An exploration of the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on ASN primary schools’ application of nurturing approaches in practice

Abstract

This paper examines the experiences of teachers working within two additional support needs primary schools during the Covid-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, 150 countries were forced to close schools, many remained open but only to a minimal number of children and young people (UNESCO, 2020). For this reason, educators were looked upon to provide alternate means of interaction with and education to CYP. The researchers adopted a social constructivist epistemology and used semi-structured interviews to explore the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on teachers’ ability to apply nurturing approaches since restrictions were implemented in March 2020, up until the time of the interviews in May 2021. Thematic analysis of the data identified four overarching themes: relationships are key to establishing and maintaining a nurturing environment, the role of the parent, the need for adaptability, flexibility, and consistency, and the importance of prioritising the health and wellbeing of CYP now and moving forwards. Participants also expressed that they felt an increased understanding of both educator and parental roles had been achieved as a result of home learning, which it is hoped will contribute to strengthened educator and parental relationships moving forwards. Limitations of the research, alongside implications for practice and future research are considered.