boy sitting in a wheelchair watching a tablet device

Flagship SENCO report reveals the impact of Covid-19 on pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and warns of a growing divide during the third lockdown

Covid-19

The National SENCO Workforce Survey 2020, conducted by Bath Spa University, in collaboration with nasen, has launched today revealing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The report also highlights concerns around the provision of specialist support for children and young people and the impact on Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs).

The report, which captured the experiences of SENCOs in response to the pandemic and the first national lockdown, revealed a key issue with universal inclusive provision and differentiation of SEN support as teaching moved online for the majority of pupils, with almost three-quarters (73%) of SENCOs stating their school experienced challenges with providing virtual support for children with SEN, and 8 in 10 finding it difficult to provide differentiated learning online.

SENCOs reported a sharp increase in workload as schools adapted to the pandemic, resulting in more management tasks and paperwork while responding to everchanging guidance. Nearly three-quarters of SENCOS surveyed (72%) felt that felt that their schools had experienced challenges in providing support for children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) during the lockdown, and only 1 in 10 were happy with the support they received during the pandemic.

Furthermore, nearly two-thirds (64.4%) would have welcomed more support and guidance from central government – findings that have led to recommendations around the provision of national exemplars and guidance in responding to unprecedented events in the future.

Professor Adam Boddison, Chief Executive at nasen said: “The SENCO Workforce Survey not only shines a spotlight on the strengths and challenges that impact SENCOs in their work, it also exposes some of the hidden challenges that continue to perpetuate inequalities impacting children and young people with SEND and their families.

“The pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on children and young people’s social, emotional and mental health needs, exacerbating social interaction challenges. It is vital that we support them and the mental wellbeing of our education workforce. We would like to see routine wellbeing arrangements put in place following this extended period of national challenge, including priority support for SENCOs.

“Moving forward, it is important that we work collaboratively and share good practice across mainstream, special schools and specialist settings to help all children and young people, particularly those with SEND, to learn and thrive regardless of their background or need.”

Summary of Key Recommendations:

  • Access to and accessibility of virtual learning: Access to IT for all children needs to be considered as a critical issue and schools should prioritise digital learning to support young people in their future learning. Teachers need to be provided with additional support to help them differentiate for pupils with SEND.
  • Provision of central guidance and support: Guidance should be given to school leaders in advance to allow them time to plan effectively. This includes the provision of national exemplars, e.g., for risk assessments, and the development of SENCO specific guidance for responding to unprecedented events.
  • Responding to unprecedented challenges: Guidance around virtual learning and learning from the positive experiences that SENCOs reported when supported by MATs, including the development of networks and sharing of resources.
  • Working with families: Senior leaders to consider how the benefits reported from a closer relationship with families can continue to be realised in the longer term
     

The full report, National SENCO Workforce Survey 2020: Supporting children and young people with special educational needs and their families during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, can be viewed here: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/projects/senco-workload/   

As part of our commitment to ensuring expertise in SEND is available to every school and setting, nasen will be offering membership for free from January 25th. Further information is available at: www.nasen.org.uk/membership or by emailing membership@nasen.org.uk  

Additional COVID-19 information and resources can also be found at www.nasen.org.uk/covid-19  and www.sendgateway.org.uk

Read the SENCO Workforce Survey PRESS RELEASE

SENCO Workforce Survey - PRESS RELEASE
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