sides can’t win. These issues can lead to a number of difficulties, especially because, as I said in my last SEN Update, the current number of appeals to the Tribunal has risen considerably in the last few years from an average of about 3,500 a year to last year being about 5,500 a year (and this looks to be increasing this year, although we will not know actual figures until next year probably). Fortunately, the Tribunal has recognised these difficulties in recent years and, some years ago, pulled down the (then) 20-week normal timetable to 12 weeks for secondary transfer appeals from registering the appeal to hearing (they tried coming down further to 7 weeks in the first year for post-16 cases, but this proved unsatisfactory). I am also pleased to report that the Tribunal has recently brought on about 20 new Tribunal Judges to help them deal with the ever-increasing workload. And, this year for the first time, the Tribunal has said that they will be willing to hold hearings ‘on the papers’ (i.e. without a hearing in person) in August (which is usually the month when people are away on their summer holidays, so the Tribunal does not usually hold hearings during that time, as people are generally away and not able to come as witnesses to give evidence in person), but only if both parties agree and the LA has already served its response to the appeal. This is all well and good I hear you say, but if we are a parent of a child with SEN/young person with SEN, or a professional doing this work, what do you suggest we do? Well, over the years, whilst I have noticed an increasing number of parents who come to see me early for help in relation to what they believe will be a forthcoming dispute/appeal about an EHC plan, unfortunately, I am also conscious that I have noticed an increasing number of people only coming to see me at the last minute, who want me to help them as much as I can, even at a late stage (again, to be fair, lawyers who work for LAs also tell me that they only get approached sometimes at the last minute). Obviously, it is always easier for me (and others) to help people when they come to me/others as early as possible (the irony is that it is not actually just about having the appeals heard earlier, but it is often possible to help them avoid an appeal in the first place). But, unless this may be a position you now realise that you find yourself in next year and therefore still have time to do something, the most important thing I can really say to you here, if you find yourself in a predicament and with your back against the wall, is not to give up hope... This is because every year, I/others can still help people, even at a late stage, by either taking over their appeal for them (usually before the Further Evidence stage/deadline), or supporting them themselves to bring an appeal, by showing them what to do and helping them ‘tighten up’ their appeal as much as possible. In fact, this year things are slightly easier (and cheaper to do), because the Tribunal has agreed to hear appeals ‘on the papers’ (i.e. without a hearing) during August, so it may still be possible for a parent/young people to get decisions on their school/placement and where they should go, in time for the start of the new academic year in September 2019 . (It is more difficult for me to help people if they come to me after a Further Evidence deadline, whose appeal will be dealt with without a personal hearing, because there may be very little I can then do. However, if they are having a hearing in person, then I can still help them prepare for it). The point that I am really trying to make here is that, there is always hope and it is always possible to do something often, but it is extremely important that somebody recognises a problem first and then does something about it as soon as possible. I am afraid it is probably like telling a good joke, it is all about …timing!  NOT EVERYONE HAS AN EHC PLAN THOUGH I know I have referred to above about there being increasing appeals to the SEND Tribunal about EHC plans, it is also important for me to point out that not all children and young people with SEN have an EHC plan. So this leads me nicely on to talking to you about other difficulties I have noticed in the SEN world recently. The new SEN framework, which was brought into effect from September 2014, had a number of goals, including reducing the number of children with EHC plans (which replaced Statements of SEN). But, unfortunately, this seems to have had unintended consequences and, actually, there seems to be more children (and now young people) with EHC plans. As I see it, this problem seems to have come about in two ways:
This latter argument is a bit circular since, the logic dictates, that the more people who seek an EHC Plan, the less money there is available to make provision in maintained mainstream or special schools (or academies) and this has definitely not been helped when we have had funding cuts and austerity measures now for almost a decade and every year schools and LAs (and others) seem to be being asked to do more with less! It is almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy sometimes. It strikes me as a bit sad that a lot of disputes cannot be resolved earlier and at a more amicable and local level, because I have noticed that the longer a dispute goes on, the more polarised and fixed in their beliefs people become and that they are then less willing to compromise on things, including their principles. I am also a bit concerned that I sometimes see advisers/representatives (on both sides and both legal and otherwise) taking or defending appeals, and having unnecessary hearings, which do not really have appropriate chances of success. This just ends up causing more difficulties for everyone emotionally, financially and practically than it should have done and, often, it is the child or young person with SEN who suffers in the end (with less money available to the school/LA or parents finding themselves lighter in the pocket and without money that could have been better spent on getting support (including therapy) for them. I believe that many of these disputes could probably be resolved with better communication between the parties at an earlier stage.
FORTHCOMING SEN EVENTS In terms of forthcoming SEN events that I think might be worth going to are:
 A NAME, NOT A NUMBER!
Although I am physically disabled and a wheelchair user, as you may already know from reading this last section in my previous SEN Updates, I have done a number of international bike rides for charity over the past years (I am doing my 10th one later this year!) I therefore keep myself as physically fit as possible, which requires me now to train 4-5 times a week with a trainer, usually in the gym. As I have a neurological and degenerative condition, which also affects other things like my sight and fine motor skills, as well as it affecting my mobility and coordination, I do not drive any longer (I gave up being behind the wheel of a car in 2011, because I was noticing a deterioration in my co-ordination and eyesight). So, my wife, Erica, generally takes me to and from the gym in her (large) car, which also fits in it my wheelchair. As, I have been training in the gym for about 15 years, although people there now know me well as a regular by name, the gym that I go to (Pure Gym) requires members to go in and go out using a Pin Code, which they have to punch into a keyboard panel before a ‘pod’ door opens to let them in or out. As I am not able to use my wheelchair to get in and out through the normal ‘pods’, I always have to use the more accessible (and normal, but still electronically locked) door to get in and out. However, I am still required to punch my number in, before the door opens or closes and because it can be sometimes be quite difficult for me to punch in the right numbers (remember that I have fine motor and visual difficulties), so that they are recognised properly. So, Erica usually does this for me using her Pin Code (she also goes to the gym herself once or twice a week). She says it often takes up a lot of her time waiting for me to enter my Pin Code, as it sometimes takes me a few attempts to enter it successfully and this can then last for three to five minutes, (which is, understandably, difficult to have to wait for, if she is rushing somewhere else.) The funny thing here is that, over the years, Erica has been noted by Pure Gym as putting her number in quite regularly. So it always amuses me when she tells me that, she gets regular emails from Pure Gym now congratulating her on going to the gym so often and being so fit! As I like to say to her now sometimes, she is taking the credit, without doing the work! With good wishes Douglas P.S. I always find it helpful to find out what people think about my updates, so please take a few seconds to tell me what you think by going to 'Summer Term 2018/19 'SEN Update – Your Thoughts’. There are just 3 quick questions. |
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Authorised and Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no: 643718)
‘Douglas Silas Solicitors’ is the trading name of ‘Douglas Silas Solicitors Limited’, a limited company registered in England & Wales (company no: 10689991), whose registered office is Gable House, 239 Regents Park Road, Finchley, London, United Kingdom, N3 3LF. A list of members/directors may be inspected at our office.