Page 6 - SEN106 SEN Magazine May-June 2020

Coronavirus threat to youth mental health Constant reminders of external threats can lead to feelings of insecurity and increased anxiety. Real disruption to routines, through social distancing, school closures and the lockdown are thought to be affecting the mental health of children and young people. A new survey has been launched by experts at the University of Oxford, which will track children and young people’s mental health throughout the COVID-19 crisis to identify what advice, support and help can actually protect their mental health. According to Professor Cathy Creswell, the researchers hope to reach more than 10,000 parents and carers across the UK with their online survey. “Their responses will help us really understand how families are coping and what support could make all the difference to children, young people and their families’, she said. Initial survey results indicate that as many as one in five primary- age children are afraid to leave their homes and are worried there will not be enough food to eat during the course of the Covid-19 outbreak, following media reports of panic buying and empty supermarket shelves. These results are based on response from the first 1,500 parents to sign up to the Co-SPACE (Covid-19 Supporting Parents, Adolescents and Children in Epidemics) and indicate that more than half of younger children are worried about family and friends catching the disease. One in three respondents reported that their child was worried they would catch Covid-19 themselves, and almost a quarter of the youngest children were afraid of infecting someone else, and some that their children were worried about the amount of money coming into the household. Older children were less concerned, according to their parents. The survey is for parents of 4-16 year-olds. To take part, visit https://cospaceoxford.com/survey A recent survey of school heads found that just 13% think GCSEs should be kept in their present form. The remainder thought that GCSEs are in need of change (47%), or that GCSEs should be scrapped altogether and assessment at 16 should be reviewed (40%). The survey of 800 heads was carried out by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL). Most respondents said GCSEs do not work well for all students, and they raised concerns that the qualifications are not accessible to a significant proportion of lower attaining students, including those with special educational needs. Rachael Warwick, President of ACSL, said “the Government’s reforms deliberately made GCSEs harder and resulted in life becoming even more difficult for the very children who most need our support. The pressure of a large number of terminal exams and the ignominy of Grades 1-3 are creating young people who exhibit unprecedented levels of stress and anxiety. Add to this the pernicious potential of social media to attack self-esteem and perpetuate bullying, and the fact that nearly a third of the country’s children grow up in grinding, relentless poverty, and we have a perfect storm.” Those calling for GCSEs to be scrapped felt that it was time to review assessment at 16 in an era when young people are expected to remain in education or training until 18 and that a lighter-touch system of assessment was needed to facilitate onward progression. Those favouring reform suggested changes such as reducing the amount of exams, the volume of content in courses, and the emphasis on having to recall large amounts of information. A common theme among many respondents was the need for a broader range of alternative qualifications GCSEs under fire SEN 106 senmagazine.co.uk 6 SEN news