Emotional maturity, speech and language, behaviour- post lockdowns

[Invasionofthegutsnatchers]

What is the situation in your school? We are a large infant school in a 'leafy' catchment and we're experiencing a huge increase in emotional needs, mental health issues, challenging behaviour and numbers of children hugely behind with speech and language.

I've taught in a more deprived area before so none of this is new to me but it's startling how much has changed in the last two years and the impact it has on whole class teaching. Copied and learnt behaviours in other children, low level and extreme disruption, need for restraint, stress levels amongst staff. I wonder if this is happening everywhere.

The speech and language definitely.

I’m lucky to work somewhere that is incredibly well set up for managing emotional well-being/behaviour so our existing structures are making things manageable but there’s no doubt there has been a real impact on children. Plus an awful lot of families are in dire straits now - whether that’s financial or relationship breakdowns, dv etc. Which has an obvious knock on, on the children.

Something I notice with my current y1 class is there are a number of them who look for hugs during the day. They really need that reassurance / connection in a physical way. Of course, all these things can just be cohort specific but I think there are probably an awful lot of children still not feeling all that settled / sure about exactly what school is.

In an infant school this will be hugely evident for you. Even your y2 children have never had a full year at school. Y1 had reception and pre-school interrupted and many of the reception cohort may not have been in a preschool setting at all.

I think we have to be so careful to acknowledge that and think really carefully about the provision we are offering the children. If their mental health isn’t secure, and they don’t feel safe, they won’t learn. However much pressure we put on to ‘catch up’.

There is huge pressure to catch them up but so many aren't emotionally ready. There's a real problem with reliance on tech at home for many of our families and this is in young children age 2-7 including siblings. Unsupervised youtube, inappropriate games. Lack of routine etc. I thinkbthis is a hangover from lockdowns. Parents really need support but the agencies are so stretched there's no provision. We have 400% more children on EHCPs now and a large number who need them but won't get them. Manners are nonexistent in the majority. Social skills have suffered.

NB yes many of us use tech as a babysitting tool, my older children are currently gaming right now but I'm talking about no limits, no bedtime routinely, very young children having tech in their rooms at night and not sleeping, spending hours and hours accessing inappropriate content, not playing with toys or reading at home at all.

There are no easy answers with the pitiful funding and lack of resources.

Routine not routinely

I was in a meeting with teachers from about 20 different primary schools yesterday.
As you say, aside from the expected cohort specific and individual children differences, we agreed that KS2 clases appear have recovered better in terms of behaviour for learning and socially, and are actually doing quite well in beginning to catch up in key areas.
Almost everyone agreed that their Y1s remain their biggest concern - still like early Reception, many acting as if at home - so, expecting to be able to talk to an adult about anything at any time, or do whatever they choose to do whenever they want, needing much, much more reassurance and support to do anything, and struggling more than usual to get on together. Very worrying.
Only a few of the schools had nurseries, but those teachers reported even greater concerns over those children. Huge increase in the number in nappies and not used to using a cup, and so many more with speech and language delay.

It is very worrying indeed.

The thing is…is it actually worrying?

We know why it’s happened. Many current year 1s will have only had half a year of preschool and 2/3 of a reception year. It would be more surprising if they were all exactly where a y1 class with full preschool & reception experience are at this point.

It is only worrying IMO if we now rush them through everything and expect things of them that are - given everything - inappropriate. If we spend the time on nurturing them and meeting their emotional needs, I really do believe they will get to where they need to be in the end. Plenty of children in other countries don’t learn to read & write until 6 or 7. They aren’t behind ours at 11.

But our SLT are expecting them to catch up. Ofsted are expecting the world too.

I’m not a teacher but as a Y1 parent of a boy who I’ve been told stands out in class due to his lack of concentration/listening etc, this is really worrying.

I don’t disagree that he stands out as I’ve seen him at clubs when all the others seem to be listening and he is looking anywhere but at the leader…but at the same time I don’t think it’s surprising for a 5 year old to lack concentration, more that I’m surprised he is the only one not 100% focussed! At the beginning of reception I was told his occasional lack of focus is “his age”.
All of a sudden at the May parents’ evening, it was viewed as less usual, and now in Y1 I worry he’s fast being viewed a trouble maker! I spoke to the SENCO who emphasised that yes, there is a big jump in expectations between YR and Y1 (I already know this) but no allowances were mentioned due to lockdown! My DS missed half of preschool and then a third of reception. It makes me so sad for him that no allowances are being made.