The start of a new school year always brings with it a mixed bag of emotions for many parents as well as for the children.

This year those emotions are likely to be all over the place as 2020 has not exactly been a normal year so far and there is nothing particularly normal about the start of this new school year!

Every child no matter their age or from whatever background will have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic in some way. Each child will have their own story and their own struggles that they will be trying to deal with.

They may be:

• Dealing with bereavement
• Coping with a family breakdown
• Struggling with parents that have lost their jobs
• Feeling disconnected from friends
• Worried about bullying
• Experiencing online bullying whilst at home and scared to go back to school
• Worried about all the new rules around social distancing
• Scared that they have fallen behind with school work

Is it safe for my child to go to school?

Children are at very low risk of becoming ill from coronavirus. Coronavirus hasn’t gone away completely, but because we all stayed at home there is a lot less of it around at the moment. This means that the Government has decided it is safe for children to go back to school. To make sure it is as safe as possible, there will be some changes to school life.

As things change, it’s important to ensure that children are kept safe and that children, parents, carers and staff feel supported.

Do you know how your child feels about going back to school?

Are they scared? Nervous? Anxious? Or just excited to see their friends & teachers? 

Please take the time to talk to your child about how they feel and to address any concerns that they may have. 

Every school will be using different methods to make the environment as Covid-safe as possible, but some things for your child to get used to may include:

• Being in a ‘bubble’ of pupils – probably their own class or year group – with each bubble being kept separate from others, as far as possible.
• A different classroom set-up, with desks facing the front.
• Being dropped and picked up from the school gate instead of the playground. Starting and finishing school at different times.
• Eating lunch in their classroom, which may mean that no hot lunches are on offer.
• No whole-school assemblies.
• One-way systems around school.
• Designated areas of the playground for each bubble, with minimal crossover.
• A bigger focus on regular hand-washing and hand-sanitising.

Talk through these changes with your child, most schools will have also emailed parents with the changes that they will be making so take the time to understand what your child can expect.

We have put together a list of resources that are available that your child may find helpful .

Back To School Guide

Back to School Videos

Return to School Activities

For primary school children there are some really good activities to help them process and think about things that will have changed at school at www.mrsmactivity.co.uk