School attendance among children with neurodevelopmental conditions a year after the COVID-19 pandemic
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Division of Psychiatry
Abstract
Education changed dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools closed in 2019/20. There was compulsory return to school in September 2020 with measures in place to control infection and new regulations about COVID-19-related absences. School attendance in the first term of 2020-21 was lower compared to other years. Many children were de-registered from school. In early 2020-21, there was a second prolonged period of national school closures. The pandemic has caused many disruptions to children's education.
Children with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs), in particular intellectual disability and autism, are the most vulnerable of vulnerable groups. Among children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), children with intellectual disability and/or autism consistently struggle to meet the required standards in education. Our study will focus on these two groups of children.
Before the pandemic, many children with NDCs missed school. Then the pandemic disrupted everyone's education. Approximately one year after the pandemic started, we will investigate the educational experiences of children with NDCs.
Our project will investigate:
- School absence and reasons for absence among children with intellectual disability and/or autism
- Child, family, and school factors associated with school absence
- Barriers and facilitators of school attendance
- Parents' experiences of home schooling
An online survey will collect data from approximately 1,500 parents of 5 to 17 year-old children with NDCs across all 4 UK countries. We will recruit parents of: (i) children registered with a school in spring/summer 2021; (ii) children not registered with a school in spring/summer 2021 but who were registered with a school at the start of the pandemic in March 2020; and (iii) children not registered with a school on either date. We will collect data on school attendance for those registered with a school, and data on home learning experiences for those not registered with a school. For all children, we will collect data on their mental health.
The first analysis will investigate school absence with a focus on children registered with a school. We will summarise school absence data as well as reasons for absence as reported by the parents. The second analysis will investigate school attendance: attending school or home schooling. We will describe the children currently registered to attend school (group 1), those not currently registered who were registered in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic (group 2), and those not registered on either point (group 3). We will summarise the reasons parents give for de-registering their child from school. Our final analysis will focus on home learning support during home schooling. We will describe the types of support schools offer to school-registered students during remote learning (when students are self-isolating/shielding, or schools are closed because of lockdown). We will describe the home learning experiences of school de-registered children and parents' satisfaction with these arrangements.
We will work closely with parents of children with NDCs, seeking their advice on the study. Our team includes the Council for Disabled Children, the largest umbrella organization in the UK bringing together many charities supporting disabled children and their families. We will share the study findings widely, including key messages for policies related to the education of children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Children with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs), in particular intellectual disability and autism, are the most vulnerable of vulnerable groups. Among children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), children with intellectual disability and/or autism consistently struggle to meet the required standards in education. Our study will focus on these two groups of children.
Before the pandemic, many children with NDCs missed school. Then the pandemic disrupted everyone's education. Approximately one year after the pandemic started, we will investigate the educational experiences of children with NDCs.
Our project will investigate:
- School absence and reasons for absence among children with intellectual disability and/or autism
- Child, family, and school factors associated with school absence
- Barriers and facilitators of school attendance
- Parents' experiences of home schooling
An online survey will collect data from approximately 1,500 parents of 5 to 17 year-old children with NDCs across all 4 UK countries. We will recruit parents of: (i) children registered with a school in spring/summer 2021; (ii) children not registered with a school in spring/summer 2021 but who were registered with a school at the start of the pandemic in March 2020; and (iii) children not registered with a school on either date. We will collect data on school attendance for those registered with a school, and data on home learning experiences for those not registered with a school. For all children, we will collect data on their mental health.
The first analysis will investigate school absence with a focus on children registered with a school. We will summarise school absence data as well as reasons for absence as reported by the parents. The second analysis will investigate school attendance: attending school or home schooling. We will describe the children currently registered to attend school (group 1), those not currently registered who were registered in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic (group 2), and those not registered on either point (group 3). We will summarise the reasons parents give for de-registering their child from school. Our final analysis will focus on home learning support during home schooling. We will describe the types of support schools offer to school-registered students during remote learning (when students are self-isolating/shielding, or schools are closed because of lockdown). We will describe the home learning experiences of school de-registered children and parents' satisfaction with these arrangements.
