This week children will return to school. But not all. Children with serious illness will be left behind and in desperate need of home learning. As a nation, we don’t know how many children are affected, that is why I am asking you to sign this petition to ensure all children unable to attend school are recorded in a national dataset.
My son Sam was isolated for the last four years of his life until he died last November. He was diagnosed with leukemia at 8 years old and could no longer go to school. I had no idea what education Sam could have, or how disruption to learning would also tear away his connection to the outside world.
Learning for children like Sam is often forgotten. They are known as “invisible children” because there is no dataset to record them. And without it, authorities can’t allocate help, nor be held to account. That’s why I’m calling on Gavin Williamson to ensure that isolated children are correctly identified within the education system - so that they can access the educational experience to which they are entitled.
