Majority of parents say kids ‘significantly behind’ at school after lockdowns

Half of Australian parents say their kids are struggling to catch up at school, amid fears for their knowledge gaps and social skills.

Three in five parents say their children have fallen significantly behind in their studies due to Covid-19 lockdowns and home schooling.

One in two parents say the kids are still struggling to catch up, the survey of 5000 parents across Australia shows.

The Real Insurance snapshot shows parents are worried about their children’s knowledge gaps, social skills and anxiety post-Covid.

The results show there is a difference between how parents from private and public schools think their educational institution fared during lockdowns.

Three in five parents from private schools rated the school’s performance as excellent or good while only 54 per cent of state school parents had the same feeling.

Around 15 per cent of parents say they want to switch to private schooling after going through Covid and 44 per cent would opt for private if they could afford it.

Paul Wearing says his daughters Myla, 6 (left) and Eliana, 9, have settled in well at school this year but needed some adjustment time. Picture: Jason Edwards

Parents are now choosing schools on the basis of digital technology (in case of another bout of home schooling) and safety, whereas previously they cared more about higher academic scores.

The national survey conducted by CoreData found parents think private schooling is better than public schooling in terms of academic results, career projections, discipline and networks. But public is better for the development of social skills.

It comes as 25 per cent of parents pay more than 20 per cent of their income on private fees.

Myla and Eliana have enjoyed a less disruptive school year so far in 2022. Picture: Jason Edwards

Melbourne family psychologist Deidre Brandner said children had “borne the emotional brunt of the pandemic”.

“Parents became increasingly concerned about their children’s learning and progress during remote learning,” she said.

“There has been a significant increase in anxiety, stress and low mood because of lockdowns. For many children the return to on site school saw an alleviation of these mental health issues,” she said. “However, for many children and families, they continue to experience mental health challenges.”

Paediatric psychologist Amanda Abel agreed. “The return to school has been challenging for many families,” she said. “Kids aren’t used to being around other kids, and other kids are not as forgiving as parents.”

Keysborough father-of-two Paul Wearing said the return to school was taking some adjustment for his daughters Myla, 6, and Eliana, 9.

“But we’ve been fortunate this year to go back to school and stay there,” he said. “It’s helped build routine and has been less disruptive.”

He said he girls had been quite adaptable to home learning but were pleased to be back in class.