Hello all our families and friends,ย
Iโm Donna an Early Years Practitioner and Henry Facilitator. I run Stay & Play sessions and other parent and child sessions at our Children and Family Centres.ย
The closure of schools has been difficult for many children and their families. Parents have found themselves wearing the hat of parent and teacher. Juggling home schoolingย and workย alongside maintaining family life and routineย can beย a challenge. Lockdown has affectedย usย all, and I admit I have found my own mental health frayed at times, but with schools reopening weย canย look ahead to a life beyond lockdown. Withย the roadmapย out of lockdown startingย soon, we willย hopefullyย be seeing some sort of normalityย returning toย dailyย life andย routine over the coming weeks and months.ย
Letโs talk aboutย going back toย school.ย
As schools acrossย England will be opening in March, and children will again be returning to a setting after months away, how can we help themย prepareย forย their return?ย ย ย
Does my child have to go back toย schoolย on March 8th?ย ย
Yes, all children will be requiredย to return from March 8thย unless they are extremely clinically vulnerable. This means that it is your legal duty as a parent to send your child (if they are of compulsory school age) to school.ย
How do I know that it will be safe?ย
Schools have had lots of experience on keeping the school buildings, staff and children safe over the last year and they will be working extra hard over the next two weeks to make sure the school and procedures are safe for all staff and children to return.ย Each school has different procedures for morning drop-off and afternoonย pick-up,ย and they will make you aware of these before your child starts or returns.ย ย
Someone in my house is shielding does my child still have to return?ย ย
If you, someone in your household or yourย child isย extremelyย clinically vulnerableย have a chat with your school and see if they can keep your child safe.ย With all children in England expected to be in school there are new, and sometimes changing rules, in place to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus and classrooms may feel and look very different.ย
Will my child be safe when they return?ย ย
To ensure children, staff and parents have a smooth and safe transition,ย each nursery, pre-school and school will do their own health and safety risk assessment as part of their planning before reopening. They will have spent these two weeks implementingย a range of protective measures to help reduce any risks, ensuring children still receive the best possible care, support and education in a safe learning environment.ย These will probably be sent to you via email before term restarts so you and your child know howย or ifย things have changedย since last term.ย ย
Many childcare settings have created a walk-through of their setting to help support children and families with the transition back. It explains all new health and safety procedure such as:ย
- One-way systems for entering and leaving the setting when dropping off and collecting children.ย
- Hygiene procedures like hand washing when enteringย
- Food preparation & lunch time routines.ย
- Toilet routinesย
- PPE such as face coveringsย
- Settling your child inย
My child is really excited to go back to school and I know itโs the right thing but Iโm still nervousย ย
For many parents the prospect of sending their child back to school can be a daunting time. You may have concerns aboutย their safety,ย what your childโs day will look like and how they will cope with any changes, or you might be worried about how your childโs health and other care needs will be met while they are there, and if they will be safe. This is perfectly natural and you definitely arenโt alone.ย ย
When the time comes for your child to return to school itโsย OKย to feel anxious about the new changes that will be required for you and your child. Orย you may feel very ready to send your child back and thatโsย OKย too. There are no right or wrong waysย to feel about it. As parents we should trust our feelings and be secure in our knowledge that we are our childโs first educators and know them better than anyone else.ย
Children are incredibly resilient and adapt really quickly to changes. Most will be so excited to see their friends, teachers or other staff that many possibly wonโt even notice any changes too much, they may even prefer them!ย ย
The last few months have been full of change for most of us, but the one thing that has been constant in your childโs life is you! As their parent, you have been there to carry out and implement new routines and rituals. Explain and help them overcome any worries or fears they may have about all the changes they have seen due to the pandemic.ย
You have been there to nurture them with comfort, support and most importantly your love. You have done a wonderful and sometimes challenging job of keeping you and your family safe and now because of the love, care and support your child has received from you during these challenges months they are now ready to return to, or start a new school and some semblance of normality, even if youโre crying inside at the thought of them returning or leaving them all day! They will be fine. Children are a lot more resilient than we thinkย
My child was due to start school in January, how will they make sure that theyโre settling in well?ย
Settling your child in gradually is often the best approach, as it gives them time to adjust and familiarise themselves with their new environment, people and routines.ย Unfortunately, COVID-19 may have required some changesย to your schoolโs usual processย due to the size ofย school,ย size of the buildings availableย and to keep all children, staff and parents safe.ย Social distancing guidelinesย will continueย but may be a little different toย the last time you talked toย your childโs school.ย Any changes to theirย settling in policy will be explained to you along with all their policies and procedures during your childโs induction and you will get the opportunity to ask any questions or concerns you may have regarding your child settling.ย This may be a little different to what you were expecting but your child will not know this and will adapt to whatever the new process is.ย ย