We will work closely with parents of children with NDCs, seeking their advice on the study. Our team includes the Council for Disabled Children, the largest umbrella organization in the UK bringing together many charities supporting disabled children and their families. We will share the study findings widely, including key messages for policies related to the education of children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Publications
Paulauskaite L
(2022)
Elective home education of children with neurodevelopmental conditions before and after the COVID-19 pandemic started
in Frontiers in Psychology
Paulauskaite L
(2022)
Elective Home Education and Children with Neurodevelopmental Conditions
Totsika V
(2023)
School Attendance Problems Among Children with Neurodevelopmental Conditions One year Following the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
in Journal of autism and developmental disorders
| Description | The project generated significant new knowledge in relation to the impact of COVID-19 on school attendance problems of children with neurodevelopmental conditions one year from the pandemic. Key findings: - COVID-19 had a limited impact on school absence and types of school absence in children with neurodevelopmental conditions approximately one year after the start of the pandemic. - Physical health problems (often present in children with neurodevelopmental conditions) were not a barrier to school attendance during this period. - Parent pandemic anxiety had no association with school absence or any type of school absence. - A clear association between child mental health and school absence emerged with evidence for specific aspects of child mental health being associated with overall school absence and types of school absence. For example, child anxiety was associated with refusal, overall absence and persistent absence. - Parents shared a wealth of information on barriers and facilitators of school attendance with child unmet needs at school reported as the most significant barrier for attendance. - Parents did not find school closures helpful. Where children were asked to learn from home, parents were not satisfied with schools' support for home learning. Home learning during the 2021 January-March lockdown was associated with higher levels of school absence when schools re-opened. - A positive parent-teacher relationship was associated with lower levels of absence, persistent absence, refusal and school exclusion. Positive relationships between families and schools (especially in terms of communication) and increased school understanding and adaptation around the child's additional or different learning needs have the potential to facilitate school attendance. - School attendance is a systemic phenomenon and relationships between systems matter. An innovative dimension of the project was a parallel survey of families of children with neurodevelopmental conditions who are electively home educated. This is a field which has received very little research attention to date and our study generated significant new knowledge of children placed on Elective Home Education before the start of the pandemic and after March 2020. Findings from this dimension of the project indicated that: - COVID-19 has a limited role in parents' decision to de-register their child from school. - Parents reported that dissatisfaction with the school's capacity for meeting the additional or different learning needs of the children as well as their mental health needs was the main reason for de-registering. This was the case in families who de-registered their child before March 2020 as well as in families whose child was de-registered after the start of the pandemic in the UK. - Parents reported that the main advantage of Elective Home Education was being able to personalise their child's education to fit around their unique learning needs and interests. - Levels of anxiety, internalising and externalising symptoms were similar between children participating in Elective Home Education before and after the pandemic started, and also similar between all children in Elective Home Education and school-registered children. |
| Exploitation Route | Study data have been made available through the UK Data Service to other researchers interested in this field for re-analysis and re-use. Study findings have been made available through academic papers and dissemination at conferences. In our narrative feedback, we outlined our engagement with non-academic audiences, in particular education policy makers and education professionals across the UK. We described their engagement in linking study findings to current educational policy and practice in the UK, resulting in jointly published national policy recommendations. |
| Sectors | Education |
| URL | https://www.ucl.ac.uk/psychiatry/research/epidemiology-and-applied-clinical-research-department/school-attendance-and-home-learning-0 |
| Description | Our engagement activities (see Engagement activities) have paved the way for non-academic impact. The National Children's Bureau in collaboration with the Council for Disabled Children organised and hosted a private roundtable inviting approximately 50 education policy makers and education professionals across the 4 UK nations. The research team and parent advisory group shared the findings of the study, followed by several roundtable discussions to discuss the implications of these findings in relation to current policy and practice in each of the UK nations. These discussions led to jointly produced National Policy Recommendations published by the National Children's Bureau. A copy can be found here https://www.ucl.ac.uk/psychiatry/sites/psychiatry/files/school_attendance_and_elective_home_education_one_year_after_covid-19_research_with_children_with_neurodevelopmental_conditions.pdf |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Education |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Description | ADR UK-funded PhD studentships |
| Amount | £100,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Administrative Data Research Network |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2023 |
| End | 09/2027 |
| Title | The Educational Experiences of Children With a Neurodevelopmental Condition Approximately One Year After the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK: School Attendance and Elective Home Education, 2021. |
| Description | Dataset including quantitative and qualitative data from the study. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | As described in academic outputs. |
| URL | https://reshare.ukdataservice.ac.uk/855596/ |
| Description | Council for Disabled Children |
| Organisation | Council for Disabled Children |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We worked collaboratively throughout all stages of the research - our research team benefitted from their input. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contributed to study design, project management, data analysis and interpretation. Collaborative design of the policy impact strategy. Facilitation of the policy impact through CDC's work alongside the National Children's Bureau. Collaborative publication of academic and policy outputs. |
