Page 50 - SEN107 SEN Magazine July-August 2020

Children, especially in deprived areas, may benefit from smaller class sizes, writes Louise Connolly . Supporting children in the aftermath of the pandemic A s we go through these unprecedented times, teachers all over the country are asking themselves ‘How are we are going to best support our children in the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic?’. This isn’t just in terms helping them catch up academically, but they are also wondering how they are going to support their emotional well-being which could have been compromised. Children from schools located in areas of high levels of deprivation might have been cramped in a one bedroom flat for weeks and had very little or no interaction with other peers. There has been a concern that the social distancing measures have led to an increase in domestic violence which potentially could have been observed by children causing them emotional harm. Also, there has been a concerning reduction in the number of safeguarding referrals. This doesn’t necessarily mean there have been a lower number of safeguarding incidents, they could have just got missed due to a lack of contact and supervision from professionals who know the signs to look out for. The pandemic has caused anxiety, not just for children but also for adults. Children might have observed their parents becoming stressed or anxious which has then made them feel worried and younger children might not have really comprehended what was happening. Some children might have also experienced bereavement of a family member or friend of the family who contracted the virus. All these issues are going to mean that some children return to schools with signs of emotional trauma and their emotional health and well-being could have been influenced. This could be found to be more prevalent in schools in areas with high levels of deprivation. Emotional well-being in children was already a hot topic before the Coronavirus pandemic, but now it is going to be even more paramount that schools get this support right and that this is planned in advance. There is speculation of that the government might increase funding to support schools to bridge these gaps and schools will need to ensure that they use this funding in a targeted and impact-led way. One idea is to return to a topic that has widespread and sometimes conflicting interest; The subject of class size. Due to social distancing measures, the children have returned to school in groups no greater than 15. Therefore, this could be a good opportunity to look at the wider benefits of smaller grouping in relation to effectively supporting their emotional well-being. This could in fact be a method to be sustained in schools in the longer term if financially viable. Not because children will need to social distance in the future, but because it effectively supports vulnerable children’s emotional well- being as well as supporting the mental health of teachers. Most research on class sizes has been based on the impact on academic progress and a number of high-profile research projects found that this was in fact limited. However, the way of looking at class size has been too narrow and it is time to look at the wider issues relating to the impact it could have with regard to children. Smaller class sizes could be one strategy to overcome the emotional aftermath of Coronavirus SEN 107 senmagazine.co.uk 50 COVID-19