Pupils have become less anxious during lockdown school closure

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

‘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. ?

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.

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.

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".

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

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.

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.)

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.

Lockdown, home education and social isolation has meant different things for different people whether old or young. . According to her dad one of my grandchildren has enjoyed being able to “freely embrace her inner geek” i.e. she worked hard and genuinely enjoyed producing good quality work with no fear of sneering from her peers.

Strangely enough children love them, particularly when you play a game where 2 are the diagraph and 1 is 'e' and parts them.

Unless it's The Aeneid I haven't a clue
And that was a long time ago too.

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.^
That is so very true, and sadly is happening at a younger and younger age. Any school which says it doesn't have any bullying is lying. I sometimes heard teachers say they knew there was bullying going on, but didn't realise the negative effect it was having on the child. That is a disgrace, children can't deal with it on their own.

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.

I know I am not qualified to comment on this thread......... "qualified" doesn't mean you have to have passed examinations in education gillybob to comment. I'd say life's experiences qualify you just as much as anyone else.

Much as I hate Gove he can't be blamed for split diagraphs they came in with the National Literacy Strategy under Chris Woodhead. Strangely enough children love them, particularly when you play a game where 2 are the diagraph and 1 is 'e' and parts them.

I know I am not qualified to comment on this thread.........but I have 3 school aged grandchildren 14,12 and 10 . Only one of them is desperate to get back to school . The other 2 hate school although they are both very bright children. 2 have had a little contact with their school and one has had none whatsoever .

It is interesting to try and unpick the reasons behind these results. I hear what Bluebelle is saying about some older teenagers feeling more anxious; but I do wonder whether this was because they missed school itself or were frustrated by the absence of social contact with their peers.

But I am aware that teachers have been freed from the data- gathering that rules their normal lives at school and this can only be a good thing. Teaching needs open thinking, not the closed thinking behind data collection.

I am aware that some grandparents have had different experiences of schools' responses to home learning - I have GC at 3 different schools in different parts of the country and their schools have been absolutely diligent in providing work, as has the school where I am governor.

My Y10 GS had three days in school during which the teachers mainly had to try to bring students up to date with their GCSE work. GS was quite annoyed that some of his peers had not attempted to do even the small amount of work set and had to be brought up to date. Yes, he was pleased to be back in school but the few days were not enough.

The children I know who were able to go to school, either as children of key workers or when their school year was allowed to return, without exception,lovedit.
That's good to hear eazybee. Many of those children really enjoyed school because the teaching was less formal and more relaxed than usual. They were allowed to play outside as much as possible and do practical activities. This confirms the OP's feelings about the current school curriculum.