The more information you receive from your childโs setting or school about their settling in and transition procedures before your child starts the better prepared you and your child will be. One way to help you and your child with the transition is to walk or drive past the setting or school together, to familiarise them with what their new school or setting looks like, where it is, how they get there and how long the journey takes.ย
Young children are easily distracted, and it doesnโt take professional, experienced staff long to find something that interests them to distract your child if they start to cry. So,ย even if your little one is crying when you leave them, the chances are that a few minutes later they will be engrossed in an activity.ย
When you say goodbye to your child, childcare professionalsย donโt recommend a long-draw-out goodbye. Let your child know youโre leaving and that you will be returning to collect them soon. Itโs best not to leave your child without letting them know as this may cause them stress and think you have left them for good. The longer you hang around the longer your child thinks thereโs a chance they are going home again with you. As soon as youโre gone your child will accept theyโre staying for the day and settle well. A top tip is to keep it quick even if your child is crying.ย
Some children who appeared to settle into theirย nursery or schoolย easily and with little fuss at the start, may regress later and become tearful when left. This is common, so try not to worry, itโs not that they donโt like it, it just a stage they are going through. be patient and give lots of reassurance and, in time, things should settle down again.ย
Remember,ย your childโsย schoolย is professional,ย caring andย experienced and will have seen most scenarios and settled many, many children in. Theyโll know what your child needs and how to comfort them and have worked with children with a diverse range of developmental and emotional needs.ย
You know your child better than anyone, and your childโs schoolย will work with you and your child to ensure that the settling in period is as smooth and stress free as possible for all involved.ย
My child has a SEND (Special Educational Need or Disability) will they get the support that they need or is outlined in their EHC Plan?ย
If your child hasย aย SEND or an EHC planย and youโre concerned that they may struggle with things not being as they need them to beย send an email to the SENCO (they may be too busy preparing to answer the phone) and ask how the provision on the plan will be delivered.ย They will be able to reassure you about how the provision will be offered so you have plenty of time to reassure your child how things might be a little bit different.ย ย
Dealing with your childโs emotionsย ย
Every child is unique, and the way they settle into the new rules around their current school will vary, depending on their individuality, personality, and emotional resilience. Some will settle with little fuss and no tears, while others may cry a lot, which can be distressing for parents.ย ย
My child isย nervous about going back to school, how do I reassure them?ย
Some older children who have listened to news bulletins, heard lots of talk about COVID-19 or suffered a bereavement during the last few monthsย may have their own worries,ย many of which may be based upon misunderstandingsย of what they have heard. If your child seems worried about going back to school,ย it can be good to have a chat with them aboutย exactly whatย theyโre worried aboutย rather than just telling them theyโll be fine.ย You may find out that you can reassure them really easily by explaining how the school is working to keep everyone safe or talking about the vaccine. Try to keep it simple and age appropriate and remind them of all the positive things about school that they may have missed such as their friends, favourite teacher or something simple such as a lesson they enjoy. Youโll probably find that theyโll be much happier to return. Encouraging them to come and have a chat with you if theyโre worried after theyโve returned to school keeps lines of communication open and will ensure that theyโre not worrying on their own. 2
Brave Families is a Body & Soul initiative launched a website to support you and your family during these ever changing and uncertain times we are all living through. It is a fun and engaging resource, introducing you to short and easy to access activities that build resilience and connection.
Managing the morning rushย
For many parents the morning routineย andย getting children ready for school can be stressful, especially as weโve all gotten out of the routine!ย There areย a fewย things you can do to make this less stressful, below are a few tips that may help:ย
- Set out your childโs clothes the night before.ย
- Pack their school bag the night before.ย ย
- Prepare packedย lunches and snacks the night before.ย
- Do a trial run one morning before theyย go backย –ย to time how long itย NOWย takes your child to get up, wash, brush their teeth and hair, have breakfast and get dressed including putting on their shoes ready to leave.ย They may have got quickerย as theyโre now a bit olderย or may be a bit slower than they used to be after being out of the routine for so long! Aย lot of the school run stress is due to adults not allowing enough time for children to get ready.ย ย
- Ensure your children have a good bedtime routineย andย are going to bed at a reasonable time, so that they are getting enough sleep and rest. This will help them get up in time. An over-tired child is not a happy one.ย
I hope this has been helpful, look out for tips on helping your child return and adjust to their new school routine on our website, Facebook and Instagram pagesย
Have a great weekย
Take careย
Donnaย
