Introduction     

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on schools and education for all children not least through school closures and the shift to home learning.  Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are already a vulnerable group in the education system, often requiring specialist teaching and support, and most only had limited access to this provision during the lockdown.  For some children the removal of the pressures of performative expectations and social interactions may have been beneficial but for others the lack of routine, structure and peer interaction could have been very challenging. Understanding the experiences of parent carers of children with SEND during lockdown is key to informing priorities and preferences for this much anticipated and orchestrated academic year.

Aims and purpose of the study 

The aim of this research was to explore the experiences of parent carers of children with SEND during the time of the Covid-19 limited school provision (23^rd March- 1^st July 2020) in order to inform schools about their perspectives on the return to school and ongoing SEND provision.  The focus was both on the experiences of children with SEND during lockdown and also parental preferences and priorities for supporting their child back into school and the new academic year.  This brief report summarises these perspectives for the return to school and a more detailed analysis, as well as follow up research with some of these parents, will be reported on later this year, including parental recommendations for any future school closures or restrictions.