Resilient pupils will come out of crisis stronger

THE media is flooded with articles about how the pandemic is negatively impacting on our children and young people.

As headteacher of a high school and sixth form that prioritises mental health and well-being, you’d expect me to be saying more of the same. But no. I’d like to offer a more positive outlook.

Obviously the home schooling situation is far from ideal – there’s absolutely no substitute for that face-to-face contact with teachers.

However, the education system has adapted and delivery of academic content has actually been the easiest element to get right in all this.

The examination uncertainty is frustrating, however at least year groups are in the same position together. Children are able to catch up surprisingly quickly and we’re all learning how to work smarter.

What’s been most difficult to replicate is an aspect of school which is arguably just as important as learning – the social side.

Our young people are not only having less interaction with friends and teachers – they’re missing out on big milestones too. School trips, awards evenings, proms. This is not sounding so positive you might say?

Well, the good news is in how they’re dealing with all of this and bouncing back.

Those sharing doom and gloom underestimate the energy and optimism of the younger generations. They’re often more capable and willing to deal with change, and when faced with disappointment, soon pick themselves up and move on to what’s next.

Our young people will also have gained skills through all of this. Not only in terms of technical, IT capability (let’s face it they were always streets ahead here anyway), but also in terms of creativity and adaptability.

They’ve developed clever new ways of socialising and learning from home. And most importantly, they’ve shown resilience.

The word resilience is getting banded around a lot at the moment.

Basically, it’s their ability to cope with difficult situations and hardship.

They’ll have learnt so much about themselves recently, and by discovering what strategies help them face challenges, they’ll be more able to cope with difficulties in the future.

But they cannot do this alone – they still need our help and support. Parents can help by supporting effective learning routines, looking out for changes in behaviour, and encouraging sharing of feelings (and that doesn’t have to be by talking). Meanwhile as a school we’ll continue to encourage pupils to be aware of their well-being and the well-being of others, and to reach out for help and support if required.

Undoubtedly the biggest thing we can all do to help is show positivity and resilience ourselves. Positive thoughts are said to attract positive outcomes and the opposite applies too.

Don’t think for a second that our children and young people aren’t picking up on the dinner table conversations, news bulletins and social media feeds.

Let’s make sure the key message they take away is that yes, this is incredibly tough. However they’re doing really well and making us proud. Things will get better and they will come out the other side stronger than before.