By Brendan Rees
A leading Berwick primary school principal says preps shouldn’t have to repeat a year of school following months of remote learning as it would have negative impacts.
Henry Grossek, who has been principal at Berwick Lodge Primary School for 31 years, said remote learning “shouldn’t be a reason” to repeat children, which may contribute to issues of low self-esteem, as well as emotional or social difficulties.
“When we repeat kids: Is the benefit of repeating going to worth having them taken away from their age-group peers in the classroom with whom they already have sort of a bond? The answer is you really need something quite drastic for children to repeat,” he said.
His comments come as the principal of Dandenong North Primary School, Kevin McKay, believed many preps would need to repeat their school year after losing at least half a year of essential development.
Mr Grossek said while Mr McKay raised a “worthwhile topic for public discussion”, he did not believe the “majority of people would agree with him”.
“I certainly don’t support that approach. Kevin’s an experienced well-respected principal and he’s probably speaking on behalf of his community,” he said.
While Mr Grossek acknowledged the pandemic had presented challenges and that some children and parents were coping with remote learning better than others, he did not anticipate more children repeating in 2021.
“Our starting point in the classes is to keep children as best as you can with their age-group peers,” he said.
“What we’ve noticed and it seems to be a trend, is it’s the lack of their peer group friends (that) seems to be having a bigger impact.
“The other issue that we sometimes forget is that whilst adults make decisions quite rightly on behalf of children, it is the children in this case who would have to repeat and deal with the potential consequences. In this case it more than likely be negative.”
This was a sentiment also echoed by Julie Sonnemann, a school education fellow at the Grattan Institute, who said “research clearly shows that repeating a year has a negative effect on students’ learning given the stigma surrounding it”.
She said schools should invest in “catch-up efforts” in term four and early next year, with small group tutoring and targeted literacy and numeracy interventions.
“Schools should also modify the curriculum over prep and year one to help as many students continue to move forward.”
A spokesperson for the Education Department said it did not expect an increase in the number of prep students repeating in 2021.
“Our teachers and schools are doing an outstanding job identifying students who may need additional support and put in place targeted learning strategies for those who need it,” the spokesperson said.
“The Department is also currently considering new ways to support students who have not made as much learning progress as others during the pandemic and will provide schools with advice about the most effective interventions that will support them catch up.”
