1. Potty training and severe anxiety
2. Toilet teaching and extreme anxiety.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
Schools across the UK are under unprecedented pressure as they struggle to address a range of social issues unrelated to teaching. A group of schools in the West Midlands town of Telford illustrate the problems. Here, for a growing number of pupils, simply getting to school is an achievement in itself.
Communication Challenges
It is lunchtime and a handful of pupils at Lantern Academy, a Telford primary school, are playing indoors even though the sun is out. As headteacher Michelle Skidmore approaches, they begin to gather their coats.
“Are you heading out?” she asks. A five-year-old boy responds. It is not clear what he is saying, and Ms Skidmore tries to help. He repeats himself, four times in total, before she figures out that a family member of his has gone to hospital. He runs outside.
“We have a number of children who struggle with basic communication,” says Ms Skidmore. “’Can I go to the toilet? Can I have a drink?’ These are some of the basic sentences we have to teach our children to say.”
Toilet Training Challenges
The children, whose parents speak English at home and have no learning disabilities, are coming to school unable to communicate. The staff therefore have to teach them Makaton, a basic form of sign language that uses symbols and signs to allow them to express themselves.
Some of the children who cannot talk are not toilet-trained either. At the start of Reception in September, eight of the 27 four-year-olds came to school in nappies. The school has had to develop “intimate care plans” to keep them clean as well as providing potty training.
Impact of the Pandemic
Polling suggests that most people think public services have deteriorated nationally in recent years. This article is the first of three focusing on the town of Telford, which a BBC News analysis has identified as facing particular challenges across its courts, schools and health services. Similar problems to those found in Telford are widespread, however.
Challenges at Lantern Academy
Situated in one of the most deprived areas of Telford, Lantern Academy was known as Queenswood Primary when it was run by the local authority, and rated as “Requires Improvement” by Ofsted. It was renamed to give it a fresh start when it joined a local multi-academy trust, the Learning Community Trust, two years ago.
Forty-eight per cent of pupils receive free school meals – about double the England average. But the new ethos that Ms Skidmore has worked hard to create is being severely tested by challenges resulting from the Covid pandemic. “For some people, the role of parenting has changed – 100%,” she says.
Mental Health Challenges
Educational experts and teaching unions say the forced closure of schools during the pandemic meant some families lost sight of the value of education. In some cases, they were too busy working to homeschool their children, or didn’t have the space. When schools reopened, they placed less importance on ensuring their children attended.
In addition, many schools found that parents’ mental health became strained. And this coincided with the closure of services where people with young children could meet, and receive professional support. Some parents today do not know how to play with their children, the school has discovered, so it now runs a weekly class to teach them.
Attendance Challenges Across Schools
At Charlton School, a Learning Community Trust secondary school with more than 1,200 pupils in the north-east of Telford, attendance is 92%, on a par with the England average of 93%, but down from the 95% typically seen pre-Covid.
That headline figure masks a greater problem. The number of pupils classed as persistently absent – who attend less than 90% of the time – is 22%. That is close to the current England average rate of 21%, but double the pre-pandemic England average.
Support for Students
“Our primary focus in this school is providing education,” says headteacher Andrew McNaughton. “Unfortunately, for many students, we have to do a big piece of work to enable them to be able to access that. The challenges have increased. For us to be able to put the support in place for students just to simply be able to come through the doors can be a challenge.”
Long Wait for Diagnoses
The Charlton School has access to welfare officers, but a key problem they face is the increasing number of students who are presenting with ADHD or autism, or other neurodivergent conditions. According to Andrew McNaughton, those children can wait more than two years for a formal diagnosis.
Conclusion
As schools in Telford grapple with a multitude of challenges beyond teaching, it is clear that the impact of the pandemic, coupled with societal issues, is taking a toll on students and their families. More support and resources are needed to ensure that all children have access to quality education and are able to thrive in their academic journey.
Additional reporting by Daniel Wainwright and Callum Thomson
.
– Toilet training tips for children with anxiety
– Coping with high anxiety during toilet training.
A Teaspoon Before Bedtime Makes you Lose 32LBS in 2 Weeks.
Related Post : Remember Tiger Wood's Ex Wife, Elin Nordegren ? Take a Look at Her Now.
The Conjoined Twins Abby & Brittany Hensel are No Longer Together.
