Vigilant, listening teachers are key when something is wrong at home

The impact of school closures on children and young people’s learning and development has, rightly, raised a series of concerns during lockdown.

Parents, teachers and children have worried about different things at different times in different ways but there was more than enough concern to go round from lack of consistent learning time in class; to lost opportunities to mark the important rites of passage like starting primary one or moving onto high school; to missing out on the experience of sitting formal exams; to forging friendships and maintaining social contact.

However, for too many vulnerable children, Covid has had a far more fundamental and pressing impact as, during closures, the protective role that schools play in the lives of children struggling was greatly diminished. Dedicated headteachers and staff worked hard to maintain contact with pupils identified as vulnerable or at risk. These children were prioritised for places in school based “hubs”, but not all attended and the opportunities for teachers to identify children at risk were less. Everyday, opportunities for vigilant, listening teachers were lost. Like, for example, the P1 child being able to share with his teacher that his dad hit his mummy and he was scared, leading to intervention and supports being put in place to help the family.

Routinely, pre-five centres and schools are best placed to notice changes in children, identify family pressures, provide family supports and respond to crisis. Linking with other agencies to make sure child protection concerns are shared and addressed is a key aspect of daily life in our schools, including liaison with Social Work Services. Covid increased the pressures likely to cause harm for children.

Poverty, domestic violence, mental health issues and lack of contact with other protective adults or services all heightened the stresses during periods of lockdown. So, while the risks went up, the safeguards reduced.

Acting to prevent harm and protect children most at risk is clearly a priority, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Underneath the referral figures, good schools are protective and nurturing environments for all children and our most vulnerable children need that more than others.

For many, there will be no access to private tuition to help them catch up and little chance of paying to join clubs or pursue hobbies to enrich their social world. School does that for them. Attentive teachers who notice when a child is feeling sad, school discos where children get to play and have fun together, family events that provide an escape from the stresses all add up to provide the safety net our children need.

Now that pupils are attending full-time, schools will be better placed to highlight and respond to child protection concerns, while at the same time will be under enormous pressure to focus on academic learning and ensure children “catch up”.

Now is the time for a focus on funding and planning responsive, local, family-centred services. Schools can’t do the job alone and effective agency partnerships across education, social work, health and the voluntary sector are needed. That has always been the case; our recovery from lockdown merely makes it far more urgent.