What did your school do last lockdown for SEN children?

[discoland]

Last lockdown non-keyworker children with SEN were only allowed in for 2 mornings a week. My five-year-old DS has ASD and very developmentally behind ect. During lockdown 1 he missed the final five months of nursery which I don’t think helped.

The fact school would only allow him in 2 mornings a week is one of the reasons I’m dreading another school ‘closure’ so much. Tbh I don’t really understand the logic of why the SEN children had to be collected halfway through their day once they’d already been mixing in the classroom for a couple of hours with the same children.

It also made it difficult to homeschool my other child on those days.

I wondered whether this was the norm compared to other schools?

My child who has ASD and attends a special school didn’t get any school time at all. Lockdown one, schools closed in March and he didn’t return until September. His bubble popped not long after going back in September and the cases ripped through bubbles so much the school closed fully. Then he went back, for his bubble to pop again. Then after Christmas hols he didn’t go back until Mid March this year.

His school “risk assessed” each child both lockdowns and places were limited in the last one to key workers and vulnerable children (social
Workers involvement and/or those who’s parents really needed respite) he didn’t fit any of those so March return it was.
It’s since ripped through his school again this academic year but not been a close contact, that we’ve been made aware of at least.

Fuck all!

Could not attend (mainstream primary) school in lockdown as not seen as vulnerable enough. Homeschooling was a joke as work sent out electronically was not differentiated in anyway so mostly inappropriate for DS

Am praying that we don't have another lockdown that closes schools...

Our school was more focussed on the vulnerable children rather than categorising by SEN/no SEN.

Both of my autistic children (mainstream) didn't go to school. My next door neighbours six disadvantaged children (1 with SEN) went to school.

All children deemed vulnerable or who had an EHCP were offered a place at our school.

DS could have gone in full time was CEV so couldn’t.

His ehcp says full 1-1 so she worked with his via teams all day doing lessons and the normal school side of his therapy as much as possible.

We were exceptionally lucky!

Nothing, except give him different in one subject and let him have longer (I.e. weekends) to complete assignments.

DD was in reception last year, she’s at a mainstream primary, profoundly deaf, has an EHCP. She was in school full time throughout.

SEMH secondary school. We haven’t closed a single day (were in fact open all of the first Easter break in addition) and provided “normal” on site lessons and comprehensive live and recorded lessons online.

I had no issue teaching the students on site (we were averaging 20 out of 70 a day) but spending hours putting together recorded lessons that were not watched by a single soul as well as dealing with having students online live whilst teaching in the classroom nearly finished my teaching career.

That was my experience @LampLass the school (also mainstream at the time) wasn't interested. No alterations to home school work either, or alterations due to the fact that they also suspected dyslexia and were wanting to test time. The inclusion lead officer asked me if I received my weekly phone calls. What a joke, I received two calls one during lockdown one, and the second in Feb 2021, both telling me we were all in the same boat, we really weren't!

Mine got nothing, I had to stop work and do it full-time with him, he got through lockdown 1 and 2 OK like that but lockdown 3 finished him off and he went mute, would not go out, would not write and he is still mute and not writing now.

Three days in reception class he was year three but his regular TA was in reception and he is working at that level so it was good for him to be with his own level for a change

Our SEN children who did not need 1:1 support were in full time. Unfortunately we didn't have enough staff to offer full time places to all of those wiho required 1:1 support (this was due to a mixture of CV staff being told to isolate, staffs own childcare needs and the need for staff to only work in 1 bubble) but they were offered part time places. We genuinely did the best we could.

Mean to say, he has autism and at that time was in the assessment process and under camhs. His mental health suffered badly and integration back to school was awful for him. Even social Work contacted me appalled that he wasn't offered a place, she even offered to call school and get him a place. My husband was working throughout outside our home, and I was wfh throughout too but because I was home school wouldn't take him. To be honest, I wouldn't have trusted them, it doesn't sound like they managed it well for those in either.

My son is at special school and he didn't get to go in at all.

As Tulipvase said.

Most attended school as normal. A minority chose not to and to home school.

(Secondary)

DS was in school on a KW place and his friend with SEN was in every day, his parents aren't key workers.

Dc1 (ASD, in a SN school): school closed in first lockdown, so missed 2 weeks of spring term, then Easter holidays, then also missed 1st half of summer term (I think). Then back, initially for 2 days a week, then 3, for the remainder of summer term. Then up to 4 days a week in second lockdown. We were very lucky.

Dc2 and 3 (both ASD, in (different) mainstream schools: dc2, I was called in first lockdown about whether I wanted dc to attend as a vulnerable child. I didn’t, and so dc2 attended the (excellent) online provision the school provided. Despite being assured I would be called by the SenCo weekly to see if the situation had changed and dc needed to attend, I had no further contact with the school about it.
Dc3, I wasn’t even offered a vulnerable child place, so again, he attended via online school. I wasn’t impressed - had no contact with the SenCo at all, even when I contacted them.

The school I work for had most SEND children in - a few were kept off during the first couple of months in March 2020, but they were back after half term. We had to convince a lot of parents though. Non were CEV, just anxious parents. We have a resource base for a special need, so some children are taxid in from quite a long way away. Initially the taxis didn't run, so that obviously had an impact. Started again after May half term.

In January, the resource base was open as usual. Two children didn't come in (parent choice), they were absorbed into the remote provision for mainstream children. I had two of them in my class. We provided alternative provision in consultation with the resource base teacher. We streamed the remote learning live lessons according to ability - groups of 6. My 2 base kids joined in with my SEN alternative provision for reading and writing, and used their parents accounts on Teams (with parent present) so that I could see them and they could show me work, instead of having cameras off like I had with the rest of the children.

I'm really happy that we did the best we could for emergency provision in general though, which I know lots of parents on here don't agree with regard their own children's schools. In anonymous surveys during and after lockdowns, we've never had one negative opinion.

All kids with an EHCP are allowed to attend school as normal at ours. I kept him home first lockdown, the second I didn't and neither will I for any other ones in the unlikely event there is one.

My sons special school closed to children whose parents werent key workers, and to children who needed the secure site as they only kept the open site open..

Was offered 2 days a week for asd ds. He didnt go though as he didnt want to be there when most dcs at home.

Asd child here who was at a unit attached to mainstream in lockdowns, has ehcp. Nothing at first lockdown other than one phone call but not alllowed in even though we asked. Really struggled as we were both working throughout lockdown,me from home and dh out at work, and ds can be quite high maintenance. We did no school work at all after the first day! 2nd lockdown kids with ehcps could go in so went everyday

I actually got randomly selected to go on a panel to give feedback to ofsted after the first lockdown. Some of the stories were heartbreaking how people had struggled. Some kids schools didn’t even let them back when everyone went back in sept 20 as they were risk assessed out or the school said they couldn’t provide 1-1 due to bubbles

Could have attended school but as I was furloughed so I chose to keep him at home and support his online learning. He followed his class Teams lessons with my support and had 4 x 1:1 sessions a week via Teams for literacy and maths which is what he would have had in school. We also had a weekly Teams catch up with SEN support team who would follow up with subject teachers regarding any issues. (Mainstream secondary school BTW)

Ds's special school was open to all pupils during the last lockdown and all attended. He was also in throughout the first lockdown although some children were at home for part of it due to staffing. There was a covid outbreak at another time and the school had to shut for a few weeks. His teacher rang a few times a week to check we were ok but nothing in the way of 'work' was set because it is impossible to provide it for children at his developmental level - remote learning simply doesn't exist.