Horror lockdown impact on students

A growing number of Victorian students have begun refusing to attend school after enduring six lockdowns throughout the pandemic.

The phenomenon is known as school refusal and involves children developing such deep anxiety, they feel unable to attend their classes or campus.

John Chellew, who runs the School Refusal Clinic in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda, said he’s seen a doubling in presentations to his clinic since the state’s lockdowns ended in 2021.

“School refusal is a symptom of a mental health problem … so there’s a broader issue,” Mr Chellow told 3AW.

“Two to five per cent of kids all over Australia, and actually over the western world, have anxiety-related school avoidance difficulties – that means they’re not getting to school every day.”

Mr Chellew said the issue is challenging students across all year levels, but is most prevalent for those at the start and end of their school journey.

“It’s age five and six, kids who have separation anxiety who are used to being at home with mum instead of going to school,” he said.

He also said it impacts Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) students – those in years 11 and 12.

Mr Chellew went on to say the practice causes and is caused by “a whole bunch of complicated behaviours”.

In 2020, the Kids Helpline recorded lockdowns and remote learning drove a surge in calls to the service, along with higher numbers in 2021.

More than one-quarter of young people who experienced lockdowns met the criteria for experiencing psychological distress in 2020, according to a Mission Australia youth survey.

In Melbourne, school students endured 251 days of lockdowns, compared to the average for Australian children of 60 days.