Factors which contribute to these concerns include the strategic decisions made at national level by policy makers, with some arguing that there are tensions between policies for inclusion and those aimed at increasing academic attainment (Ellis and Tod, 2014). In England, there have long been concerns that learners with SEND do not have the same experience and quality of education as learners without SEND (Warnock, 1978, 2019). In all school systems, there has been a sustained disparity in the educational opportunities available to different groups of pupils (Nash, 2010, p. Specifically, for children with SEND, their school is likely to be a key place from which they receive academic support and access therapeutic services in order to meet their needs and optimise their educational outcomes (Department for Education (DfE) and Department of Health (DoH), 2015), yet reports have shown that the pandemic significantly impacted on this access (Tirraoro, Blower and Keer, 2020). This period of educational turbulence is likely to have had a long-term impact on all school-aged children (Townsend, 2020). Following the wider reopening of schools in September 2020, a subsequent lockdown followed in early 2021 for a period of 2 months. During the first lockdown in March 2020 schools initially remained open for vulnerable children, particularly those with the most complex special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic (hereafter referred to as the ‘pandemic’) has brought major disruption to schools across England since March 2020. The study also demonstrates the importance of prioritising mental health and wellbeing in schools for both pupils and staff in the wake of the pandemic, with this being the key priority identified by SENCOs across all types of setting and all phases of education. The study provides evidence of an amplification effect in relation to the strengths and challenges that SENCOs had been experiencing prior to the pandemic. More than 1000 SENCOs participated in the survey and the findings demonstrate the critical contribution of SENCOs in supporting pupils with SEND and maintaining effective communication with their families during the pandemic. The annually conducted survey typically collates demographic data about the SENCO workforce, but given the wider context, this particular survey also included nine questions about SENCOs' experiences during the pandemic.
A national survey of Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) in England was conducted during the summer of 2020 in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
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