Many children endure ongoing changes to their family dynamic, and divorce can be a particularly stressful one for a number of kids. The separation of a child’s parents can often lead to negative feelings including, loss, anger and confusion. While, most kids can bounce back from a divorce, others may experience long-term emotional and behavioural impacts.
With the recent introduction of no fault divorce in the UK, divorce rates have slowly begun to rise. This could mean even more kids are being affected by parental separation.
In this article, we’re going to explore the impact a divorce can have on children, including the ways in which it can affect their educational attainment.
How Might a Divorce Impact a Child?
When a couple divorces it can have major emotional and psychological impacts on any children involved. Often a divorce will mean big changes to the only life that the child has ever known, including a new place to live, unfamiliar childcare arrangements, having to make new friends and in some instances, having to change schools. Even with the best will in the world, it’s usually inevitable that during this transition children will, to an extent, have feelings of insecurity.
Can a Divorce Impact a Child’s Educational Attainment?
For most parents, their childrens’ education is a top priority. Most spend a significant amount of time, money and effort in ensuring that their kids have every possible advantage in life.
The idea that a divorce could infringe on all this good work can be distressing to say the least. In this section, we’ll be looking at ways that a divorce can impact a child’s education and how to avoid them:
Relocation
In some cases, it’s necessary for a child to change schools following a divorce. This can be unsettling and nerve-wracking for the child; on top of all the stress they’re currently going through with their parents separating.
In addition to this, the child will also be adjusting to the fact that they now have two homes. For some kids, this can be a difficult adjustment and will take time.
Focus
During and after a divorce, children will often feel distracted and worried, and this can have a direct knock-on effect on their ability to concentrate on their schoolwork. This can lead to slipping grades and, in extreme cases, being held back a year in order to catch up.
Behaviour
While some children of divorced parents will become distanced and withdrawn, others will deal with their feelings of anger and sadness by acting up. This will sometimes take the form of disruptive behaviour in the classroom or bullying of other children. In worst cases, this could result in suspension or even expulsion which can dramatically affect the child’s opportunities for further education.
How to Avoid Educational Impact During Divorce
Parents going through a divorce can safeguard their child’s education in a few ways, including:
- Minimise upheaval – Where possible, it’s important to keep the child’s life as normal as possible. Therefore, a change of school should be made only if absolutely necessary.
- Teacher talk – Without oversharing, it’s a good idea to speak to your child’s teacher to make them aware of the divorce and to ask them to perhaps pay closer attention to the child than usual.
- Talking it over – During and after a divorce, encourage your child to talk to you about how they’re feeling and what’s going on with them. Often a child will feel that they don’t want to ‘burden’ their parents during a divorce which can lead to frustration and a feeling of isolation.
- A united front – Whatever the circumstances of a divorce, it’s important that both parents remain civil in front of the child and present a united front where the child is the focus for both.
- Counselling – In cases where a child is struggling, it’s often helpful to seek out a counsellor who will be able to help the child sort through their feelings regarding the divorce.
Making the Adjustment
We’re often told that children are extremely resilient and while this is often true, it’s also true that, just like adults, children will lose focus and concentration when faced with an upsetting life change. By talking to your child about the divorce and making sure that they are being supported at school, you can help to make sure that their education doesn’t become a casualty of the divorce.
Please be advised that this article is for general informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for advice from a trained legal professional. Be sure to consult a child or divorce lawyer/solicitor if you’re seeking advice on child or divorce law. We are not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.
