Kids still feeling the effects of lockdowns…

[sloanedanger]

I just got caught reading a really interesting thread on Twitter started by a teacher:

“Is anyone else thinking we are starting to see the impact of 2 years of disruption and time at home, due to COVID 19, in schools? Extreme behaviours? Some pupils very emotional and struggling to regulate? Low attendance compared to normal? Winter bugs hitting hard?”

A lot of the comments say Y3 is the worst, others saying Years 7 and 8.

My DS is in Year 2 and often struggles with emotions and self regulation at school. It’s made me think, perhaps there’s a reason why linked to the pandemic. Lockdown was hard, DP and I were home with very young DC, trying to work, poor mental health, emotions high. Very little patience.

Covid, housing crisis, wage stagnation, inflation, climate change, tangental war with a nuclear power.... there's no shortage of whys. I feel very sorry for anyone coming of age into all this.

This study of data from before covid found a sharp drop in wellbeing as children go to secondary school. Most 11 year olds reported that they were satisfied with their life, when polled again aged 14, 79% reported that they were deeply dissatisfied. The suggestion is that this is related to school and peer relationships.

www.openaccessgovernment.org/student-wellbeing-secondary-school-extremely-dissatisfied/148091/

This news story just dropped schoolsweek.co.uk/three-quarters-of-school-staff-stressed-report-warns/

More than three quarters of school staff are reporting being stressed, with over a quarter showing signs of burnout.

From the article

"Earlier this year, the number of children and young people being treated for mental health problems a month reached a record high of 400,000, according to NHS data.

“School leaders, teachers and support staff play a crucial role in supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing and when we get this right, the whole school community thrives,” Place2Be’s CEO, Catherine Roche, said.

“We can only help children to achieve their full potential if the adults around the children are also in a good place.”

If we are talking about the impact of schools on children, then presumably the crisis in school staffing plays a part in that.

But this thread was about the impact on kids. A lot of people felt unable to voice their fears at the time (lest they be accused of wanting people to DIE) and now are finding it more possible/acceptable to do so - and others are pointing out that many fears and predictions have come true.

It's a shame it's descended into a "safe-schools" debate. There were plenty of threads about that back in the day.

I know most teachers have had a rough time and work incredibly hard and expecting them to bring kids to the level they would have been without Covid, with no extra support, is asking the impossible.

But stuff about distancing and masks and air filters in schools and pointing out that Covid was passed on in schools (like most places!) isn't the point when people on this thread were specifically discussing the knock-on harms/long-term implications of RESTRICTIONS on kids.

Bringing it up on this thread might suggest to some that they are arguing that these harms were a price worth paying to prevent teachers or pupils getting Covid. Which may be opinions honestly held, and people are entitled to feel however they like and to take this stance, but perhaps this should be made clear if so

I suspect they, and most people, are reasonable and accept the whole thing was a mess - no one wanted anyone to be harmed, but harm was done and now we need to assess the costs and benefits to learn for the future. And allow people to talk about harms - be they from Covid or as a result of measures to contain it.

Excellent post, Jeanniesdiary.

But stuff about distancing and masks and air filters in schools and pointing out that Covid was passed on in schools (like most places!) isn't the point

It is rather a point when a lack of effort to stop covid spreading in schools had the impact on children of them closing from January to March in 2021.

And as for people 'feeling unable to speak', my fears of schools being unable to remain open due to the covid levels in them were fully realised that January. And plenty on MN, including people on this thread, tried their abusive best to stop me from posting about it. There was a campaign to get MN to ban me.

Those people trying to argue now that children didn't really spread it or that mitigations wouldn't have helped, well they had their way and schools closed.

So if you want to consider the impact on children, it seems pretty fucking relevant that the second set of school closures could possibly have been avoided.

Except they weren’t avoided though and we are frankly where we are in an awful place.

And just as relevant if that suddenly we are back to normal and the effect of that is pretty huge. And the current government attendance rules which are unhelpful given Covid is still around

Hindsight is a powerful thing but doesn’t help solve the current problem

Except they weren’t avoided though

No. And the people who were desperate to avoid talking about the situation in schools then seem just as keen to ignore it now.

Its not just schools though is it? Its kids being stopped from attending after school clubs hobbies Seeing their friends and simply playing outside.

Yes and it is schools now that are expected to be picking up the pieces and yet they are struggling to provide even a basic education let alone all the extras needed to deal with the covid impact on kids.

Like I said, people should be wondering why, nearly two years later, teachers are reporting kids struggling in schools with basic behaviour or even attendance. It's because pretty much nothing has been done about it since then, and in fact schools have been busy firefighting various other issues that have also had an impact on children.

Lots of bazaar and illogical rules that followed the lockdowns.

Sports clubs and dance schools could operate but things like Scouts and Guides couldn't.
Swimming pools could open but not their changing rooms. Which meant kids coming out soaking wet trying to get dried in carparks.

I'll never forget the video shared on FB of the guy from Saltire center in Fife, he could have kids run around in his indoor football pitch / games hall but not on his softplay climbing frame - no logic.

It's not that people are avoiding talking about Covid mitigations and cases in schools. It was discussed repeatedly.

People were talking about the impact of restrictions on their kids.

And I did everything I could to protect the teachers at our school - wore masks, kept DC off repeatedly isolating when we were ill, tested regularly, so I don't want to be painted as someone who doesn't give a damn about teachers. And it's not on them to pick up all the pieces. But there have been loads of threads about schools and Covid.

