School closures and specialist places

[Getitdonesharpish]

Good Morning. Do any of you have any information on how the Covid school closures will affect the opening of specialist schools (secondary) this time? Thank you

They are being encouraged to open as normal and my son's college has already confirmed they will be fully open on Monday.

What happens across the country will I think depend on the area and the type of special school. We are in Tier 4, but our local infection rates have been falling for a week or so. It's an ASD specific school/college, so the students are probably no more vulnerable to Covid than any other teenager. Most importantly our primary schools are opening, so staff will be able to get to work.

I'm in Scotland and on the day the schools broke up for holidays (22nd Dec) we were all emailed to say that ds' asn high school will be open as normal on the 6th Jan. I definitely think they are trying to prioritise asn schools this time.

Thanks guys. Keeping my eyes on the news tonight!

We had a call from my DS’s school today to say they will be open, but after Boris’s speech I’d like it clarified.

I thought Special Schools were staying open, but just received a vague message from school about ‘reviewing the situation’ and how ‘blended learning’ will feature strongly.??

Yes, we are just waiting to hear now.

Can I ask if anyone has decided for the safety of both pupils and staff they have kept their child home? We have been told by special school to keep our child home.

School open this week but then only key worker children or vulnerable children to go in. Blended learning for the rest.

In our case blended learning = no learning, DS flatly refuses to do school work at home.

Hi @SilverLiningSearching hopefully your school have revised their position following the guidance out towards the end of last week. If not this can be challenged. IPSEA would be good place to start for advice.

Like to guidance here, page 27. Very clear on special schools. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachmentdata/file/950510/Schoollnationalrestrictionssguidance.pdf

Also key to know that last lockdown the legal requirement to deliver EHCPs was temporarily suspended. This time it's not so EHCPs must be delivered.

Yes thankfully, our son has been allocated a full time place till half term. He didn't attend college at all for the entire Lockdown V1 between March and September and I really don't think we could survive that again.

It all seems so variable. Our son was supposed to start at a specialist school this Jan but they strongly discouraged anyone attending so he is at his previous mainstream school with a vulnerable child place. We couldn’t do any more home learning with him. I can’t really get my head around it as the specialist school only has 12 in a class (max) anyway and they don’t need close contact so no increased risk.

@sunshinyday12 yes since I posted we got a form to complete with our preferences, they clearly wanted to reduced the school population, anyhow DS is going in 4 days a week. Thank goodness I’ve been really struggling with him lately.

I put on our preferences form that he is subject to a CIN plan I think that’s why we have been given 4 days.