Vulnerable and Forgotten: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Autism Special Schools in England

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused, and continues to cause, unprecedented disruption in England. The impact of the pandemic on the English education system has been significant, especially for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). While it was encouraging that the educational rights of children and young people with SEND were highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, Government decision-making appeared to be centered around the needs of pupils in mainstream schools. In this article, co-authored by an academic researcher and senior leaders from the Pan London Autism Schools Network (PLASN; a collective of special schools in London and the South East of England, catering for pupils on the autistic spectrum), we reflect on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on special schools in England. We document and discuss a range of challenges experienced by PLASN schools, including the educational inequalities that were exposed and perpetuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the manner in which the needs and realities of special schools were overlooked by the Government. We also detail the creative and innovative solutions implemented by PLASN schools to overcome barriers that they encountered. These solutions centered on facilitating holistic approaches to support, ensuring clear and regular communication with families, providing effective support for home learning, and promoting collaborative ways of working; all of which align with good practice principles in autism education more generally, and are essential elements of practice to maintain post-pandemic. We additionally reflect on how the COVID-19 pandemic could be a catalyst for much-needed change to the SEND system: leading to better educational provision, and therefore better outcomes, for pupils with SEND.

The experience of SENCOs in England during the COVID‐19 pandemic: the amplification and exposure of pre‐existing strengths and challenges and the prioritisation of mental health and wellbeing in schools

“…These findings are in harmony with Kim and Asbury (2020) who conclude that the amplification effect of the pandemic has uncovered issues that were always there, but previously hidden in plain sight. More generally, the amplification and uncovering of issues echoes the findings of other studies, which suggest that the pandemic has 'exposed and perpetuated' existing inequality (Crane et al, 2020).…”

“It just fits my needs better”: Autistic students and parents’ experiences of learning from home during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Recent studies examining teachers’ perspectives of remote learning during COVID-19 have reported the stress caused by the abrupt changes to their working practices, but also their deep concern for their particularly vulnerable students and their willingness “to go the extra mile” (Gudmundsdottir & Hathaway, 2020, p. 244; see also Bubb & Jones, 2020; Kim & Asbury, 2020; Schuck & Lambert, 2020), with many suggesting that they will have more “frequent and more authentic collaborative working” relationships in the future (Crane et al, 2021). Although we did not interview teachers in our study, our participants did not report experiencing this ‘going the extra mile’ caring from school staff.…”

“Lost All Hope in Government”: Learned Helplessness of Professionals Working in Specialised Education Settings in England During COVID-19

“…This suggests that a substantial change in the system is urgently needed in post-pandemic times, to protect the profession, its status, the motivation of new trainees to join the profession and the wellbeing of those delivering direct services to children who are vulnerable and in need of the best quality provision. Crane et al (2021) provide insights on potential actions undertaken by a group of special schools in London to mitigate the challenges faced during the pandemic; the group reiterates the issue that Special Schools were left as an after-thought for the Government, with guidelines on social distancing to schools largely not applying to their settings. In turn, the group undertook an individualised risk assessment for pupils and families, moved to frequent online parent consultations through a variety of media and signposted supports and resources needed particularly to disadvantaged families and pupils, where they could not provide the resources themselves.…”

“…Other studies have referred to the challenges of adapting to online teaching, the lack of preparedness of staff and the need to think about the future for faster adaptiveness to changes in teaching methods (Greenway and Eaton-Thomas, 2020;Steed et al, 2021). However, scarce evidence is available on how these settings have dealt with the challenges posed by COVID-19, with extant studies being small-scale in nature (e.g., Crane et al, 2021;Lukkari, 2021;Middleton and Kay, 2021;Sayman and Cornell, 2021). This seems particularly important in England, where the number of children with SEND attending specialised settings as well as the number of special schools has been rising year on year since 2017 (Department for Education, 2021).…”