Originally posted by www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk
The Government today published its Schools Bill with Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi announcing a 'strict' and 'non-negotiable' approach on school attendance.
The Bill will order schools across England to produce plans for addressing absenteeism. The Government also plans to issue new central guidance on the best approach to fining parents whose children are absent from school. Over 40,000 autistic pupils (31%) were persistent absentees in 2020/21.
Responding to the bill, Jolanta Lasota, Chief Executive of Ambitious about Autism, said:
“These measures are a regressive step and miss the point entirely about why many autistic pupils can’t attend school. “Autistic young people tell us they desperately want to go to school, just like everyone else, but many can’t because of inaccessible school environments, teaching, and expectations that they be something they are not: neurotypical. “Compelling these young people to be at a school they can’t access, without the support they need to attend, will not help them learn. Punishing their...
Legal requirements for councils around inclusion and the creation of national standards focussed on support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are among a raft of proposals laid out in the government’s SEND green paper.
The SEND and alternative provision green paper has been published following the completion of the Department for Education’s long-awaited SEND review which was launched in 2019.
The proposals, backed by £70m of new funding, will be subject to a 13-week public consultation due to close on 1 July, DfE has announced. https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ut_LI2sK1R4?feature=oembed
Proposals
Increased early intervention for children with SEND and a single system combining SEND and alternative education provision feature highly in the plans.
The creation of new national standards across education, health and care to build for a higher performing SEND system are also among measures set out in the paper.
The national standards will build on the Children and Families Act 2014 which is currently the subject of an enquiry by peers.
The standards look set...
Children's minister defends delays to landmark review and warns Covid has 'intensified' issues
Children's Minister: Will Quince
The government has named 23 members of a steering group set up to help push through its much-delayed SEND review, as a minister warned Covid had “intensified” issues.
In an open letter to parents of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, children’s minister Will Quince said improvements to the system were “needed, and overdue”. The steering group will “help us move forward” with the review, he added.
The SEND review was first promised in September 2019. The government has now missed three of its own deadlines to publish it, with Covid cited as a major contributor to the delays.
Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said last week that he was hoping to have it out “in the first quarter of next year” so it can “dovetail” with a planned schools white paper.
In his letter, Quince said the pandemic had “intensified some of the issues in the system, and...
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has reiterated his support for the introduction of a home education register.
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi was giving evidence to the Education Select Committee. Image: Parliament TV
Speaking at a Parliamentary hearing this morning (Wednesday), Zahawi said he was “absolutely committed” to the creation of a register of elective home-educated (EHE) children, which would be maintained by local authorities.
The measure was a key proposal in the Children Not in School consultation paper published in April 2019 alongside a planned duty on parents to register their child as being home schooled and for councils to provide additional support for EHE children.
The government has yet to publish its response to the consultation, which was criticised by members of the Education Select Committee who were questioning Zahawi.
Caroline Johnson, Conservative MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham, said: “I am unsure why it is taking so long? This is a safeguarding issue…we know that some people are not doing a good job [home...
With the news that everyone will be returning to school/college" from March 8th, the Department for Education has once again issued separate operational guidance for schools and for specialist settings: Additional operational guidance for special schools, special post-16 institutions and alternative provision.
Below is a bit of a breakdown of some of the important points that you should be aware of.
1. Attendance
The attendance section in the specialist and alternative settings guidance emphasises that from March 8th, attendance is mandatory for all, unless they receive a positive test result or have to self-isolate.
It is vital for pupils and students to attend school or college to minimise, as far as possible, the longer-term impact of the pandemic on their education, wellbeing and wider development. The usual rules on school attendance apply to all pupils including:- parents’ duty to secure their child’s regular attendance at school (where the child is a registered pupil at school, and they are of compulsory school age)-...
It was announced last night that all primary and secondary schools and colleges would close for at least six weeks until February half-term to all pupils except the children of frontline workers and vulnerable children. Early years settings, including nurseries and childminders, special schools and alternative education providers will remain open to all pupils, Johnson said.
The Department for Education has confirmed it will go ahead with previously announced plans to increase the number of free laptops and 4G routers made available to disadvantaged children. It said it aimed to provide one million devices by the end of the current academic year having handed out 560,000 as of December.The government-funded National Tutoring Programme, aimed at helping the most disadvantaged children impacted by the pandemic catch-up with peers, has said it will continue to provide tutoring remotely – it delivered support to 62,000 pupils last term.Meanwhile, the government has admitted that GCSE, AS and A level exams are “unlikely” to go ahead...
Children & Families Minister Vicky Ford and Care Minister Helen Whately have written an open letter to children and young people with SEND, their parents, families and others who support them.
The letter explains the actions that need to be taken to ensure, where possible, all pupils return to their educational settings from September, and responds to some of the concerns and questions that have been raised.
Department for Education and Department of Health & Social Care Joint Ministerial LetterDownload
Key messages include:
The importance for those with special educational needs and disabilities to return to educational settings safely in September so that they can receive face-to-face education and supportReassures that the risk of contracting the virus in educational settings is low and outlines protective measures in place to reduce the risk even further, including the NHS Test and Trace systemMinisters expect a small number of absences from children and young people who remain under the specialist care of a health professional however, the...
The Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care have announced online resources and charity grants. These are to help schools and colleges respond to the impact of coronavirus on mental health and wellbeing. For the full press release, click here.
There will be a variety of videos, webinars and teaching materials produced in partnership with charities. These shoul help children and young people discuss their anxieties and other emotions around the pandemic.
Grants worth more than £750,00 for the Diana Award, the Anti-Bullying Alliance and the Anne Frank Trust have been announced. There is also a £95,000 pilot project in partnership with the Education Support Partnership to focus on teachers' and leaders' mental health and wellbeing. This will encourage more resiliency of school staff.
Furthermore, mental health and wellbeing will become a compulsory part of pupils' education in primary and secondary education through the Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum from September.
...
The Department for Education have released their guidance to schools and colleges on supporting children and young people with SEND during the reopening of education settings.
The key elements of the guidance is around updating risk assessments and how the phased return to education settings will be managed.
Particular care will be needed in planning for and supporting children and young people with EHC plans to return to their schools and colleges. In the spirit of coproduction, educational settings should contact parents and involve them in decisions about their child who has an EHC plan.Similarly, they should contact and involve young people over 16 who have EHC plans.Schools and colleges will need to ensure that they have the staffing needed to support children and young people at safe ratios.Local authorities will also need to reinstate safe home to school transport arrangements.
Differentiated Return to School
“We recognise that some children and young people with EHC plans will need careful preparation for their return, for...
The Department for Education has released their statements on how schools, colleges and nurseries can begin to prepare to open to more young people from 1st June. You can read the full press release here.
All of this depends on the infection rate staying low, and will be monitored daily by the government.
The age groups expected to attend school are:
NurseryReceptionYear 1Year 6
The Government is also asking schools, colleges and sixth-form to offer some face to face support to year 10 and year 12 students in preparation of their exams next academic year.
There is guidance to the education sector that is available for you to read. Some of the changes include:
Reducing the size of classes and keeping children in small groups without mixing with othersStaggered break and lunchtimes, as well as drop offs and pick upsIncreasing the frequency of cleaning, reducing the use of shared items and utilising outdoor space
It’s key for parents and carers to understand that there will be no...
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
