Special Educational Needs: Coronavirus

(asked on 18th November 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on families with 18-year-old students with Down’s syndrome not being in education for four weeks due to shielding during the covid-19 outbreak, particularly in cases where a parent or carer will need to take time off work to provide care and support with learning at home.


Answered by
Vicky Ford Portrait
Vicky Ford
This question was answered on 27th November 2020

In September, the UK Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) reviewed the new information which showed that most adults with Down’s syndrome were at a higher risk amongst the population. Therefore, the UK CMOs decided that people aged 18 or over who have Down’s syndrome should be added to the clinically extremely vulnerable group. People who are clinically extremely vulnerable are advised not to attend their college or other educational setting.

We know that any period of absence from an education setting can cause anxiety for learners and their families, and we are aware that some young people with Down’s syndrome have expressed their disappointment at being advised to remain at home. However, it is too early in the implementation of the national restrictions to conduct any formal assessment of the impact on families. We have been working with our partners, including a wide range of charities and organisations which support families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) throughout the COVID-19 outbreak to understand the impact on them. We will continue to gather regular information from parents, carers, and young people themselves, through organisations such as the National Network of Parent Carer Forums. We continually review and update our guidance to educational settings to reflect the advice of the CMOs, as more information on the impact of COVID-19 for different groups becomes available.

Our priority is to ensure that young people can continue to learn even when they are unable to attend their usual setting. We have worked with providers to co-design the remote education service for schools, further education providers and teachers. In addition, the Oak National Academy education offer provides free video lessons across a broad range of subjects, including specialist content for pupils with SEND.

Where a young person who is clinically extremely vulnerable has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), parents, education settings, health professionals and local authorities should work together to agree the best arrangement for that individual young person and their family to ensure that they continue to receive the support they need.

Families can request new or increased services from adult social care via their local authority, if this support is required to ensure the young person is safely cared for whilst they remain at home. It is for the local authority to carry out an assessment and to determine what service provision is required. During the period of national restrictions, those providing care or support to meet a vulnerable or disabled person’s everyday needs can continue to visit them in their home, ensuring they follow social distancing guidance where close or personal contact is not required.

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