Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of special schools have not yet reopened in (a) London and (b) England as a result of the covid-19 outbreak; and what steps his Department is taking to support the children affected by those closures.

The department is collecting school level opening and attendance statistics for the current academic year, including those for special schools. We intend to publish these statistics at a future date.

The government has set out clearly its position that all pupils, including those with special educational needs or disabilities, should be returning to schools from the start of the autumn term. Our guidance is clear that schools should work closely with parents and carers to agree the best approach to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities to return to school successfully. The guidance is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.

Where children are unable to attend school because they are following Public Health England guidance to self-isolate, or because they are among the very small proportion of children who are ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ and have been advised by their own medical team to continue shielding, schools should provide immediate remote education provision so they can continue their learning and development.