Special Educational Needs: Coronavirus

(asked on 11th January 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate the Government has made of the rate of transmission of covid-19 in SEND schools in England; what steps his department is taking to support SEND schools in Liverpool West Derby to reduce covid-19 transmission ; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including SEND school staff in the first phase of the covod-19 vaccination rollout.


Answered by
Vicky Ford Portrait
Vicky Ford
This question was answered on 14th January 2021

During national lockdown restrictions, all schools and colleges, including special schools and special post-16 settings, remain open to vulnerable children and young people and the children of critical workers. We recognise that the characteristics of the cohorts in special schools will mean that these settings continue to offer face to face provision for all pupils, where appropriate. This is because we know that children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and their families, can be disproportionately impacted by being out of education. The department has published new guidance on the period during the national lockdown, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak#history

It is important that staff in these settings continue to be supported. The rapid asymptomatic testing programme will include testing staff, vulnerable pupils and students, and children of key workers, including those within special schools and special post-16 settings. Further announcements on the roll out of testing to staff in primary schools will follow in due course, to help support the reopening of education settings.

Public Health England have advised that the current guidance on the system of controls should continue to be followed. When implemented in line with a revised risk assessment, this creates an inherently safer environment where the risk of transmission of the infection is substantially reduced.

The personal protective equipment (PPE) portal can be used by residential special settings to access COVID-19 PPE. These providers will have received an email invitation to register with the portal. Depending on local arrangements, special schools and special post-16 settings may be able to access PPE for their COVID-19 needs via their local authority or local resilience forum. Our published guidance clearly outlines the circumstances in which PPE should be used, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings-including-the-use-of-personal-protective-equipment-ppe.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccine/s the UK should use and provide advice on who should be offered them. JCVI advises that the first priorities for the COVID-19 vaccination should be the prevention of mortality and the maintenance of the health and social care systems, and as the risk of mortality from COVID-19 increases with age, prioritisation is primarily based on age. This prioritisation captures almost all preventable deaths from COVID-19. In the next phase of the vaccine rollout, JCVI have asked that the Department of Health and Social Care consider occupational vaccination in collaboration with other Government departments. The department will input into this cross governmental exercise.

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