Coronavirus daily update: Wednesday 15 July
Derren Hayes
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Young people in the secure estate will now be able to receive visits as restrictions imposed at the start of the coronavirus lockdown are lifted.
-
Each day, CYP Now will summarise the key issues affecting the children and families sector as it tackles the effects of the pandemic. The daily update signposts children’s services practitioners and leaders to the latest developments, expert views, advice and resources.
Visits to resume in youth secure estate
Face-to-face visits are resuming this week in youth prisons in England and Wales, a justice minister has told MPs.
Lucy Frazer told the justice committee face-to-face meetings had started at Wetherby YOI and would be restarted across the public YOIs “in the next seven days”.
Prisons and youth offender institutions (YOIs) have been under a heavily restrictive regime since mid-March to halt the spread of Covid-19.
Inquiry into Covid imapct on SEND children
The all-party parliamentary group for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will launch an inquiry into the impact that Covid-19 has had on children and young people with SEND.
The group will be hearing evidence, views and experiences from a variety of expert stakeholders as well as young people themselves.
The objectives of the inquiry include examining the impact that Covid-19 has had upon children and young people with SEND specifically in relation to the social, emotional wellbeing within the community, and to make recommendations to government on its role in mitigating and remedying the impact that Covid-19 has had on this group.
School attendance remains low
Just 17 per cent of pupils were attending schools and colleges in England in the week commencing 9 July, latest Department for Education data shows.
The attendance figures are the same as on 2 July and 25 June.
Approximately 91 per cent of schools and colleges were open in some capacity on 9 July, down from 93 per cent on 2 July.
The DfE estimates that 87 per cent of primary schools were open to nursery, reception, year 1 and/or year 6 on 9 July, slightly down from 88 per cent on 2 July.
New free school meal guidance
The government has published updated guidance and application forms for the temporary extension of free school meals eligibility to people who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF).
This includes the increase in the income threshold from £16,190 per annum to £31,500 per annum for London and £28,200 for areas outside of London.
This guidance will help schools and local authorities to continue providing free school meals to eligible pupils where the pupil has to stay at home because they and/or wider family members are displaying coronavirus related symptoms, and the school is only open for certain groups.
