Education Minister: Vulnerable children are ‘priority’

We put vulnerable children at the very forefront of our thinking from Day One. This is why we took the very difficult decision to close schools but then the very important decision that they would remain open for key workers’ children and vulnerable children. Within that we’ve got two main areas of vulnerable children – those with a social worker and those with an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan). For those with a social worker, they would be expected to attend school, although that would be a discussion with their social worker. So, if their social worker decided it was safer at home or on placement then that decision can be made on an individual child’s basis. For those with an EHC Plan each child has an individual guidance to individually risk assess whether or not that child is safer in a home setting or an educational setting.

Where a vulnerable child, especially those with a social worker is not attending school there is very clear guidance to school that they must contact social workers and we are working with all local authorities up and down the country to make sure that social workers have a red, amber and green (protocol for) the children that they know to be in need, (in order to) make sure that those they assess to be high-risk have absolutely been in contact with, that they have eyes and ears contact with those young children and young people so that they are absolutely being seen and monitored by these local authorities.

First of all, there is a really important Government message about staying at home, protect the NHS, save lives. People are very concerned that they don’t want to get coronavirus and I can absolutely understand that. This is a really important Government message.

We make it very clear that children that have a social worker are expected to attend school and if they’re not then the school is working with their social worker to make sure that we have eyes on them and that they get visits.

Just because the attendance may be low doesn’t mean that those children are not being safeguarded in other ways. This is also why schools are getting out and delivering the free school meals to those households – and those schools absolutely should be congratulated. We know that not all schools can do it which is why we have set up a voucher system. But then you must also seperate those children from children who have got an EHC Plan. I can’t imagine the pressures that families with children with special educational needs and disabilities are under at the moment. We’ve put a huge amount of assistive resources out there, but those children with an EHC Plan may be safer at home. Which is why they’re being risk assessed. It is not the fact that because attendance is low that we are not working across Government to make sure those children are safeguarded. They are our priority and they will always be at this time.

We are thinking a huge amount about how we reopen. The reopening will only happen when we have the scientific evidence that it is safe to do so.

I always, as the Minister for Children, will be prioritising vulnerable children in my press for how we manage this process. Different countries have looked at this in different ways and those discussions about who needs access most: those who are transitioning or not – that’s early years, going from a pre-school to reception, or reception into Year 1, those who are transitioning into Year 6 upwards, those that have got exams coming up, we will be looking at all the different developments in the rounds and absolutely we will be prioritising those who need the support the most but also what is happening about social distancing and isolation.