Education Update COVID

Education update

• Schools – remain closed except for vulnerable children, children with education, health and care plans (EHCPs) and children of key workers but to be used only as a last resort. For Easter term break we are pleased to say all schools will have provision for key workers, and some will be open on the Bank Holidays, please contact your local school to find out what is available. In addition, we will be providing places for the children of NHS staff on Saturday (11 April) and Easter Sunday (12 April), where South Gloucestershire schools will be contacting NHS workers to offer them a place.

• Free school meals - We are also working with schools to support those children who are entitled to a free school meal, ensuring each of them continues to receive the benefit despite many being at home during the current period.

• GCSE and A level exams – Following the initial government announcement that both GCSE and A level exams were to be cancelled for summer 2020, it has now been confirmed that students who were due to sit A level, AS level or GCSE exams this summer will now receive a calculated grade. The calculated grade process will take account of a range of evidence including other assessments and mock results, with the approach standardised between schools and colleges.

• Vocational qualifications - For those pupils undertaking technical or vocational qualifications, the priority is to ensure that student and adult learners can move on as planned to the next phase of their lives. The government is working with Ofqual and we expect an update shortly on this. If you have any specific enquiries, please contact your school or college.

• Support for children and young people - Visit our education and support for children and young people page. If you have a safeguarding concern call us on 01454 866000. More information about safeguarding is available on the South Gloucestershire Children Partnership website. Our teams will be busy and we will need to prioritise help to the most vulnerable during this period

• SEND –  a helpline (01454 865137) for anyone with queries and FAQs

URGENT - SEND (Special Education Needs Review) SURVEY & MEETING 10 Feb

If you have any experience of the way children with special needs are supported in schools here - or worry about funding please contribute your views. Claire Young and your Focus Team have  been  supporting parents arguing for better funding for schools and children with special needs.Now current and future children with special needs,  need your support, by feeding into the review. To find out more about groups working to get improvements to special needs support here look for 'SEND Emergency' on facebook 

The Ofsted re-visit will take place from Monday 10 to Wednesday 12 February 2020. The Ofsted/CQC team will be keen to speak to as many children and young people and their parents and carers as possible, specifically about the weaknesses identified in the written statement of action (WSOA) for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).You can complete an online survey ahead of the re-visit, from 12 noon on Monday 3 February to 12 noon on Friday 7 February. Parents and carers who would like to take part in this survey can follow this link: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/SouthGloucestershireRe-Vis…/ .

There will be an open meeting of parents and carers and the Ofsted/CQC re-visit team. The meeting will take place on Monday 10 February at BAWA, 589 Southmead Road, Filton, BS34 7RF from 7pm until 8.30pm. Please register your interest in attending the open meeting through South Glos Parents & Carers (the local SEND Parent Carer Forum).https://www.sglospc.org.uk/shop/ofsted-cqc . - you can find more info about the meeting there. 

For full details of the re-visit and how you can contribute your views visit www.southglos.gov.uk/SENDrevisit

Special Educational Needs and Disability advice

Supportive Parents provides the Special Educational Needs & Disability Information, Advice and Support (SENDIAS) Service in South Gloucestershire, as well as Bristol and North Somerset.  They are an independent organisation offering free, confidential and impartial advice to parents, children or any young person aged 16 – 25, about SEND. You can find out more on their website.