| Impact | All academic papers - see publications. All policy impact - see impact narrative. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | National Autistic Society collaboration on policy influencing |
| Organisation | Council for Disabled Children |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Collaboration in the design of the study. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Collaboration in designing the policy impact strategy for this project and then delivering it. |
| Impact | All publications resulting from the study are co-author with the Council for Disabled Children - see Publications. Facilitated collaboration with the National Children's Bureau for the delivery of the policy impact - see Impact |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | National Autistic Society collaboration on policy influencing |
| Organisation | National Autistic Society |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Collaboration in the design of the study. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Collaboration in designing the policy impact strategy for this project and then delivering it. |
| Impact | All publications resulting from the study are co-author with the Council for Disabled Children - see Publications. Facilitated collaboration with the National Children's Bureau for the delivery of the policy impact - see Impact |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | National Children's Bureau (Policy Impact) |
| Organisation | National Children's Bureau |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The research team collaborated with NCB in the design and delivery of the policy impact strategy. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The NCB designed, organised and delivered a private policy roundtable to facilitate the realisation of the policy impact from the research. T |
| Impact | A policy briefing that was circulated to the invited members of the private roundtable: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/psychiatry/sites/psychiatry/files/school_attendance_and_elective_home_education_one_year_after_covid-19_research_with_children_with_neurodevelopmental_conditions.pdf The policy brief included not only the policy-relevant research findings but a set of recommendations that were drawn from the policy roundtable discussions with educational policy makers across all 4 UK nations. . |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Engagement with SEND leads, Designated Clinical Officers, Designated Medical Officers, Children's Health Commissioners and regional parent carer forum representatives from across the country |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I was invited to run a workshop on 'School non-attendance among UK autistic children and adolescents' sharing the findings from our previous research and discussing the (at the time) ongoing ESRC study with SEND Policy leads, DCOs/DMOs and others (see title). The workshop took place in the context of regular termly training events run by the National Children's Bureau and in particular the Council for Disabled Children, National Event training series. These events address senior professional practitioners and aim to update the sector, share knowledge and best practice. The event was run by Dame Christine Lenehan. Director of the Council for Disabled Children. The aim of the workshop was to raise awareness on issues and research evidence in this area but also have a discussion about Elective Home Education, that would help our research team gather information to shape our recruitment approach (a number of the people in the audience sit in panels reviewing EHE applications by parents of children with SEND). A secondary aim was to support recruitment to our study by sharing the ongoing study and asking participants to share it with their networks if they thought it could reach parents directly. Approximately 50 people attended the event. The discussion that followed included (a) further information on our research findings (b) discussion about the EHE trends witnessed on the ground by participants (c) suggestions from the audience on how to refine our approach to recruit to our EHE survey (biggest impact identified below). Following the workshop, there was also support with dissemination for participant recruitment from members of the audience. The video of the workshop is available in CDC's Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QeUpa_G0cY). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/work-us/events-training/events-training-calendar/cdc-natio... |
| Description | Presentation of evidence to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism (APPGA) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Invited to present evidence from the study on school attendance problems during COVID-19 at the January regular meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism (APPGA; https://www.parliament.uk/about/mps-and-lords/members/apg/) The APPGA meeting was chaired by Huw Merriman MP. The meeting included a presentation by the the Minister Will Quince, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education on the upcoming SEND review as well as a discussion with the audience on the most pressing issues being currently faced by families of autistic children and young people. It was attended by approx 80 people including parents, teachers, charitable organisations and other autism stakeholders. I presented evidence from our school attendance problems study and participated in the discussion about recommendations for next steps in relation to improving the experiences of autistic children in education and implications for the SEND review. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/campaign/england/how-we-work-with-parliament/all-party-parliame... |
| Description | UK 4 Nations: Private Policy Roundtable |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Approximately 50 education policy makers and education practitioners across the 4 UK nations participated in a private roundtable to hear about the findings of the research and then discuss the implications of the findings so as to make national policy recommendations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.ucl.ac.uk/psychiatry/sites/psychiatry/files/school_attendance_and_elective_home_educatio... |
| Description | inews article |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The journalist Tow Bawden ran a piece on our research for inews, a national newspaper with a physical and online presence. The article aimed to increase awareness of the problems faced by these families during COVID-19 while also helping recruitment to our study. One of the most significant impacts for us was a big spike in recruitment. there was also activity on social media indicating wider engagement with the public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://inews.co.uk/news/science/researchers-are-looking-for-parents-of-children-with-autism-for-cov... |