Research into the full impact on children of the pandemic and school closures is piecemeal and ongoing, but it is clear that many children face a number of different challenges as they try and recover from the events of the last two and a half years. In our last post we looked at how younger children have been affected and so in this post, we take a look at the slightly older children and the impact the pandemic may have had on them.
Covid and social development
Children aged 9 to 11 experience several developmental milestones. This is when children start to become slightly more independent, and form stronger, more complex friendships and relationships. It’s an important time for building their confidence and helping them develop a sense of responsibility and develop decision-making skills. Children will learn from those around them, which when not in a pandemic, includes their family but also teachers and friends, all of whom have an important role to play in a child’s development.
To what extent your child was affected by the pandemic when it comes to these developmental milestones will differ from child to child and is difficult to evaluate. Perhaps your child just lacks confidence amongst peers or hasn’t developed great social skills yet? Whatever it is your child is struggling with, you’re certainly not alone and there is a chance it was caused or exacerbated by school closures. What’s more, for a child with low confidence, moving up to Year 6, sitting SATS or moving on to secondary school can be a real worry.
Covid and mental health
According to Young Minds, one in six children aged five to 16 was identified as having a probable mental health problem in July 2021, and this represented a huge increase from one in nine in 2017. Young Minds also reported that 83% of young people with mental health needs agreed that the pandemic had made their mental health worse.
According to NHS resources, nearly 300,000 young people in Britain now have an anxiety disorder, and anxiety disorders are estimated to affect 5-19% of all children and adolescents, and about 2-5% of children younger than 12.
Many children become anxious about going to school, schoolwork, friendships or bullying, especially if they're changing school or moving up a level.
Covid, education and the 2022 SATs results
When the current Year 7s took their SATs back in the summer, they had missed almost two years of school since Year 3. So what did the SATs results of 2022 tell us?
According to data published by Third Space Learning, apart from English reading, national attainment in all other areas had dropped from 2019, i.e. in maths, writing, grammar, punctuation and spelling.
Writing and grammar, punctuation and spelling attainment were the lowest they’ve ever been, and maths attainment was the second lowest it’s ever been. The combined reading, writing and maths attainment was also the second lowest it’s ever been.
At the time, the schools minister Robin Walker said, “It is vital that we have a clear understanding of the impact of the disruption caused by Covid-19 on the attainment and progress of all pupils, to support schools in their work on education recovery.”
Teacher shortages and a system in crisis
Whilst it’s great to hear the minister talk of supporting schools, the reality is that experts have been warning of a teacher shortage since long before the pandemic. There have been issues with both recruitment and retention of teachers, with some subjects (such as maths and science) being worse affected than others.
Add to this, large numbers of staff absences over the past two and a half years due to Covid, and a report from Education Support that found, “52% of teachers felt that their mental health and wellbeing has suffered over the last months; teachers who are struggling with their own mental health issues are not in a strong position to support their pupils who may also be struggling”.
This creates a challenging and complex situation for children who are navigating the complexities of growing up, sitting SATs and coping with life at a new school. And it is no great surprise that in these circumstances many children are struggling educationally but also socially too.
So how can we help?
Whilst there is no quick fix to the massive issues raised above, there are things we can do to help your child.
We offer small group workshops which cover the core skills of maths, English and reasoning. We will design your child’s activities and programme around their unique needs, and we give them an opportunity to learn and develop in a friendly, supportive environment. There’s no pressure, but there is a chance to build confidence, mix with a small group of peers, develop those all-important social skills whilst still learning and making good any gaps in their education.
If you’d like to know more about enrolling your child, you can find your nearest MagiKats centre here: https://www.magikats.co.uk/find-a-centre
This blog is the second in a series of three. You can read the other two here:
