Prepare your new school starter for education during a turbulent 2020
Children starting Reception in September will have missed out on transitional activities but help is at hand
Starting school can be both exciting and daunting for children and their parents, but with Covid-19 restrictions effecting the usual settling in activities, there is advice and reassurance available for parents hoping to put their little one at ease and help with the transition.
Home visits from their teachers, trips to the school and settling-in sessions with a chance to meet their new classmates have most likely been cancelled this year due to social distancing, so parents of four-year-olds due to start school in September may be concerned their child will struggle with the transition.
Zuzu Jordan, a parent herself and a primary school teacher in Sussex for 16 years, has some helpful advice for parents looking to help their children make the move to their new Reception class smoothly.
During lockdown, Zuzu created a Facebook page for home schooling parents and it includes a wealth of advice for teaching children during the pandemic and looking after your child’s mental health.
Zuzu said: “For the little ones who have never been to school it is all about transition and there is bound to be some anxiety there.
“I think parents could maybe put together a transition book - take a picture of your child’s new school or download one from the website, you will probably be able to find a photo of their teacher, the head teacher and lunchtime assistants on the website too and put it all together in a little book. This will really help to familiarise your child with those faces they will meet when they start school and hopefully put them at ease.
“Talk and show them their uniform and just try to make it all familiar.”
Zuzu says there are many books to help with anxiety and recommends Too many pants by Ruth Drury, who has contributed to Zuzu’s Facebook advice page during lockdown.
Zuzu has another tip for parents to help children deal with the worries they may have.
She said: “Children need to talk about their worries otherwise they just carry them around but often, especially for very little children, a touch and feel approach can work best.
“You can buy, or make your own, worry bag. It is a bag that the children put their worries in and then the worry monster can gobble them up or the parent can carry the worries around instead of the child.
“Also, try to encourage your child to take something in with them to show their teacher as a talking point. It could be any little thing they have done. Any arts, crafts or stories you may have read to them.”
Children need to talk about their worries otherwise they carry them around
ZUZU JORDAN Teacher
Many parents are also struggling to explain coronavirus to their young children or are having concerns about their child starting school while the virus and social distancing measures are still present.
Zuzu said: “The Department for Education is constantly reviewing the processes in schools so come September, over the summer period, they will have worked hard and they will know what works and what doesn’t work. It should all be more efficient.
“They have a duty of care , so they are also looking more closely at mental health issues for all children returning to school after an extended period at home during lockdown - that is not just new starters but all children who have been at home during the pandemic.”
Sarah Sutherland head of pre-prep at Windlesham House School near Pulborough, says children will be able to understand the restrictions in place and will quickly become used to the new normal.
She said, “Although four to five years-olds will be increasingly developing their language skills, they don’t have the ability to analyse and interpret information in the same way that adults do, but the truth is, they don’t need to. Most experts agree that younger children don’t need to be exposed to unnecessary information, but only the details that will keep them and their peers safe. Schools will be taking the same approach, by educating younger children on the things they need to do to stay safe in the classroom.
“Young children do understand about spreading germs, ‘getting sick’, they will resonate with what it is like to feel poorly and why you take medicine to feel better etc. What they fear the most at this age is usually separation from their parents. Answer questions if they crop up, but speak in their language and keep it very simple and relevant to them.
“When it comes to starting school in a socially distanced world, routine and reassurance is key for younger children.
“Lots of activities will become the new norm in school, from learning outdoors more often to washing hands and playing in smaller groups. Where parents can replicate some of this at home, the child will be more used to those activities.”
It is not just the new starters that may struggle to adapt, all school pupils will be having to get used to changes when they return and many will be moving up to a new school in September.
Simon Liley, headteacher at the Angmering School in Littlehampton, said: “We at The Angmering School are delighted that the government has now published the guidance for schools to reopen to all students in September.
“We are working hard to coordinate our response, ensuring that student and staff safety and well being are at the heart of the plan. There are going to be some logistical challenges in creating bubbles within a secondary school but after such a long time without seeing so many of our students we are really excited to be planning for their full return.”
Adam Whitehead, headteacher and the Bohunt Worthing School, said he was pleased to receive some government guidance and was also looking forward to planning a safe return.
He said: ”At Bohunt School Worthing throughout lockdown we have managed to support our students with excellent provision; whether in or out of school.
“It is good to finally have guidance from the government which we can work with to implement for September.
“Getting all students back to school, so long as it is safe, has always been our goal. We now have a number of weeks of hard work in order to plan how this can be done for our local context.
“We are fortunate to part of the Bohunt Education Trust, which means we will be able to share planning and expertise in order to produce the safest and most effective plan for return.
“There are many challenges inherent in achieving this so that all students receive the best education possible.”
To find out more about Zuzu Jordan’s Facebook page, which has been recognised by the Department of Education, visit www.facebook.com/ edumateuk.
Lots of activities will become the new norm in school
SARAH SUTHERLAND Head of pre-prep at Windlesham House