Specialist Teachers-
I am finding schools are very reluctant to send TAs home or offer video learning.
My questions are a) what is your experience/how did you share confidence/challenge? b) what do you consider a reasonable adjustment and do you have the support from your LA?
Thank you
Hi
In Hull we have a medical PRU that manages home tuition in liaison with the school in the event of a long term absence, although generally the schools send work home and liaise with parents in this event.
In my experience, the problems encountered are not created by schools (who are conscious of their responsibilities to maintain progress) but by the NHS, who treat school-age children and young people without any regard to providing advice to support their return to education. This can lead to parents expecting their children to return to school quickly, often with major changes in need that schools can struggle to meet, even if only on a temporary basis.
As a consequence, we often work with schools in the event of one of their pupils (not on our caseload) returning post-surgery. We recommend and attend a return to school meeting involving a full risk assessment and plan with school and parents how best to meet needs following the return. If already on our caseload, this planning takes place as a matter of course
Rob
After 15 days of absence LAs have a statutory responsibility to make provision under section 19. The difficulty is this will almost certainly be online tuition which may or may not provide continuity with school provision, if the learner is in KS4. If planned surgery for a child on caseload, then we recommend an AV1. For learners in Special School we try to negotiate for TAs to make home visits.
Surrey have an Access to Learning team called A2E ie teachers who go into homes if the child is off more than 15 days. The school can send work home and this tutor will help them with this or work on Maths and English. Online programmes are also used.
In Essex we have a service that can provide some tuition if the child isn't able to access school at all. If they are able to attend for a reduced timetable, or their attendance is very sporadic, we may ask schools to look at providing an AV1 Robot, consider ways to keep contact going with peers, sending work home/setting online work and possibly providing a tutor themselves either from their own staff or through an agency.
