The Smith Family launches its 2022 Back to School Appeal, calling for extra support to help thousands of young Australians in need re-engage with their education in the wake of Covid-19.
Thousands of Australian children will start the new school year behind, requiring additional support to catch up with their peers and recover lost learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic, The Smith Family said.
As the nation’s largest children’s education charity launches its 2022 Back to School Appeal, The Smith Family is calling on Australians to support children in need.
The children’s education charity needs to find 5,200 new sponsors for their Learning for Life program that provides vital emotional, financial and practical support, helping children to make the most of their education. And the charity says the need is greater than ever.
The Smith Family’s Chief Executive Officer, Doug Taylor is extremely worried about the persistent and significant gaps in learning between children experiencing disadvantage and their more affluent peers, which has compounded for some because of long periods of disrupted learning over the past two years.
“For the children we support, the return to school this year may be the toughest yet. We are particularly concerned about the students whose education has been significantly impacted during those critical transition years of early primary school and between primary and high school, and who’ve spent more time learning remotely than in the classroom, as they are at greater risk of disengaging with their learning.
“The Grattan Institute’s analysis of the 2021 NAPLAN results shows that students from disadvantaged backgrounds are not performing as well as other students in reading and numeracy. On average, Year 9 students from a disadvantaged background are more than four years behind their advantaged peers in reading in both NSW and Victoria. This can and must be addressed through the use of evidenced-based initiatives involving students, parents, schools and community organisations,” said Mr Taylor.
Andrew Pierpoint, President of the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association (ASPA), stressed that priority needs to be given to children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing in the new school year.
“Increasingly, more and more children and their families rely on additional support to make ends meet. Never before has our education system and organisations like The Smith Family faced challenges like the ones that have emerged over the past two years and will continue to emerge in 2022,” he said.
“As we approach a new school year, we must focus on supporting those students who have fallen behind to help them recover lost learning. But it is also vital that we provide the mental health and emotional wellbeing support that some students need, not just to adapt post lockdown, but to thrive. As a society we must recognise this need, work together and have ready to go support in place – now.”
To sponsor a student today through The Smith Family Back to School Appeal go to thesmithfamily.com.au/sponsor-a-child.
