Covid-19: Pandemic has had lasting impact on South East pupils
Children in the South East are still feeling the effects of Covid-19 five years on, school leaders have said.In March 2020, the UK's 24,000 schools were closed for most children at the start of the pandemic, opening and closing multiple times in the months that followed.Anne Longfield, who was the children's commissioner for England during this time, told the Covid inquiry that its impact will affect the most vulnerable children for years to come. Michelle Catterson, headteacher at the Moon Hall School in Reigate, Surrey, for children with dyslexia, said pupils' "normality was gone - it was out of the window".
Ms Catterson said the increase in children having anxiety, school refusal and mental health referrals seen since the pandemic hasn't subsided with time.She attributes this to the long-lasting impact of the pandemic."Children did not see their friends, their normality was gone - it was out of the window," Ms Catterson said."They didn't see the teachers. That routine, especially for children with special educational needs is really important."I think that has had a long-term detrimental impact to them."
The loss of routine is something that children at Edenbridge Primary School in Kent also struggled with.Headteacher Mary Gates said this created learning gaps that "we're still seeing today".Efforts are being made to redress this, she said."We recognised that social skills was a really big factor...[and] also speech and language development - particularly for our younger children, so we put a big focus on vocabulary, on speaking and listening opportunities within the curriculum," she said.The school is "almost over teaching certain elements", she added.
Both Ms Catterson and Ms Gates agree that Covid-19 represented an incredibly challenging time. Ms Catterson said that managing a pandemic "definitely didn't come up" in her training, while Ms Gates believes this period was ultimately "transformative" for school leaders.Kent-based educational psychologist Dr Mickel Johnson said the enduring effects were most visible in children in Years One to Four.Dr Johnson said: "The impact that we've noticed in our role is definitely the increased awareness of anxiety or difficulties in implementing social behaviours in the playground within the school environment."
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Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
NHS could issue first ever 'Red Alert' for blood donations as stocks run low
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The NHS is asking more people to give blood regularly and tackle the crisis with 'the country's largest volunteering force'. Health Minister Baroness Merron said: 'I am extremely grateful to the many thousands of people who donate regularly – the blood you donate saves people's lives, from mothers in maternity wards to victims of car crashes. However the NHS is in urgent need of more lifesaving blood donors from all backgrounds.' It comes after the Mirror launched the Give a Pint, Save a Life campaign to help blood stocks recover after the Covid-19 pandemic amid ongoing shortages. One donation can save up to three lives. The NHS remains in its longest ever Amber Alert for low blood stocks which was declared last July. Red Alert which would mean demand far exceeds capacity, threatening public safety and causing widespread surgery postponements at hospitals nationwide. The shortages are due in part to changing habits as more people work from home since the Covid-19 pandemic. Most available donation slots are at larger town and city centres. NHSBT chief executive Dr Jo Farrar said: 'There are many thousands of people who donate regularly and help us keep patients alive. You keep the NHS going and save and transform thousands of lives a year. Our stocks over the past 12 months have been challenging. If we had a million regular donors, this would help keep our stocks healthy – you'd truly be one in a million." Isaac and his 'Hulk blood' The NHS is calling for a million donor superheroes to start giving blood to help keep people like Hulk fan Isaac Balmer alive. Isaac, aged four, needs his regular supply of 'Hulk blood' every 12 weeks to keep him strong and healthy. The youngster from Hull was born with Hereditary Spherocytosis, which is a genetic blood condition which causes fragile red blood cells to break down faster than normal leading to severe anaemia and other complications. Mum Jasmin Suggit said: "During his transfusions, he refers to donor blood as 'Hulk blood' and imagines himself becoming stronger and healthier. She said: 'Isaac's haemoglobin levels fluctuate and when they drop significantly, he becomes lethargic and jaundiced. But when he receives his transfusion you see the colour return to his cheeks and his energy levels soar before our eyes. It is incredible. But this wouldn't be possible without the real life, everyday superheroes who keep Isaac and others like him alive, thanks to their regular blood donations.' Two thirds of all the blood currently collected by the NHS is used to treat patients who rely on blood transfusions, including cancer and life-long blood conditions. Isaac receives transfusions every three months at Hull Royal Infirmary where mum Jasmin works in the newborn screening team. Jasmin said: "Until you're one of those who need blood yourself or know someone who does, it may not always be a priority. But Isaac's journey has put things into perspective and his journey has inspired me to become a blood donor myself. It's a small act that can make a big difference in someone's life." There are currently between two and three days' of blood stocks available to the NHS but rates of donations have been falling. There are 55,000 unfilled appointment slots in the next six weeks. The 'active donor base' - which refers to donors who have given blood in the last 12 months - stood at 785,000 at last count in April. This is down from 800,000 before the pandemic in 2020. The NHS needs over 5,000 blood donations every day - or around 1.8 million a year in England. This requires around one million donors who regularly donate to help maintain a reliable blood supply. NHSBT's blood director Gerry Gogarty said: 'Blood stocks are critically low and there's a pressing need to avoid a Red Alert. We can do this if we fill the available appointment slots – particularly in town and city centres. 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Metro
10 hours ago
- Metro
Nurse struck off after sharing Covid-19 conspiracy theories online
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10 hours ago
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