The pandemic has affected every Australian in some way, but many disadvantaged students need extra support this year to help them get back to school.

The Smith Family, Australia’s largest children’s education charity, and not-for-profit donation platform GIVIT, are both launching their back to school appeals today and are calling on communities in the ACT and across the country to help support young children in need.

GIVIT is launching its year-round Ready to Learn Appeal, while The Smith Family is launching its 2022 Back to School Appeal.

GIVIT Ready to Learn Appeal

GIVIT CEO Sarah Tennant said that education needs can arise at any time and can include stationery, digital devices or uniforms.

“GIVIT is calling for donations of educational materials for students and families in need of support,” Ms Tennant said.

“This includes traditional back to school items for primary and high school but also requests from organisations on behalf of TAFE and university students, international students or refugees looking to improve their skills.”

Requests on the GIVIT platform have doubled since the beginning of the pandemic with almost 14,000 items currently needed across Australia for the new appeal.  

“There are a lot of families this year that simply can’t afford to purchase school booklists. Many have lost work during the pandemic, or are suffering financial hardship as a result of domestic violence or a natural disaster,” she said.

“Education is key to breaking to the cycle of poverty. At GIVIT we’re committed to ensuring all Australians have the tools they need to learn.”

The most requested items include exercise books, stationery, school bags, lunch boxes, drink bottles and laptops. School shoes, school uniforms, and vouchers to purchase these items are also often requested. 

GIVIT’s donation platform makes matching education related needs with generous donors easy and convenient; 100% of donated money received is used to purchase essential items and services.

To donate to this appeal, visit givit.org.au/ready-to-learn

The Smith Family 2022 Back to School Appeal

The Smith Family work across four communities in the ACT: Belconnen, Tuggeranong, Gungahlin, and Murrumbidgee (Woden, Weston Creek and Molonglo Valley).

Within these areas, the charity support 840 families, equating to 1,816 students, of whom 437 identify as Aboriginal. The total number of students receiving support is expected to grow to 2,100.

The split between primary and high school pupils sits around 50/50.

According to The Smith Family, thousands of young Australians require additional support so they can catch up with their peers and recover lost learning in the wake of lockdowns and remote learning.

Across Australia, the charity needs to find 5,200 new sponsors for their Learning for Life program, which provides vital emotional, financial, and practical support for children during their education.

The Smith Family CEO, Doug Taylor, said the significant and persistent gaps in disadvantaged children’s learning, compared with their more affluent peers, is extremely worrisome.

This disadvantage has been compounded in the past two years because of some long periods of disrupted learning.

“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,” Mr Taylor said.

“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. This can and must be addressed through the use of evidenced-based initiatives involving students, parents, schools and community organisations.”

The Smith Family has highlighted five fundamentals this year that children and young people need the most to help them through the challenges of the new school year:

School essentials

To keep children connected to their learning, particularly children experiencing disadvantage, they must be provided with the tools and resources they need. These children tend to miss out on things essential for their learning such as uniforms, books and school supplies, a computer or learning device, internet at home, and school excursions.

Target learning support

Research showed that young people who are experiencing disadvantage can be up to three years behind their peers in core subjects including literacy and numeracy. This research was conducted before the pandemic, so this gap has most likely widened even further. When these children have additional support to assist them in their learning, it helps them catch up to their peers and keep up in school.

Support and engagement from parents and carers

Teaching and helping parents to gain the skills and knowledge to successfully engage and assist in their child’s learning is known to make a significant difference to their child’s school success as well as future employment opportunities. Engaged parents can actively support their child’s learning, celebrate their progress, better understand what their child needs, and reinforce the value of learning.

Digital access

The digital world is moving fast, and that includes within the education sector. Many students don’t have access to devices or adequate data to gain the required or necessary online learning resources, immediately putting them at a disadvantage when compared with their peers. During Covid-19 lockdowns, the move to online and remote learning and the reliance on digital devices and the internet has only increased the gap between disadvantaged and advantaged students. All students should have equal and adequate access to data and devices.

Having their voices heard

Students may be feeling a heightened level of anxiety about the return to school this year, and they need to be listened to in order to make their year a success. Adults need to speak to children to fully understand the issues they are facing, particularly around their mental health and emotional wellbeing.

“Every child deserves the chance to learn, do well at school, and succeed in life. And every student needs strong supports to do this – at school, at home and in their communities. These five key things are the basic building blocks that every child needs to unlock the potential offered through their education,” Mr Taylor said.

“But unfortunately, there are still thousands of children across Australia who do not have these essentials and we’re worried it will be those who can least afford it, who will continue to struggle the most at school in 2022.”

The President of the Australian Secondary Principals Association (ASPA), Andrew Pierpoint, stressed that children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing must be a priority this 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,” Mr Pierpoint said.

Until 6 February, Australians can also donate at Officeworks or online to help change the lives of students who need it most.

To sponsor a student today through The Smith Family Back to School Appeal go to thesmithfamily.com.au/sponsor-a-child

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