Devon County Council has launched a pilot project using robots to help them understand how best to support young people who struggle to attend school because of feelings of worry, anxiety and overwhelm.
As part of their commitment to think beyond barriers to support the aspirations of children and young people, they have invested in 16 AV1 robots to help pupils who don’t feel able to be physically present in the classroom.
The robots are small and easy to use. They’re equipped with a camera, microphone, and speaker so that pupils can see and hear what’s going in the lesson, and if they want to, join in activities, and interact with their class in real time from a remote location elsewhere on the school site or at home.
The pilot is taking place with sixteen pupils across five secondary school in Devon, and the initial response has been positive. An evaluation of the pilot will consider the views and experiences of young people, parent carers, school staff and colleagues, and based on that there may be opportunities for schools across Devon to use AV1s as part of their graduated response to supporting children and young people who are struggling to attend school.
AV1s are made by a company called ‘No Isolation’. They have produced lots of films about AV1s which are available on Vimeo.
You can find out more about Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA), including why some children find it hard to go to school, and the support that is available, on the Devon SEND Local Offer website.
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