Covid-19 school closures in the UK: How were they experienced by, and what were the impacts upon, the young people and adults of an SEN department in an inner London secondary school?
Abstract
The Covid-19 pandemic led to school closures across the world including in the UK. These nationwide closures, although temporary, totalled up to five months for some students – this was an unprecedented event and is a topic within educational psychology that is under researched. School closures are known to be effective in managing disease transmission during pandemics, however the impacts on young people and those around them, are not yet fully understood.
The systematic review paper within this thesis investigated the impacts of school closures for individuals and communities in varying contexts.
The findings highlighted several themes including that schools provide more than just education for their communities, that closures can cause significant negative emotional experiences and feelings of grief and loss, and that school communities can become disenfranchised when they are not involved in decision making.
The review paper also highlighted how the voice of young people was often missing from the research as well as finding how those from more vulnerable groups were often more significantly impacted.
The empirical paper addressed these points by conducting a qualitative case study within the SEN department of an Inner London secondary school. Eleven semi-structured interviews were carried out with students, parents and teachers, and analysed using thematic analysis.
The findings highlighted how students with SEN, their parents and school staff all experienced a lessening of their wellbeing, how schools are crucial in supporting students with SEN to feel connected to their peers, and how school closures can have both negative and positive effects on school communities. The findings also demonstrate how important relationships are during school closures and how the impacts are magnified for those with SEN and those lacking technological resources. The empirical paper goes on to consider its strengths and limitations and makes recommendations for future practice.
