Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, is he will take steps with (a) schools and (b) local authorities to ensure that (i) physiotherapy and (ii) other additional support usually delivered in schools can continue to be delivered where it is safe to do so.

The COVID-19 outbreak has been extremely challenging for many families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). That is why we asked schools to stay open for vulnerable children, including those with an education, health and care plan, during the period of national lockdown. On 7 January 2021, we published guidance for schools on the current national lockdown, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak.

We want these children and young people to continue to receive high-quality teaching and specialist professional support. The system of protective measures that schools have in place means that any risks associated with attendance are well managed. If a child does not attend, we expect the school to provide remote education.

Specialists, therapists, clinicians and other support staff for pupils with SEND should provide interventions as usual where this is reasonably necessary, including where this requires them to move between settings. On occasion, special schools may encounter circumstances where they cannot provide their usual interventions and provision at adequate staffing ratios, or with staff with vital specialist training. In these circumstances they should seek to resume as close as possible to the child of young person’s specified provision as soon as possible. Pupil level risk assessments, which were used last spring, should not be used to filter children and young people in or out of attendance, but could be helpful to prioritise the provision a child or young person can get if full time provision for all is not possible.

We will issue updated guidance and as part of this we will be providing more detailed advice and support for special schools.