To think they may as well say "don't send children with additional needs back in September"

[drspouse]

The current plan is:
All in bubbles of 30
All in the classroom together
All facing the front (WTF has that got to do with virus protection)
No use of shared spaces except at your rota time and after it's been bleached.
Teachers at the front, 2m away
AND focus on behaviour.

My DS has an EHCP and needs a space to escape to when the classroom gets too much. He's often been using a work space outside the classroom. We just looked round a lovely mainstream primary that has a behaviour base and a nurture base. Oh and a library and an ICT suite that children can access at lunchtime.
His previous school had very little space and the corridor was the library etc.

So how are schools supposed to cater for children who need time out of the classroom to prevent meltdown?
This includes children who are having a hard time at home, can't cope with playground noise etc. Not just those who have a diagnosis of SEN.

And children like my DD who have small group teaching outside the classroom most days - you can't do that with 2m separation and all facing the front even if you can disinfect the break out area.

So I'm guessing nobody really wants a child like my DS in their child's classroom if he's not allowed to go out to his calm down area when he needs to?

Well, I guess I knew the government didn't really want to deal with inconvenient children who don't fit their mould, but this confirms it.

I really feel for teachers, yet another impossible task.

[JaniceWebster]

Measures need to be put in place to allow all children to get back to school not just those who fit into the boxes!

but when half the children are refused access, and schools don't even have enough to accept all keyworker children, you have to be realistic.

I am sorry, but complaining that children would have to face the front of the class at the moment is going too far.

[Letseatgrandma]

Surely where 1 to 1 is stipulated, they can still provide it? Or are you thinking due to other staff not being there from shielding, they might need to use that 1 to 1 staff member elsewhere

Pretty much this in my school. The shielded are leaving, we have no other TAs who could take their place and nobody has applied to the vacancies. We are two weeks from the end of term.

This is often the problem with finding TAs to meet the EHC plan 1:1 requirements. You need someone quickly, to be highly trained or experienced but you can only afford to pay them beans.

[wagtailred]

I think that in September when the government proposes all children are in school every day and are suggesting fines if parents don't attend school - it will be education. They are going to give minimum standards and are proposing 2 terms of focussing on the core subjects before returning to a broader curriculum.

[YetAnotherBeckyMumsnet]

Hello everyone - we've had some reports about disablism on this thread and so are dropping in to please ask that you consider the challenges faced by the parents of children with additional needs, especially as these challenges are only intensified by the current situation. Our basic philosophy is of support and advice for all parents - please have a read of our Talk Guidelines and remember there are real people behind these posts and to bear this in mind when posting.

Thanks.

[drspouse]

@GinDrinker00 my DS is currently back though not full time and what they are able to do now in the time of small bubbles and non-compulsory education and no prohibition on using common spaces is working well for him.
It's what is planned for September that completely fails to take children with AN into account.

[drspouse]

complaining that children would have to face the front of the class at the moment is going too far.
And if facing the front of the class PLUS "enforcing discipline" PLUS nowhere to go when you are stressed means having a meltdown in class?
What then? Is that going too far? Or are your perfect children OK with my DS having a meltdown in class?

[JaniceWebster]

drspouse
can I just point out that many children are not even allowed back AT ALL right now and being failed on every possible level. So I get that you only care about your own child, but you are basically doing exactly what you are accusing others to do. Dismiss everybody else as they don't matter to you! Not nice...

The dig about my "perfect children" is unnecessary, you know absolutely nothing of our circumstances.

[KOKOagainandagain]

Well, this is just peachy. DS2 has an EHCP for f/t 1:1. This wasn't delivered in his last secondary - his 1:1 was delivered by 4 different TAs, supposedly for his benefit, but he was signed off with anxiety by his GP after 6 weeks. There was a very strongly put argument from the school that his support wasn't fair to other pupils and he just had to learn (not to be autistic).

He has spent the last 3+ years at internet school but now they have more than doubled fees (see my post on education re Cambridge Home School) and the LA want him to go to local m/s in September. I have to agree this is unethical profiteering and the LA can't support this through a personal budget.

The transition would have been better for him if only DC with EHCPs or whose parents were keyworkers had been attending to start with given the pandemic. The idea that he will not get transition support or his EHCP delivered (again) but this time with the pandemic as an excuse as to why this is not fair makes me want to tear my hair out.

EHCP support is not optional, it is not a favour, it is stipulated by law, often Court ordered, to go some way to equalising gross inequality.

[drspouse]

And just to clarify:
My DS has as part of his EHCP provision "moving towards working in small groups with other children and a TA". This can't happen if the TA has to be 2m away from the other children and it can't happen if they all have to sit facing the front.
He doesn't cope well with noise behind him or a distracting room (typically, he'll sit to the side but facing a blank wall with a few key pieces of his timetable). But he cannot sit still or sit facing the same way for a long period of time. So being told to face front for the whole day and either in front (noise behind) or behind (moving children in front) will be very distracting and he WILL behave badly. Being told to sit down and face the front multiple times a day will also make his behaviour deteriorate.

And I'm sure he's not the only one - those with less obvious needs will have been fine with a space at the side facing another child but too many other children behind them or in front of them may be too overwhelming. Some of these children don't behave badly, they just withdraw, become anxious, or refuse to go to school (yay! another child with SEN out of school! Smaller class sizes!)

I'm going to be charitable here and assume that people like @JaniceWebster actually don't know how important it is for children to have what's in their EHCP, and for children who don't have an EHCP to have particular arrangements made for them. And that they don't genuinely realise that some children don't have a 1:1 for the heck of it and have not thought through that only setting up school that works for the 26 in each class who don't have SEN, is actively discriminatory.
It would be like saying "we'll say that only non-Muslim children can come to school because that keeps the numbers down and it means we don't have to provide Halal lunches". Or "Girls can't come if they have their period because they might need to go to the toilet at non-approved times".

