Experts have warned against over-reaction to an alarming drop in school attendance during 2022, with new figures revealing fewer than a quarter of students attended at least 90 per cent of their classes at one Ballarat school in the first half of the year.
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According to new MySchools data, the percentage of students attending more than 90 per cent of semester one at Ballarat secondary schools last year ranged from as low as 23 per cent at St Patrick's College, to a high of 59 per cent at Ballarat Clarendon College.
It was a big drop from pre-pandemic levels in 2019 when 67 per cent of St Pat's boys, and 74 per cent of Clarendon students made it to class.
Ballarat Grammar had one of the biggest drops, with 91 per cent attendance (at 90 per cent of classes) in 2019 compared to 46 per cent last year, while other Ballarat secondary schools saw the rate drop 20 to 45 per cent.
Boarding schools faced particular challenges with students isolating as close contacts and when they caught COVID.
I don't think there's any great surprise there is likely to be evidence of some ongoing sustained post traumatic experience for some kids
- Dr Paul Kidson
What the figures show is the peak waves of COVID that swept through Ballarat early last year, and the impact of lockdowns and extended periods of remote learning on adolescents.
At Ballarat Grammar, where attendance has now returned to around pre-pandemic levels, COVID in the community and among its boarding students played havoc, as it did at all schools.
"Attendance numbers in 2022 were impacted by the COVID-19 restrictions in place during the year and the periods of isolation required by the Victorian Government for confirmed cases and their close contacts," they said in a statement. "During a large portion of the 2022 school year, if a student had a positive COVID-19 test, they were required to isolate for a period of seven days. If a student was deemed a close contact of a confirmed case, they were also required to isolate for seven days."
Some students were required to isolate at home on multiple occasions both as close contacts and the contracting COVID themselves.
The first six months of 2022 across Ballarat saw the highest infection rates and COVID case numbers of the entire pandemic.
ACU education expert Dr Paul Kidson urged caution over the figures.
"One year doesn't make a trend but if we see it again next year it's a wake-up moment for schools and authorities," he said.
Dr Kidson said extended lockdowns had caused significant psychological issues including anxiety, stress and trauma for some students which made it difficult to return to school, while some other students had found remote learning suited them much better than the classroom and were not keen to return.
"It can be a really significant emotional issue and if there are significant issues that's the time for psychological and medical support," he said.
"Others are just getting back in to the groove of things."
Dr Kidson said there was widespread evidence that children who were away from school for a long time, particularly those in years seven, eight and nine, were struggling with social skills.
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"That's a time to recalibrate friendships, when children go through hormonal, emotional and relationship changes and a lot of kids didn't have the opportunity to have that socialisation ebb and flow that goes with being at school, so when they have returned to school teachers are reporting many of the kids have lost that sense of social dignity, respect and courtesy," he said.
Dr Kidson said it was important for schools to make it "valuable" so students want to be there, and to provide a dynamic and engaging learning environment.
But he cautioned against pushing children too hard who are in emotional distress.
"I don't think there's any great surprise there is likely to be evidence of some ongoing sustained post traumatic experience for some kids," he said.
"Kids who are in a stress environment need care and support ... you just never know where the line is because there are times when you need to say 'we've got to push on' and that's why engaging with school, engaging with clinicians and medical support services to identify what's going on is important because the last thing you want to do with frail and fragile kids is to push too early."
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