This study examines the challenges that school-age educare (SAEC) faced during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on support provided pupils with disabilities and special educational needs. The empirical material consists of qualitative interviews with staff from compulsory schools and special needs compulsory schools. In total, 19 interviews were conducted - ten individual and nine group interviews, comprising a total of 39 informants. The study draws on symbolic interactionism and the framework of inhabited institutions. The analysis was carried out using constructivist grounded theory as the methodological approach.

The findings indicate that SAEC staff often work across both school and SAEC, acting as a consistent link across pupils’ daily activities and making them pivotal in shaping pupils’ everyday experiences and support structures. This positions them as central actors in pupils’ lives. During the pandemic, extensive organisational changes challenged SAEC’s mission to offer alternative practices and experiences, as restrictions made collaboration between groups and school forms impossible. Furthermore, SAEC’s role as a meeting and transition place was undermined by high teacher absenteeism and the prohibition of parental access to school premises. For pupils in need of support, these circumstances created significant difficulties for SAEC in providing adequate assistance and in maintaining a holistic approach to pupils’ needs.