12th June 2023
Connect was invited to give evidence to the Scottish Parliament's Education, Children and Young People Committee on (the Committee's words) 'violence in schools'.
The Connect team declined the invitation because of the sensationalist language used for this. Instead, we made a written contribution which you can read here.
Our submission uses evidence from our COVID-related parent/carer surveys to flag up the likely longterm and detrimental impact of school closures and restrictions on many children and young people, and their families. Our surveys show clear evidence of the severe impacts, particularly on families with one adult in the home, those on low incomes who could not work from home, and those families with children with additional support needs. Support, routine and for some, trust, were all lost because of the pandemic. This is bound to have long term consequences. Some families described feeling (and being) 'abandoned'. Parents were not allowed into schools for almost two years - there is repair work to be done in relationship-building and it can't always be done quickly. The impacts of COVID and the restrictions on children and young people's mental health can't be underestimated either.
Note: We are urging those discussing this serious matter to use non-inflammatory language eg behaviour and relationships in schools.