Life at the height of the pandemic
was difficult for everyone due to the high number of things – and people – we had
to sacrifice in order to follow the ever-changing rules. Cast your mind back to
daily updates, graphs showing death tolls and dire warnings to stay away from
one another. In the midst of that chaos were young children who had recently
started school, but were then suddenly forced to stay away for months at a time
in lockdown. Children of all ages struggled, and as they returned, there were
gaps in learning across the board. Recovery curriculums were in place, informal
assessments to see where the children were at, with mathematics being the most affected
subject.
Though, it’s the other side of the
coin that I have found to be the most worrying factor. The global director of
education, Jaime Saavedra, called it “the largest simultaneous shock to all
education systems in our lifetime.”
The most critical brain development
is experienced between the ages of 0-5 years. During this crucial time, the
brain develops more than at any period in a person’s life. The quality of
education and early experiences are paramount as they greatly shape the child’s
ability to learn and succeed for a lifetime, and this particular set of
children were apart from friends and the school routine they had settled into,
having a noticeable effect. Teachers have commented that the impact of the
pandemic on reception pupils had been larger than anticipated and are still
being felt by pupils, staff, and leaders to this day.
There has been a vast increase in
pupils with poor mental health and well-being; a surge in referrals being made
to outside agencies, all now with longer waiting lists. Children have struggled
with peer interaction, poorer behaviours, school readiness and attitude to
learning. The pandemic has hindered opportunities for children’s language and
communication development. Even physical fitness has suffered, as children missed
PE and general physical activity, some returning to school unfit, more
overweight and lacking in stamina and resilience.
There was much anxiety around catching
Covid and some children sadly being affected by grief after the deaths of
people close to them. An After School Club employee painted a bleak picture
indeed of the bubble system, with toys being hid from sight and all they could
have was a sealed pack of pencil crayons and some colouring sheets. Bouncy,
fidgety reception children spread two metres apart, told not to touch anything
and remain seated at all times. It’s frankly unsurprising that such draconian
rules set upon four-year-olds left them confused and distressed. I’m not
playing a blame game here. School staff were merely following the protocol, but
at what cost to our young children overall?
The reception children barely had
any reception time, missing vital milestones of social and emotional development.
They were not prepared to begin Y1, which is less play and more structured
lesson work. All of the year groups seemed younger than their predecessors with
acting out and immature behaviour, because they hadn’t had the opportunity for
growth and a natural transition.
In turn, the year group moving up
to take their reception places were in the same predicament, as they too
experienced interrupted nursery provision. These children were expected to be
ready for these changes. But they were not, because how could they be?
What has been thoroughly sad to see
is that the SEND children, and the disadvantaged, have clearly suffered the
most. They need a lot of extra support on a daily basis, and they had a long
and lonely period without the structures in place that they have in their
schools. When remote learning was born, it was a tricky time for both pupils
and parents. The gap grew wider as disadvantaged students struggled to flourish
without devices and technology which families simply could not afford. Children
with learning barriers no longer had that expert 1:1 supporting advantage. It had
gone. Parents tried their best, but we’re not all professional educators.
I spoke with both school staff and
parents as I was writing this story, and their struggles were real and a
universal truth across the board. Staff have received extra training since,
with mental health first aid and how to appropriately handle a child in crisis
at the top of the bill. They are learning about pupils who have experienced
trauma, because they need to. Personally, I think it’s a great and positive
step forward, but it also highlights the true and, sometimes, lasting effects
that the Covid-19 pandemic has really had on these children, aside from being
behind in phonics and mathematics, there has been a deeper cost, a sadder one.
Primary School Teacher: “It’s a
travesty really. The stresses of that time were felt by those developing minds.”
A father: “My daughter was in
primary school when Covid happened, and it impacted her. It was a very
difficult time for me and my family. She was upset, reserved, and scared. I was
very clueless and helpless.”
School Support Worker: “The
constant mixed messages have confused the younger children. Be kind and share /
don’t share. Don’t touch. Quick, let’s sanitise your hands. Some children
returned self-entitled after lockdown, quite forgetting the rules, patience,
and manners.”
Reception teacher: “Sadly, there is
a stigma attached to trauma, and parents are reluctant to admit their child is
feeling that, but many are after Covid.”
As I am writing this article, Matt
Hancock’s WhatsApp messages have recently been leaked and everything Covid is
back hanging heavily in the air once again, with questions being asked with a
fresh scrutiny. I’ve been reading through the disagreements between ministers regarding
the subject of the school closures at the time. Schools opened for one mere
pointlessly distracting day because they couldn’t make their minds up, couldn’t
stop dithering and ending up making a ridiculous U-turn. To say that children,
school staff and parents have ben messed around is a huge understatement. As ministers
quibbled and verbally threw teachers under the bus, more and more children were
lost and dazed in a system that couldn’t be there for them.
The stress and anxiety placed upon
the teaching profession has been absolutely overwhelming. The sneering comments
made by Matt Hancock and Gavin Williamson are reprehensible and degrading. Who has
been there to pick up the pieces for our suffering children? As teachers take
further strike action in the coming weeks, I hope people remember the true
sacrifices they have made.