Milestones are an important part of life – but for children going into the final year of primary school in 2020 many of theirs simply didn’t happen.
While many were preparing to move onto ‘big school’ and sitting SATS – their first formal exams – others were looking forward to their residential trip away with friends, the end-of-school prom and the hoodies they would proudly wear, emblazoned with their names.
But those things never came. Five years ago, the UK was plunged into a national lockdown because of the Covid pandemic, causing the closure of some 24,000 schools across the country. Children never saw an end to their primary school days – and they didn’t get to experience life as a Year 7 pupil at secondary school.
When restrictions were finally lifted, most of these youngsters had to go straight into Year 8 without ever knowing what it was like to be the youngest group at school. But for some, the situation caused such anxiety and stress that starting school was no longer an option – and they simply dropped out of the formal system. Now, five years on, education experts are seeing the real impacts on children who have to this day never stepped foot inside a secondary school – and are about to embark on their GCSEs.
Sasha Sharp. Photo: Jeremy Coleman
For Sasha Sharpe, headteacher at Gateways, an alternative education provider for young Jewish people, the impact of Covid has been all too clear: “It’s not like they started secondary school and then stopped – they never started.”
Gateways, based in Hendon, north London, supports young people between the ages of 14 to 25 who have struggled with mainstream schools due to poor mental health, illness, and social and emotional challenges.
Since 2014, more than 700 students have been supported by the provider – with a demand for places rising by 372 percent since it opened its doors. And it’s no coincidence, says Sasha, that in the five years since the pandemic referrals to Gateways have doubled.
“For many of the young people who were transitioning to secondary school the impact has been dramatic,” says Sasha. “They had all that hype and build-up to go into secondary school, which was replaced by anxiety and panic because the natural order of things was disturbed. By the time we get a referral two or three years later, when they are in Year 9, we can see that they have been out of education for a very long time and have become really anxious. Some still don’t know what to expect at a secondary school – because they never got through the door.
“And even for children who did go back, things were not normal because they were walking around in masks and sitting and socialising in a different way. I think that created a new problem that children and schools had not ever had to deal with before.
“Now we are seeing more and more young people becoming what we describe as emotional-based school avoiders, who simply are too anxious to be in a mainstream setting.”
Pini Shemesh collecting graduation certificate from teacher Ruth Heller at Gateways
Sasha notes that young people affected in this way first began showing symptoms during the pandemic.
“They were not leaving the house, so they began just staying in their rooms, becoming more and more isolated. Some stopped connecting with their friends and they were becoming withdrawn, and actually in some cases were terrified that if they did leave the house, they would get Covid.”
Part of the support Gateways provides is not only helping young people get back on track academically, but also socially through ‘gentle transitions’.
“We’ve had young people who wouldn’t get out of their car, so we will go and sit in the car with them, and then gradually transition to chatting on a bench in the car park, and then coming into the reception area and so on, until they actually graduate into being able to stay in the classrooms. We also put on soft social activities to help them build up their skills in making relationships with their peers and sustaining friendships. In this way we are re-introducing these young people into the world.”
Sarah Clif, 20, experienced first-hand the pandemic’s impact on teenagers, having gone into lockdown just after starting Year 10. The former student at JCOSS, in New Barnet, never got to sit her GCSE exams because they were cancelled by the government and was graded instead by her teachers. She then moved to Brampton College in Hendon – which is ranked as the highest achieving independent sixth form college in London – for her A Levels.
Sarah Clif
Sarah credits the college’s emphasis on individual learning and small class sizes as having helped “soften” her return to education post-Covid. Five years on, Sarah is now an English tutor at the college, helping youngsters who missed out on Year 7 with their upcoming GCSEs.
Sarah, who is also studying at university, recalls how the pandemic affected her – but said she is more concerned for those now coming through the system. “I remember everyone in my cohort being really worried about whether we would actually get to sit our exams. Immediately the anxiety set in, and I think it stuck with a lot of us ever since – that kind of feeling prepared enough for big tasks while being uncertain whether it would even happen. Not being with my peers in a classroom setting also impacted our teamwork and conversational skills. As restrictions didn’t lift until I had finished school, we never got to have a leavers’ party and just met up in the park instead.
