Considerations for pupils with additional needs as we navigate COVID-19

In this video, Vijita Patel, Principal of Swiss Cottage School, discusses how to support pupils with additional needs during school closures, as well as supporting the wider group of pupils. Vijita discusses the impacts of Covid-19, including:

• the loss of school structures, routines and daily interactions
• grief, including potential bereavements within families, as well as interactions with a sense of grief within communities
• climate – the effects of alarming headlines that children and young people will be hearing and interacting with.

She goes on to ask what this means for curriculum re-design, covering issues such as:

• the barriers presented by virtual teaching and the need to redefine where pupils are at
• vital partnerships with parents and carers and their significant influence on pupil engagement, including their role in formative assessment
• prioritising staff wellbeing, as well as that of pupils
• the power of collaboration and networking
• the importance of evaluation, reflective practice and practitioner research in redeveloping the curriculum.

The rapid change teachers have dealt with through problem-solving and collaboration should be celebrated – this is providing the evidence base for best practice in remote learning in the future.