Overwhelming anxiety stopping some students from returning to school
Remote learning is finally over for Victorian schoolkids, but one thing is stopping some students from returning to the classroom. This is why families and experts are reporting rising levels of student stress.
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All of Victoria’s students can finally return to classrooms but increasing rates of anxiety are stopping some from going back.
Pupils overwhelmed with fronting hundreds of schoolmates and teachers after months at home have been skipping school as parents and experts report a rise in student stress.
Child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg said he was treating “lots of kids” who were not attending campuses due to anxiety.
“There are a lot of kids at the moment who feel extra anxious about returning and some who don’t want to,” he said.
“I’ve never seen so many kids who have lost hope. That really scares me.”
Government data shows a rise in public school absences of 0.7 per cent on average — or 4500 kids — between term 3, spent at home, and the first three weeks of term 4 with a staggered return.
However, term 4’s average onsite attendance of 91.2 per cent was better than this time last year, at 89.9 per cent.
There was a spike in attendance of 1.6 per cent — more than 10,000 students — when most Melbourne kids returned to campuses during week two.
But that number dipped again by 3,200 kids, or 0.5 per cent, in the third week.
The Department of Education has issued a guide to schools to help increase attendance in term 4, which included celebrating students’ return, setting high expectations and calling parents of any absent kids.
Teachers have been told that systemically monitoring attendance was an “important priority” for term 4, with students being told that “every day counts”.
Children in transition years of Prep, Grade 6 and Year 7 were noted as being of greater risk of disconnection.
Dr Carr-Gregg said young people needed four things — to hang out with friends, emancipate from parents, learn and take healthy risks to figure out who they are.
“All four of these tasks have been comprehensively squished by this lockdown,” he said.
A narrative among young people had developed that “my world is stuffed” following the extended period of isolation, and Dr Carr-Gregg said schools needed to work to counter that view.
”There are a lot of kids, particularly in high school, who are saying to me, ‘What is the point?’” he said.
“They’re developing a hashtag YOLO (you only live once) attitude. The level of risk taking is actually higher than it was.”
Parents should be on alert for signs like lack of sleep, which could show that kids were struggling at school, with work or their friends.
Kids should be assured the focus was on their wellbeing, not academic results, and being with friends was the best way to assist that.
For those whose school refusal or anxiety didn’t subside, Dr Carr-Gregg said professional help should be sought.
A Department of Education spokeswoman said schools were focusing on “supporting students’ mental health and wellbeing and give priority to identifying students who will need help catching up”.
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