Most primary schoolteachers think children’s attention spans are getting shorter and classroom behaviour has deteriorated since before the Covid pandemic, a survey has found.
More than two in three (70%) teachers questioned said pupils’ behaviour in class had declined. Children were more likely to move around the room, complain about being bored and annoy or provoke others in the classroom, the poll showed.
The survey of 504 primary and early years teachers in schools in England by the online subject resource Kapow Primary found that 84% agreed that children’s attention span was “shorter than ever” post-Covid. Nearly two-thirds (69%) had noticed an increase in inattention and daydreaming.
Tiffnie Harris, a primary and data specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, said the findings reflected the challenging behaviour school leaders were reporting.
“There seems to be a long-term impact of the disruption of the pandemic to normal routines and expectations,” she said. “On top of this is the rising incidence of mental health and wellbeing problems among children, which is exacerbated by the impact of the cost of living crisis on families and the pressures created by social media.”
Harris urged the government to do much more to understand the problems around behaviour and provide more investment and support to schools and families.
