Children are missing school because they are either too nervous or too angry, and they need help to catch up, Ms. Sergeant said, as she warned that the long-term damage done to children’s education due to COVID-19 lockdowns would incur a “huge cost” to the children themselves and society as a whole, according to journalist and author Harriet Sergeant.
Before lockdown, there was a level figure about 60,000 who were persistently absent from school, but after lockdown, it’s leaped up to 140,000. The increase is a category used by the Department for Education (DfE), meaning a child is absent from school for more than 10 percent of the time. The overall absence rate in state-funded schools in England was around 4.5 percent before the COVID-19 pandemic. In the year 2021/22, the figure jumped up to 7.4 percent, before dropping back to 7.3 percent in the following year, according to DfE figures.
A school counselor revealed to Ms. Sergeant that children who had been absent fall into two groups, “There’s the children that are just too anxious to leave their room … and then there’s the children that you can’t get back into the house,” she said. Stories of children becoming disengaged from education from various sources have been a common thread in the experiences of many, placing a heavy consequence on the level of study that was lost during the pandemic. Even older children and babies who grew up with mothers who were themselves suffering from mental health issues had difficulties adapting to life after lockdown.
In contrast to the difficulties faced by many children, some received support from educators who were able to adapt to the times. Ms. Sergeant said the work ethic of teachers also made huge differences in the experiences of some children. The lack of marking and discouragement in the lack of attention the boy received in his work led to overwhelming feelings of depression and disengagement. By contrast, one headmaster’s dedication and rapid response to the issues were successful in keeping all his students engaged, which highlights the support that educators can provide. Similarly, the absence of routine check-ups for new mothers resulted in more challenges for children and new mothers.
Overall, Ms. Sergeant made the point that what is needed now is the identification of what support young people need in order to catch up with educational loss that she emphasized was significant. She signed off with a point that suggested that perhaps the calls for lockdowns should have been considered more thoughtfully during the pandemic.