“It did feel like we were ripped away from the classroom. But I have more concerns for the young people who missed out on the end of primary school. They have never had formal exams and are now doing their GCSEs – but some are lacking quite basic English-related knowledge. Simple things like what an adjective is. We were able to get back into learning more easily because we had experienced secondary school already – but I feel like they were more disadvantaged.”
It’s not just about knowledge – these students’ attitudes to learning are very different.
“We missed out on having classroom conversations – but they didn’t learn formative skills like communicating with one another or learning the difference between speaking in person versus emailing someone. They missed out on that because they were still at such a young age when the pandemic hit – and it’s now showing up in the classroom.”
Brampton College
Clinical psychologist Dr Naomi Coleman, who specialises in young people, said the results of the ongoing Covid inquiry will hopefully shed light on the pandemic’s impact – but warned it may be some time before we have all the answers.
“A lot of people have said Covid is done with, but that’s not the case,” says Naomi. “We are going to see the effects of it for a long time to come and we are still learning about its impacts. Young people who were going through transition periods would undoubtedly have been impacted and what we do know about adolescence is that being around peers is so important for the development of their self and identity.
“As soon as the schools reopened it was all about how academically they were behind – but my psychology circles were saying to let them play, rather than have catch up sessions all the time. Their emotional needs were just as important.”
Dr Coleman believes that however young people have been affected, talking about their anxieties is still one of the best ways to help them. “The more we talk about it, the more we can support each other – because after all, the pandemic is something we all went through.”
Memorial Scholarship
Jake Marlowe
British-born Jake Marlowe lost his life at the Nova festival on October 7, and his family lost the beautiful young man they refer to as their “greatest masterpiece.” Jake was a gifted musician who believed in the power of music to connect hearts and uplift souls. In his memory, Youth Aliyah has established The Jake Marlowe Memorial Scholarship, which will support a young Ethiopian-Israeli musician in pursuing his dreams. This scholarship is more than just financial aid—it is a bridge between past and future, loss and hope. It represents resilience, unity, and the unbreakable bond between communities.
Michael Marlowe and Awaka
The first recipient, Awaka Melisa, shares many of Jake Marlowe’s qualities, including a deep passion for music. Born in Ethiopia, he made aliyah at age 15. He is one of 14 children to divorced parents. His disabled mother struggled to care for him and so, at age 16, he came to TOM Youth Village. He arrived with considerable educational, language and social gaps, but with robust support and a determined spirit, Awaka is thriving in every respect and will soon graduate from school. This scholarship will allow Awaka to take his first steps as he pursues a career in the music industry after completing his IDF service. Through Awaka’s talent and dedication, Jake’s legacy will continue to inspire.
Jump and learn
Designed to empower the next generation to fulfil their potential, the ORT JUMP Programmes make a huge impact. The education charity works closely with secondary schools, offering unique programmes that enhance young people’s employment prospects and this year the programmes are JUMP-starting the career paths of over 1,300 young people.
The ORT JUMP Mentoring Programme provides 1:1 careers-related guidance for Year 12 students across 14 schools. This year 400 teens have been matched with mentors across a range of industries, to explore potential career routes. Students are also offered webinars and insight days.
The ORT JUMP Working Skills Day is currently being delivered in five schools. Participants are offered a selection of expert-led, interactive sessions introducing key workplace skills such as creative thinking, influencing people and strategic planning.
Over the next few months, there will be three further ORT JUMP Employability Skills Programmes on offer:
The 3-Day Employability Skills Challenge strengthens Year 10 students’ abilities to work effectively in teams, as they research, collate and pitch a marketing campaign.
The Alternative Work Experience Programme delves into an array of vital workplace skills over the course of a week, with a diverse mix of industry experts, under one office roof.
The ORT JUMP International Careers Challenge in Israel – a week-long intensive learning experience for 12 ambitious students. They’ll work with international teens from the World ORT network to find solutions to a real-life issue, while gathering essential workplace skills.
