Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the ability of schools to deliver SEND provision when schools reopen during the covid-19 outbreak from 8 March 2021; and what specific support his Department has provided schools for that provision.

As of 8 March 2021 school attendance is mandatory for all pupils, and schools have remained open throughout national lockdown for vulnerable children including those children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) with an education, health and care plan (ECHP). The department is tracking attendance daily to monitor what is happening following wider reopening. These data include information on attendance by those children with SEND with an EHCP. Monitoring of attendance enables us to see how many children and young people with SEND are in school and receiving face to face provision.

To support schools in wider opening, we have published guidance to support teachers, school leaders and staff to deliver SEND provision safely. We have worked closely with other government department, bodies as well as the sector to develop this guidance, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/guidance-for-schools-coronavirus-covid-19, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-full-opening-special-schools-and-other-specialist-settings.

We are clear that all therapies and support that would normally be in place for children and young people with EHCPs should be provided, and our focus is on supporting local authorities, health commissioning bodies and education settings to do so.

As part of our system of controls, we have worked hard to design a testing regime that works for children and young people with SEND. This includes introducing a home testing approach (to which all pupils and students will default following the first two weeks of on-site testing), building in flexibility for specialist settings, and exploring the use of new technologies to support those who cannot tolerate a swab test.