Emotional fallout from disruption and uncertainties

Preparing for big day back at the chalkface

The full reopening of schools in England on March 8 is a key step out of lockdown and towards a return to normal life. The last two months have been tough for parents, children and teachers with research from the Children's Commissioner for England revealing that a total of 840 million days of face-to-face schooling will have been lost by the time schools fully re-open.

This has meant a loss of routine, structure, friendships and activities for millions of children and a stressful juggling act for their parents who have had to combine working from home with homeschooling. Returning to school will be a big adjustment for everyone and, as a society, we need to recognise that there will be emotional fall-out from the disruption and uncertainties of the pandemic.

Children with existing mental health problems will undoubtedly have suffered while, for others, the last year will have meant additional pressures and a lack of routine that will have adversely affected their mental health. There have been more than 122,000 coronavirus deaths so far, which will mean loss and grief in almost every community. Teachers will be facing more than just disruption to their pupils' education. They will need to deal with young people who may be severely traumatised having endured bereavement, witnessed family arguments or even domestic abuse or been worried about financial stress because of redundancy or furlough in the family.

Click here to view the full article from the Western Morning News, published on 5 March 2021.

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Reduced anxiety and behavioural incidents. Calmer classrooms filled with engaged leaners. Improved relationships with parents and carers. These are just some of the outcomes reported by settings embedding Thrive’s whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing. Are you ready to join them? Click here to get started.