• The New Zealand Principals’ Federation is urging more investment in learning support for children with behavioural and communication issues.
• President Leanne Otene highlighted the increasing problem, linking it the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Canterbury University’s Sarah Whitcombe-Dobbs emphasised early intervention and the negative impact of increased screen time on language development.

School principals say they’re grappling with growing numbers of new entrants with behaviour and oral communication issues - and believe the Covid-19 pandemic is to blame.

They’re calling for more investment in learning support to help address the problem.

An Education Review Office report released last year found teachers are seeing more children with poor language skills.

New Zealand Principals’ Federation President Leanne Otene said the problem is getting worse.

“This has been steadily increasing since the end of Covid, when we had a huge number of children coming into school that had not had early childhood because of the lockdowns.”

“That was overwhelming then, and it continues to be overwhelming.”

She said there’s been an increase in dysregulated behaviour and undiagnosed needs.

“It’s more prevalent in those children who have not had early childhood education, they’ve had no transition at all.”

“Our 5-year-olds are coming to school with oral language so low, we can’t communicate with them.”

“These children are swamping classrooms, and they are overwhelming teachers who quite frankly, are already burdened with a great deal of change at pace by this current Government.”

The Ministry of Education said it’s aware of the impacts of Covid-19 on learning and progress.

Operations and Integration leader, Sean Teddy said there are a range of services available for children experiencing behavioural and communication challenges and needing support.

“This includes our Ministry-delivered behaviour and communication service and support provided through the Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour service,” he said.

Teddy added examples of additional guidance on social and emotional learning for teachers are online.
Otene said this isn’t enough.

“This Government and previous Governments have not yet nailed how to support and resource schools adequately for learning support,” she said.

“It starts when those children are at early childhood, it does not start when they’re at primary school.”

“There needs to be supports for transitioning between early childhood and primary school.”

A report from education union, NZEI, recommends the Government to invest $2.5 billion in learning support services by 2030 to stop children in need sitting on waiting lists.

Otene said schools across New Zealand are grappling with the diverse needs of children without these services.
“This is an embarrassment for our country, the fact that we’re not looking after our most vulnerable children, resourcing their needs.”

She said there’s simply not enough specialists, psychologists, and people to help with transitioning plans.

“Learning support is the most important and critical issue that principals are dealing with right now. And we are really hoping that this budget, that we see an investment in learning support.”

Canterbury University Child and Family psychology lecturer, Sarah Whitcombe-Dobbs said children born during Covid-19 haven’t had the same development opportunities as others.

“It hugely depends on that immediate microsystem environment,” she said.

“So it depends on the parents or caregivers or grandparents or other whanau that children are living with, and the quality of that environment.”

She said there’s clear evidence that increased time on screens is associated with poor oral language development, which is a big predictor of long-term education outcomes.

“During Covid there were a lot more parents were needing to use screens more to entertain their children, but for children whose language is just emerging right from birth, there’s no developmental benefit to being on a screen.”

“We know that there’s there can be some harm because they’re not getting that exposure to reciprocal conversation.”

Whitcombe-Dobbs said early intervention would help kids struggling from these experience - but support services are lacking.

“If the Government chose to invest more into the supports for early childhood, particularly in specialist services, then we would see improvements.”