[drspouse]

many children are not even allowed back AT ALL right now and being failed on every possible level.

At the moment, not everyone is supposed to be in. Is there something in the proposed September provision systematically preventing another group of children from coming in to school? Please do tell us what it is. Then we can complain about it too.

[JaniceWebster]

At the moment, not everyone is supposed to be in.
but your own child actually IS in, so that's all right Jack. Yeah, we get that.

Being abandoned until AT LEAST September might be ok for you, but it's very damaging to some children. You don't care about those, why should you, it's not your job.

[KOKOagainandagain]

@JaniceWebster DS1 received a total of 5 terms education in 5 years. Isn't that terrible? We had to pay thousands to go to SENDIST and then JR with the support of SOS!SEN. Can you imagine? Can you empathise?

Can you imagine if that was your DC or any group of DC you think counts. And there was no pandemic.

You seem to think that we parents of SEN DC don't understand or only care about our own DC. That we are being selfish. You are wrong.

[drspouse]

He's only in part time and he's part of the group that is supposed to be in (for his welfare, in his case). He's only been back for a few weeks.
That, IMO, was a sensible decision (though it's not been implemented evenly or properly - children with EHCPs are supposed to be back full time AFAIK and they were supposed to be in from the start).

If you think that taking children back now who have EHCPs, rather than a different group of children, was the wrong decision, do tell us. We're open to hearing about all the wrong decisions the government has made. And why this is wrong.

[spanieleyes]

we currently have several children in school who have an EHCP with 1;1 provision. in one case it is a different TA to his usual as one of our 1:1s is still shielding. All three are in different bubbles. in each case, the 1;1 support sits at the side of the pupil as far as is possible whilst still being in support ( probably about 1metre away) We have a dedicated breakout space for each child ( and three other children with sensory issues that means they need "time outs" but who don't have an EHCP) . In two cases the child sits on the front row, in one case the child sits facing a wall as that is more comfortable for them. Small adaptations make things a little easier, although we only have one dark space so fingers crossed they don't need it all at the same time! One needs regular "walks" round school, usually they would visit different classrooms but now they stand at the doorway and wave hello, one we have had to be strict about as she kisses and cuddles and we have had to teach her non contact methods of expressing her emotions but it seems to be working so far. We don't do small group work yet but we are planning to do so in September-4 children round a large table. it won't be perfect but we will be doing the best we can within the guidelines we have.

[10brokengreenbottles]

and being failed on every possible level.

Being abandoned until at least September

You mean like the numerous children with SEND up and down the country who are out of education, some for significant amounts of time? The majority of society couldn't care less that this was the case before the pandemic and sadly will still be the case afterwards. Yet many are up in arms NT children have had disrupted education for a few months.

Or the pupils who haven't just lost their educational SEN provision but also their social care and health care provision?

Or the many pupils whose LAs are failing to secure provision in their EHCPs because the relaxed rules mean they only have to make reasonable endeavours?

[BelleSausage]

It is disgraceful. I really feel for parents with SEND children.

School is difficult at the best of times. But the national obsession with stuff all kids back into a completely unprotected classroom environment has created a situation where many students are going to end up going without their usual support.

It is appalling.

[TabbyMumz]

I really have no idea how schools are going to accommodate all this in September, ie having all kids back and still have social distancing. I certainly dont envy Head teachers who are trying to ensure everyone is accommodated for.

[KOKOagainandagain]

That is why we SEN parents need to be kind to parents of NT DC (despite ....). We have learned to live with the trauma of being abandoned and being failed on every level and, hopefully, found allies to help us cope. It feels crap. It is crap. But we are not powerless.

[wagtailred]

its such a shame that some people's lockdown support hasn't been any good. My NT child, although not able to go to school because of a pandemic, has had well prepared lessons as per his timetable, with instant email feedback. His teachers call him weekly and more recently he's had one live lesson each day. It hasn't been a great educational experience but it has been far from abandoned. I'm not saying i want it to continue forever but i really would prefer that he went back part time, if it meant schools could be more inclusive. Not him going back full time and someone else not at all.

[elliejjtiny]

I'm worried about this too. I think my 12 year old who has ehlers danlos syndrome, autistic traits and sensory processing disorder will be better off in the new circumstances as he won't be jostled around so much in the corridors. However I think my 7 year old who has learning difficulties and is deaf is really going to struggle.

[Boulshired]

I requested my DS2 risk assessment which basically says he will not be able to return till all social distancing is removed. For DS2 this is not just his entitlement to education, his speech therapist and OT have also gone AWOL. His physio has sent out worksheets containing exercise using the equipment held at his special school. THe LEA have got involved as the school is not conforming to their reasonable adjustment categories listed on the LEAs website. For children like DS2 they are trapped within their homes as it’s not only school that social distancing impacts. It’s going anywhere that contains people. I am lucky as I do not have to home educate my DCs if I had younger children they would be neglected. I’ve said this on a few post ECHPs does not guarantee a school place. Many special schools are only managing because of shielding DCs or parents voluntarily removing them or only accepting key workers and families in crisis. DS2’s is operating at about 30% max and will not take anymore.

[WellTidy]

Speech and language therapy has fallen by the wayside here too. Ds has in his EHCP weekly term time speech and language therapy for 30 minutes, delivered by the therapist directly. There has been none since early March. School say that they’re in touch with the provider and I should hear soon. It isn’t good enough is it.

As I said before, as if the rest of it isn’t bad enough.

[Jemimapuddleduk]

Following and I will add to this later once kids in bed. I am in full agreement that disabled children and their families have been totally neglected in this whole shit show.