Illnesses spread in schools - no, it isn't great, it's rubbish, but we've all been breathing "unsafe" air for decades. There's danger from pollution as well as viruses and yes it would be good if it was cleaner. No one wants to get ill but we treated it as a part of life, and for the average person, now that vaccines are rolled out, is a full life and all its vibrancy really worth sacrificing in a vain attempt to never get ill ever? And treating each other - and kids - like dirty disease-factories rather than humans?

now that vaccines are rolled out, is a full life and all its vibrancy really worth sacrificing in a vain attempt to never get ill ever?

Well that's a straw man and a half...

People were talking about the impact of restrictions on their kids.

You'd have thought they'd also be interested in discussing the failures to deal with those impacts over the last two years and the situation that is currently impacting kids. Or how to deal with the impact on kids 🤷‍♀️

What do you want people to say on this thread, giraffe?

I cant answer for noblegiraffe.
I think its nice to have a space to share that the have been consequences just to recognise them which much of this thread has been.

But id like to see much more talk about what needs to be done next and i guess because i work in school finance, i also want people to see that these harms happened and are not being tackled or even being made worse by the current funding and expectations.

The thing is, there are a lot of threads about school funding and it was not only school aged children who were affected by lockdowns. It would be good to get the thread back on track, tbh.

Agree with this, especially first para. It was a good thread to share impact. Often not possible during the time.

Harm was definitely done to children by the restrictions. Harm would definitely have been done to children if there had been zero restrictions. Society is not a collection of disparate, unconnected groups. Maybe the problem with this thread is people saying they want to talk about the harms done, but then actually straying into fantasising about how their children could have lived pretty normal lives through a global pandemic if only this or that had been done differently. It’s useful to discuss the effects of what was done, to see what can be learnt for future pandemics, and to look forward to what could be done to try to remedy the situation, but self-pitying and unhelpful to pretend that the problems could all have been avoided.

I agree that its fine to have a space for a hood old moan.
I tecognise that it was not just school aged children who were impacted by lockdowns, but who do you think is turning up in reception these next few years with huge needs. But yes that probably is a different thread.

to look forward to what could be done to try to remedy the situation, but self-pitying and unhelpful to pretend that the problems could all have been avoided

I’ve seen posts like this a lot whenever people try to mention what happened to them and their children, as if it is somehow wrong or self indulgent to acknowledge what happened. I really dislike it - it puts me in mind of when my mum died and I cried and some idiot relative said ‘now there is no point in crying.’

There is every point in crying and every point in talking. It’s cleansing: it allows you to process and reflect and understand. Things aren’t always and shouldn’t always be solution focused. I read a fascinating book (pre covid!) about evacuees experiences during the war which acknowledged huge harms were done to families in this time. It wasn’t suggesting that it was wrong as such - it simply was.

Saying ‘This is what happened. This is how it affected me and my children’ is the opposite of unhelpful and is certainly not self pitying and I believe you have deliberately chosen that phrase - it belongs with others such as dramatic, wallowing and so on.

We learn by going backwards. That is the whole purpose of our study of history: who are we and how did it come about?

I for one resent being told I can’t talk about my experiences and can apparently only focus on a future which I can only consider in the context of the past.

Absolutely. Re ‘Self pitying’ well avoid the thread then.

It’s obvious what the topic is. Don’t try to shut it down as before.

I remember being told on here, by a childminder no less, that toddlers could just be strapped into their buggies all day so parents could work.

Or that we could do our work once children were in bed.

I can laugh now, but at the time it was almost enough to send me over the edge when I'd spent weeks trying to juggle everything and was failing my kids.

Discussions about the impact on children and mothersparents were always shut down and minimised.
Just put a puddle suit on and kick some leaves...
Babies don't need toddler groups...
Sing nursery rhymes...
What about teachers/ grannies/ CEV...
In Scandinavia they don't start school until 7 anyway...
Children are resiliant...

It's a damn sight easier to be resiliant when you have a support network and social contact, and when the majority of society isn't simultaneously plunged into survial/ crisis mode at the same time.

Not every problem originates from Covid measures, but it took out a year or so of dealing with many problems when services were already stretched in the first place and added a lot of additional load into the mix. Some thought that stacking up these problems at the time was a bad idea, but few wanted to listen.

And now we can see the consequences, some people are still trying to deflect back to issues they were discussing at the time and parent-shame rather than being prepared to reflect that restrictions fell disproportionately heavily on to children and young people for minimal benefit.

Services for children were hit hard as they often aren't profitable major industries, are unionised or rely on the voluntary sector. Sometimes it wasn't outright legislation that was the issue but the impact of guidence being incompatible with the behaviours of young people or extra caution where places such as venues for hire went beyond the necessary. Children also lack official voices/ representation to speak for their collective needs.

Spot on as always, Bogroll!

I’m not trying to shut down the thread, and frankly think it is extremely disingenuous to quote people selectively in an attempt to claim they are saying something different from what their whole post actually said.

I am pointing out that there is a difference between talking about the negative effects of what was done and what people experienced, which is how the thread started and is a very valid exercise in trying to understand and come to terms with a traumatic experience, and pretending that all those harms could have been avoided. It is unhealthy and self-pitying to waste anger on re-inventing history and claiming to have been far more clear sighted at the time than any of the people who were stuck in the position of having to make the decisions. It is not wrong to want to discuss the harms done and try to process them in ways that don’t actually just go round in circles and repeat the same angry, negative emotions.

I’m not particularly angry. Not sure why you’re assuming that. I’m glad this thread exists. And in the most part has let people talk freely about impact.

A pity it couldn’t have been done before but better now than not at all. The majority yanbu is good to see too.