Emilie Silverwood-Cope: The lockdown fallout of keeping children away from school
It’s been two years since schools reopened again (for good) after lockdown.
March 8, 2021 saw the end of our enforced homeschooling and helicopter parenting. Our children could stop living their lives online and get back to the classroom.
Thanks to Matt Hancock’s hubris, lockdown decisions are under the spotlight and none is more controversial than the decision to keep our children away from their schools. We are now asking what has been the longer-term impact of this decision on our children, particularly on their education and their emotional wellbeing? It may be too early to say but, so far, the feedback isn’t great.
Teachers have reported a notable slide in behaviour since lockdown. Increased time online and a decrease in the time spent with other people has, unsurprisingly, resulted in less socialised children. A friend who works as a teaching assistant said behaviour at her primary school is the worst it’s been in 20 years. Children who never had problems before are now struggling to cope and are much harder to teach. There are reports of anger issues, emotional dysregulation and anxiety.
Poor behaviour means more children than ever need to be removed from the classroom. This is happening at a time when schools are facing staffing issues and a shortage of TAs. Teachers are then struggling alone, leading inevitably to a reduction in teaching time. We are in a perfect storm of overworked staff, poor behaviour and lower educational attainment.
Children under pressure will either internalise or externalise. Some will become shy and nervous while others will become boisterous and even violent. Both types of child have increased after lockdown. At the key transition times - that is starting primary and secondary school and higher education - reports are that many pupils are simply not ready.
The number of KS1 children needing speech and language support has increased by 10 per cent since the pandemic. The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists says the profession is struggling to cope with the demand. Pre-Covid, my own child was speech delayed so I have seen how speech and language issues beget literacy issues which beget behavioural problems. The impact can be significant. When a child cannot access the curriculum like their peers all sorts of emotional challenges ensue. Early intervention is key as these issues are not straightforward to resolve and there are no quick fixes.
At secondary level, children are arriving in Year 7 without the literacy skills and vocabulary required to cope. The link between behaviour and literacy is well documented so it’s no surprise to learn that teachers are reporting higher levels of misbehaviour and rudeness. Too much time on social media is playing a role too. It has sapped their attention spans as well as exposing them to suboptimal content.
Spats, fall outs and bullying have increased as children don’t have the emotional tools to navigate normal friendship issues. Teachers have reported a rise in fragility. Mental health and SEN challenges are inevitably more complex to deal with. Children who no longer feel school is compulsory are staying at home. I know four secondary pupils who no longer attend their schools, each one now trapped in a vicious circle of anxiety and educational delays.
This all paints a grim picture. However, assuming our children would bounce back like nothing had happened was magical thinking. The pandemic, followed by restrictive Covid rules when children did return to school, was a period of upheaval and stress all round.
On top of this, our traditional institutions such as government, police, schools, and even the royal family, took a battering over the last three years and left us with little solid ground to stand on. The normal dynamic has been messed up. Why should a child listen to a teacher when our news is full of rule-breaking politicians and imprisoned police officers? It’s hardly surprising that children are testing their own boundaries. Can they miss school today? What happens if homework simply doesn’t get done? What happens if they walk out of the classroom or swear at a teacher?
I have had my own parenting challenges to deal with and I know I’m not alone. What can we do to mitigate any harm and help our children cope better? Getting back to the basics of parenting has helped me. The pandemic triggered a complex set of emotions in parents too - guilt, confusion, panic and fear. All of those feelings can get in the way of the ‘firm but fair’ parenting children need. A friend said she has had to become a stricter parent. We have to firmly, and kindly, reinforce those boundaries. I am following her example.
Read more Parenting Truths from Emilie Silverwood-Cope every month in the Cambridge Independent.
