Opinion | Friday, 23rd July 2021
School bubbles and isolation – what has the impact been on our young people?
Dr Janet Lord explains why pupil wellbeing should be prioritised and asks if there were any benefits of ‘bubbles’
By Dr Janet Lord, Faculty Head of Education, Faculty of Education, Manchester Metropolitan University
In recognition of the ongoing disruption to children and young people’s education, the Government has changed its school isolation policy. We saw the ‘bubble’ system scrapped as part of step four of the roadmap earlier this week and, starting in September, isolation will no longer be required for pupils coming into contact with positive COVID-19 cases.
It’s a logical step, and one that will be welcomed by parents and educators alike – provided, of course, that we remain vigilant about COVID-19 and act quickly on scientific advice. Clarity of communication from the Government will continue to be critical here.
The figures for pupil absences in England have been alarming, recently surpassing over one million in one week. Only a very small percentage of these pupils tested positive for COVID. As such, parents have rightly been concerned that their children are missing out on school unnecessarily.
Not only does this have implications for children’s education, but also for their mental health and social skills. For some younger children in particular, the start of their educational career has been characterised by almost no physical attendance at school. This is in addition to the impact on parents and carers, who have often had to juggle work and childcare.
So, what is the long-term impact of this disruption, how should efforts to ‘catch up’ be approached and can we take anything positive from all this?
Where do we go from here?
We know that the pandemic has had a serious effect on young people’s mental health – something that was already deteriorating in UK children before COVID-19 hit (though the picture is uneven across the country and for different groups). We also know that educational outcomes for children with mental health problems are usually worse than they are for other children.
A survey by Young Minds in January 2021 showed that many young people were feeling anxious and were losing motivation for the future. Respondents talked about their loneliness caused by the breakdown in routine. Worryingly, a large majority of respondents believe that the pandemic will have a long-term negative effect on their mental health.
On top of this, many have had traumatic experiences during the pandemic, such as bereavements or family financial struggles. For all these reasons, it is imperative that wellbeing is the main priority in school planning for the future.
This needs to be front of mind when we’re looking at approaches for catching up. There is ongoing discussion about extending the school day to help make up for lost time. Yet this would do little on the wellbeing front. Instead, it would just ramp up pressure on pupils and teachers.
Let’s not forget that teachers need downtime too. They have responded brilliantly to the needs of pupils during the pandemic and developed innovative ways of teaching. We know that most already work more than the hours they are contracted to do.
It’s not surprising, therefore, that less than 20% of headteachers are planning to run catch up provision over the summer. They recognise the importance of giving pupils and staff a break. Instead, many school leaders are planning small group teaching sessions and one-to-one teaching support for young people in the next academic year.
There are other things that we as a society could be doing this summer to help our young people, outside of the school environment. The National Education Union has suggested that local authorities should be granted more funding to expand the outdoor activities on offer for young people this summer.
This is a brilliant idea and would go some way towards counteracting the extra time spent indoors and on screens during COVID. It would give our young people the opportunity to spend more time outside, reconnect with their friends, and get away from the isolating effects of lockdown. It could go a long way towards helping them start the new term feeling refreshed and perhaps with a more positive outlook.
Benefits of the ‘bubble’?
It’s important to note that the last 18 months haven’t been all bad for young people’s learning. In fact, there are certain elements introduced during the pandemic that we might want to keep – something I am currently exploring with education leaders in Greater Manchester and colleagues at the University’s Education and Social Research Institute.
Some sort of ‘bubble’ approach for new secondary school pupils could be one legacy of the pandemic we might want to retain. Research from University College London’s Institute of Education suggests the bubble system has benefited many Year 7 students moving from primary to secondary school.
These transition pupils can often find the move overwhelming, particularly if they have come from a very small primary school. The research suggests that smaller bubble groups helped these children feel calmer and allowed them to get used to their new school without feeling like they may be singled out by older pupils.
The settling-in process for these major transitions should last for at least one term, rather than the one week that is often allowed. A Year 7 ‘bubble’, for example, could be a good idea, giving them separate breaks and lunchtimes to the rest of the school.
Of course, they shouldn’t be kept completely separate – they should still be able to take advantage of clubs and cross-year activities. But having the security of their own group to return to could be one thing we consider keeping from COVID.
So, whether it’s looking at what we might want to keep from COVID policy (in one variation or another), or looking at how we move on from a period dominated by school absence, one thing is certain – the focus must firmly be on wellbeing.
