HealthThe Guardian

Monday briefing: What will it take to turn around our struggling education system?

A new book and global research highlight a growing crisis in young people's engagement with learning, pointing to screens, social media and declining mental health.

In today’s newsletter: With attendance and engagement declining and growing pressure on pastoral care, helping young people rediscover their love for learning requires a new lesson plan

The Long Sip
What happened

A newsletter feature explores why young people are disengaging from learning, drawing on a new book called The Disengaged Teen and recent global research.

The detail

A global study found an association between more screen time and lower academic achievement and poorer language development in children, the article reports.

What it means

The UK has already banned phones during the school day and will block under-16s from major social media platforms from spring next year.

For you

A global study published last week found an association between increased screen exposure and lower academic achievement and poorer language development in children, experts say.

Full story at The Guardian

What readers are saying

Audrey
What strikes me is the shift in how pupils describe their experience. Going from 65% saying they're happy at school down to 50% in one year is a real alarm bell. That's not a gradual drift - something material has changed in how schools feel to be in, and we should be asking what specifically happened between 2023 and 2024.
Diaza
The 42% to 28% engagement drop in three years is striking.
CoastalMargs
The fact that kids feel worse now than they did during the lockdowns is such a worry. It really shows that we need to look at the school environment itself rather than just blaming the pandemic. 🌼
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