Since blogging about children who attend Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) schools and the devastating effect that the Coronavirus Bill has had on their education, I have been getting some feedback from their parents and teachers.
At the time of writing, with all SEND schools closed, parents are currently struggling at home to provide support for their disabled children. Here are just a few of the responses I’ve received since I posted the SEND article.
“We need the stats on deaths in SEND schools. My son is a SEND teacher, working in a (non-residential) school for young people with profound disabilities. Before the lockdown, something like 50% of the staff had already contracted Covid 19, one was so ill as to be hospitalised, and at least one student has died from it.” (Parent of Teacher. Bristol)
“I fear we will find that there has been a terrible hidden tragedy within the SEND school system once things return to normal.” (SEND Parent. Brighton)
“The staff are really trying hard to keep it together and deliver distance learning – but this is even harder than in mainstream, with a much lower take-up of online lessons/classes.” (SEND Teacher. London)
“There are lots of economically impoverished SEND students, and families struggling to even get fed. And that’s before we get to tech poverty. It’s as though the government have written us all off!” (SEND Teacher. Glasgow)
“I’ve seen some of the online lessons and given that SEND teachers are delivering them with no additional funding, from home, on their own equipment, they’re really trying so hard to deliver for their students. I’ve got nothing but admiration for their devotion to their students.” (SEND Parent. Reading)
Description of cartoon for those using screen reading software
Boris Johnson is driving a large blue bulldozer and is pushing large boxes labelled care act, equalities act and SEND into a large hole. A big sign alongside of the hole reads ‘Tory equality land fill site’. Boris is saying: “They’re all getting equal treatment as far as I’m concerned!”
Crippen Cartoons 