Guidance affecting SEND provision across the UK
During the Coronavirus pandemic, temporary legislative changes and/or guidance was introduced within the UK countries to allow some flexibility in the process and delivery of education, health and care plans/SEN statements/additional support plans. Broadly speaking, this allowed health and education providers to use a ‘best endeavours’ duty to comply as far as possible with the original duty of SEN provision to individual children.
These legislative modifications have now mostly ended and new guidance has been issued to support the planned wide scale reopening of schools across the UK, including special schools. Physiotherapy services must now plan how to meet these legal requirements for provision once again.
Below are links to country-specific educational guidance. They should be considered in conjunction with the Public Health England (PHE) guidance on Infection Prevention and Control. The personal protective equipment (PPE) recommendations apply to all healthcare professionals, working in all contexts (including education settings) across the UK. The CSP acknowledges there may be apparent discrepancies surrounding the PPE required by healthcare professionals and education staff. The CSP has raised this with PHE but is advising members to follow the current PHE PPE guidance.
England
- Guidance for full opening: special schools and other specialist settings
- Safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care
- COVID-19 prioritisation within community health services
- Education, health and care needs assessments and plans: guidance on temporary legislative changes relating to coronavirus
Scotland
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) Phase 3: guidance on re-opening school age childcare services
Wales
- Education and childcare: coronavirus
- Vulnerable children and young people: coronavirus
- Operational guidance for schools and settings from the autumn term: Keep Education Safe (COVID-19)