Qld school mask mandates gone, but concerns over lasting effects of learning from home

The classroom mask mandates are no more, but experts are concerned over schoolchildren getting over behavioural and emotional habits developed during learning at home.

This year promises to be the first uninterrupted 40-week state schooling schedule in three years, but concerns are mounting that some students may have emotional and behavioural control issues in the classroom post-pandemic.

Experts have flagged suspicions that remote learning has impacted children, particularly those who began their schooling in 2020 and became used to periods of being educated at home and mask wearing.

“One factor massively missed in the Covid space is those self-regulation skills,” Australian Catholic University early education expert Kate Highfield said.

It comes after major Covid-19 disruptions, mask rules and remote learning plagued the 2020 and 2021, with the first two weeks of term 1 2022 only for the supervision of vulnerable students and children of essential workers, to avoid pupils returning to school at the peak of a wave.

All students didn’t return until February 7 and the school year was not extended.

Brisbane State High School students wearing masks in March 2022.

Dr Highfield said emotional and behavioural control issues could arise as a result of the lack of consistent in-class experience.

“It’s the child being able to work out what they need to focus on when their teacher is talking and there’s other distractions” she said.

“Children went from a 25 to 30-person classroom, to being at home with a parent, so they haven’t been practising self-regulation or behavioural adaptation.

“It also ties in with emotional wellbeing – can the child articulate if they are stressed or anxious? So we have these extra waves of social and emotional needs.”

Teachers’ Professional Association of Queensland secretary Tracy Tully said schools needed to return to normal, particularly for those who were in their early schooling when Covid-19 hit.

“Those children have missed a lot of their foundational education and you can’t get those years back,” she said.

“The school systems keep going on, you don’t stop and revisit. These kids especially are going to have to be watched carefully because they need to be re-educated in some of those vital foundational areas.”

The free Kids Helpline @ School program offers advice to support the social and emotional wellbeing of schoolchildren on issues such as bullying and friendships. More than 100,000 primary school students have accessed it in the past two years.

“We’re fortunate that Bupa Foundation has partnered with Kids Helpline to support

our primary school-based program ... We know that mental health challenges often begin during childhood and if left unattended they can lead to poor outcomes in adulthood,” yourtown CEO Tracy Adams said.

Dr Paul Griffin expects further Covid waves through the year.

The Department of Education has now removed most Covid-19 restrictions.

Masks are not mandated but will be available.

The Covid-19 measures in effect in state schools will be ventilation including airconditioning and air purifiers, as well as rapid antigen tests for staff or students.

If a child develops symptoms, their parent or carer will be asked to collect them and RATs will be provided. Schools may also give RATs to staff or students beforehand if they’re going on camps.

Mater Health Services’ Director of Infectious Diseases Dr Paul Griffin said despite the fourth wave having passed, he expected further Covid-19 waves throughout the year.

“I don’t think anybody expected the pandemic to go at this intensity for this duration, people expected it to be back to normal quicker,” he said.

“I think the right thing to do now is to encourage kids to come back to school with no precautions or conditions, but we must still focus on the message that if people are unwell they shouldn’t come to school or work.”

Education Minister Grace Grace said the past few school years had been “atypical”, but the 2023 back to school period was “an exciting time of year”.

“Teachers, principals, support staff, families and students have all done an amazing job to ensure that, for the vast majority of the time, students received on site face-to-face learning throughout the pandemic – a situation that was very different to other parts of Australia and the world,” she said.

Arlo Brigg is raring to go for her first year at school.

NOTHING CAN KEEP LITTLE ARLO DOWN

The first day of big-school is always exciting, but for Rockhampton girl Arlo Brigg Monday’s milestone is extra special after suffering a rare childhood stroke last year.

Arlo’s mother Angela said the five-year-old’s recovery had come a long way to get to this point.

“She’s really resilient. We try to keep a good positive outlook on it, it could have been worse, we’re very lucky,” Ms Brigg said.

Arlo was a happy and healthy four-year-old when her parents noticed some signs of what they thought was a stomach bug in April 2022.

“That was Thursday, but then Friday Arlo bounced back – she even went for a 4km bike ride with her Dad,” Ms Brigg said.

Saturday morning, Arlo had a slight facial droop and the Briggs rushed her to Rockhampton Hospital.

There are around 600 cases of childhood stroke in Australia each year, and Arlo’s doctors were hesitant to diagnose the rare condition.

“It wasn’t until Sunday morning when Arlo couldn’t bear any weight on her right side that the doctors went back and looked at the CT scans again, and said we’ve missed something here. That they’d been wrong.”

Arlo was rushed to Brisbane for six weeks of intensive care, where her future was uncertain.

It wasn’t until Arlo’s baby sister, Banks, was brought to visit that the family felt some hope.

“I said to Arlo, ‘If you want to go home with sissy, you’re gonna have to try and move that arm a little bit, honey’.”

“And next thing she just very slightly lifted her arm up – that was a huge moment, that was the first time we’d seen movement in that arm,” Ms Brigg said.

The Briggs hope to raise awareness for childhood stroke, and say they could not have made it to this point without the “amazing” support of their community and care team.

“We had friends and family mowing our lawn, feeding the animals – all the stuff you don’t realise you need,” Ms Brigg said.

“Our gym trainer sets up little boxes for Arlo while we train, to get her running up and down. It helps her so much, physically and emotionally.”

Arlo had some nerves about her first day of school, and had voiced frustrations about not being able to play the same as other children.

But Ms Brigg said Arlo’s smarts and her resilience would serve her well.

“She was right handed, and she’s since learned to write her name and her last name as a left handed girl.

“So, yeah, she’s ready for school.”