Welcome to the June issue of SEND News. My name is Julia Ridge and I have been Head of Vulnerable Learners since January 2023.
‘Vulnerable children/learners’ is a term that you may hear often in any education setting. The No Child Left Behind report of 2020 defines vulnerable children ‘as any child at greater risk of experiencing physical or emotional harm and/ or experiencing poor outcomes because of one or more factors in their lives’. Vulnerability can be caused by many different factors, including but not limited to poverty or financial struggles; disabilities, medical or health issues; familial mental health, drug, or alcohol issues; living within the care system or a history of abuse of any kind.
A vast number of children living in these vulnerable categories will require additional support as part of their school journey. This may be support with learning, attendance, building relationships or behaviour, but to provide the best support for these children, schools need to first identify who falls into these vulnerable categories and why.
For vulnerable children, school is often a protective factor, providing stability, warmth and people who care about them and their wellbeing. By knowing who these key individuals are, the school can tailor the support offered for a greater positive impact on the young person.
Children may struggle to attend school for a wide range of reasons. Colleagues have put together resources to help parents understand more about why their children might not want to go to school and what would need to be put in place to help them attend. If you know of a young person who is struggling to go to schools please look at our resources for parents Parents/ Carers EBSA Guidance | Support Services for Education
In my group I have colleagues for the attendance team who work with schools to support young people back into learning, Somerset works who work to identify young people who at risk have been not in education employment training when they leave school at 16 and the virtual school which supports our children looked after by the council. Since I took up the role in 2023, we’ve worked closely with colleagues for a number of agencies on an area basis so we understand and know our schools better alongside the wide support that’s available with the community.
If you would like any help or support looking at how to encourage your child to attend school please contact EducationEngagement@somerset.gov.uk,
Best wishes
Julia
