Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional support his Department is providing to children with Special Educational Needs to ensure that their education is not affected by the covid-19 outbreak.

Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families can be disproportionately impacted by being out of education. Due to the national restrictions, we have published new guidance on 7 January for all schools, including special schools and specialist post 16 provision, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak.

This guidance sets out that schools are expected to allow vulnerable children and young people to attend, including those with an Education, Health and Care plan. We want these children and young people to continue to receive high-quality teaching and specialist professional support. Specialists, therapists, clinicians and other support staff for pupils and SEND should provide interventions as usual.

We also published ‘Guidance for full opening: special schools and other specialist settings’ in July 2020, and this has been regularly updated. This guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-full-opening-special-schools-and-other-specialist-settings/guidance-for-full-opening-special-schools-and-other-specialist-settings.