Pupils have become less anxious during lockdown school closure

grannyqueenie I know a number of pupils (secondary) like that. Moreover, if they've got really interested in something, they've had the time to follow it up.

It's a long time since I remember being young (!), and my experience in education is mainly with younger children. Reading on here and elsewhere, however, how is it then in the last 30 years or so we have seen such an escalation in school fears and phobias amongst teenagers? Are they more sensitive and needy, or are they actually more mature and inward thinking? I feel very sorry for today's kids.
As an aside, I do remember teasing from peers and some nasty goings on, but I think we just put up and shut up. (I was at an inner London comprehensive and what I learned about life from school stood me in good stead later.) The actual education wasn't up to much either and there were certainly no pressures, but we came out as well adjusted youngsters with a good handful of high achieving scholars.)

growstuff

I would add bullying to the reasons many pupils have preferred to be at home. It's a problem every school hides and denies, but I'm willing to bet that there isn't one school in the land where there isn't some degree of bullying.

I accept that some pupils have found lockdown very difficult, but apparently thousands pf parents have de-registered their children from school and will carry on with home schooling.

Not EVRY school hides and denies. This is not my experience.

I'm glad to hear the you've had experience of schools which tackle bullying effectively.

Maybe you just weren't aware of other pupils. I went to a "naice" girls' school but hated it and have talked to other women of my age who felt the same. We didn't talk to anybody and maybe that's the difference.

I started working in secondary schools in the early 1980s and there were certainly pupils who were extremely anxious. Some of them truanted or the parents were forever writing sick notes. Some of them just kept their heads down until there was some kind of crisis.

When I started teaching there was just not the same kind of pressure to perform according to some targets issued by the DfE. The whole experience was far more relaxed than it is now.

I do not believe for one moment that teenagers have suddenly become "snowflakes".

Growstuff. It’s the generalisation and assumptions you are making by ‘every school’ and ‘Maybe you weren’t aware of other pupils’ that I am challenging you on.

Ohmother

*Growstuff*. It’s the generalisation and assumptions you are making by ‘every school’ and ‘Maybe you weren’t aware of other pupils’ that I am challenging you on.

OK! I have worked in a number of schools, my children and I have been to a number of schools and I know many other people, who have worked in other schools and have had children who go to other schools. I don't know how many schools that is - 200? 300? I also know counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists, who work with young people.

Every school of which I have ever had any experience has had bullying problems. Some deal with it better than others. Professionals working with children would tell you the same.

It is a very rare school which does not have any bullying.

There are also a few children who have high levels of anxiety, sometimes leading to conditions such as selective mutism, for whom school causes all levels of trauma.

If children are absolutely honest, there are a number who really dislike school and work better at home.

‘EVERY school hides and denies’. That’s not the same as ‘all schools have bullying’.

A school who says they don’t have bullying incidents would be lying. BUT as someone who has worked in schools for many, many years too AND has experience of Youth Psychotherapy, to hone it down then, I’m picking you up on the word ‘EVERY’. I repeat. That is not my experience. ?

I think actually both statements are true even schools which deal with bullying when they have to can have a degree that they do not acknowledge. Often it is something young people just accept and do not bring to the notice of adults. Years after they left school my sons discussed "taxing" with me. This was the practice of older children taking money off younger ones. Even the name shows how it was legitimised and regarded as part of the school day and not something you reported.

I'm finding all this very confusing. For months now we have been told that young people are suffering under lockdown and their mental health is at risk - and that referrals for mental health support have risen.

Now, we are being told that they quite enjoyed it.

Whichever view a person takes, it seems to me that each person is an individual and what might suit one young person does not necessarily suit another. I expect if you live in a comfortable and happy home, it might not be too terrible to spend more time there. However, if you live in very poor conditions and have a difficult relationship with your carers and other family members, it could be miserable - and even frightening - to be confined to the home for long periods.

I do agree with the OP's view that some of the stuff children have to learn now is not very helpful. My grandchildren have to learn what I consider to be quite advanced grammatical rules - some of which I don't understand. However, at their age I could quite easily write several pages of a reasonably well spelt and grammatical composition and that is something they would both find very challenging. Concentrating so much on the "rules" seems to me to be stunting creativity and enjoyment.

Ohmother

‘EVERY school hides and denies’. That’s not the same as ‘all schools have bullying’.

A school who says they don’t have bullying incidents would be lying. BUT as someone who has worked in schools for many, many years too AND has experience of Youth Psychotherapy, to hone it down then, I’m picking you up on the word ‘EVERY’. I repeat. That is not my experience. ?

OK! I accept your point. It was a sloppy use of language.

My experience is that every school has bullying to a degree. Many of the schools of which I have had experience have denied the extent of it. It is quite common, when going for an interview in a school, for the headteacher to boast that the school stamps down hard on bullying, but on occasions when I have been appointed to the job, I have found the reality to be different.

My experience is that some adults see certain behaviours as normal childhood teasing or jostling in the pecking order and that children need to learn to be resilient, but some children themselves see the behaviours very differently and can sometimes be traumatised. There are some individual children who develop bullying traits at a young age. Schools tend to deal with the bullied but not the bullies.

Saw a report yesterday that found that our children were the least happy in Europe. Too much pressure apparently.

Good old Gove - another dim-wit.

Concentrating so much on the "rules" seems to me to be stunting creativity and enjoyment. - I so agree with this. And with Whitewavemark2's comment about Gove. How is it that one man could wield the power to dictate the minutiae of the school curriculum?

My 13 year old GS with ASD and ADHD took a while to get used to not going to school but when he did his school work improved enormously, gaining house points and headmaster's awards that he'd never had before. His relationship with his little brother improved enormously too as he now has the patience to play with him. After a day at school coping with other people he used to need a couple of hours shut in his bedroom before he could speak to anyone. Now, of course , he isn't looking forward to going back at all.