Lessons learnt in Lockdown by Michelle Prosser Haywood
In this piece, Michelle Prosser Haywood, acknowledges that teachers have been working in unprecedented circumstances due to COVID19, and they can learn from some of the practices adopted to meet the needs of children during this time, including home education which may be needed to support a child’s individual needs, once we all return to normal schooling. Michelle also highlights factors we should consider for all children who could be transitioning back to school after a significant absence. No one expected the country to go into a lockdown on the 23rd March as a result of a global pandemic, and over the few weeks that followed to the Easter holidays, Schools and families had to adjust to new circumstances. Many children stayed at home with their parents, whilst other children, with parents who were keyworkers or were considered vulnerable continued to attend school, but with considerable changes made to allow for social distancing. This has been the biggest change to our ‘normal ways of living and working’ that most of us have ever experienced, and there is much to be learnt from how we have managed this change. We have quickly adapted to working online, using multiple online learning tools, and have provided hard copies as alternatives, for families without laptops and internet access. We have provided structure to routines and learning activities in a home environment and we have regularly monitored this. Prior to COVID19, for learners with SEND, some parents opted for home schooling and some parents may opt to continue educating their children in this way once the lockdown is over. It could be that there is a mixed system for many more months to come and maintaining good practice is essential, as many parents may not wish for their children to be in school, despite assurances that it is safe and social distancing policies are in place. Remember however that if a parent opts for full time home education, after the COVID19 pandemic has passed, that your school will need to follow specific guidance for home education. The responsibility for the child will pass to the parent and the Local Authority
who are required to undertake an annual assessment of the education provided at home. The child will no longer be on your school roll. When school is operating as it was before the lockdown, some learners may be excluded from school for short periods of time, and it is essential that we try and meet these children’s educational needs, whilst they remain at home, for example, the rate of fixed period exclusions in primary schools was 1.40% in 2017/2018 (140 pupils per 10,000) and some children are absent for extended holiday leave and medical difficulties. It is therefore likely that at some point you will need to reconsider home education again and refer back to the good practice which occurred during the lockdown. While children are absent If learners are home educated, for any length of time, it is essential, as it is at school that there is regular contact with parents/carers and good practice is discussed with them as frequently as possible. A regular routine at home as well as school is essential and can be achieved by using a timetable and continuing to have similar breaks and meal times, which can help signify a change in activity alongside something such as a phone alarm which can easily be set. If breaks can be kept the same and not missed, this creates a bridge between home and school and can help transition back to school. A visual timetable can be used and as long as the same symbols/pictures are used; any illustrations can be used, which are recognisable to the child. It could be, for example, that no printers are available
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