Returning to school after lockdown - a parent roadmap

Going back to school after the COVID-19 lockdown will come with its own challenges for parents and children. Being at home has, on one hand, allowed children more flexibility with learning and rest breaks and allowed for more one on one support (even if it is coming from over-stretched parents). Children who tend to be more on the anxious side of things will have found lockdown to be safer and less reason to worry. So returning to school may come with mixed feelings of excitement to see friends and getting out and/or fear and anxiety about how safe it will be, the workload and being away from home. It is important to communicate in our actions and words that not returning is not an option, but that you will be there to help and support them in whatever way you can to transition as smoothly as possible.

Here are some factors to consider and steps you can take to make the transition as smooth as possible:

Take care of your own mind-set. Your children will need you to be calm and able to listen to them when they need you. This means being able to be present and not have other worries or stresses that will interfere with how you interact with and are able to support them. They will need you at your best if/when they come to you for support both before they go back to school and in the period after they return.

Let them know they are safe. Let them know about the planned transition back to school and explain:

• · When it will happen for them

• · The reasons why it can happen based on medical advice

• · What the school is doing to ensure it will be very safe

• · How the majority of the population (especially school staff) will be fully vaccinated

• · How the government weighs up all the information from experts in all areas to ensure safety

• · That it is completely normal to have mixed emotions including fear, anger, and excitement and talk to them about those emotions and what the thoughts are surrounding them.

Practice good hygiene at home. Have them get into the habit of washing their hands with soap while singing happy birthday and coughing or sneezing into their elbow, wearing a mask etc. at home so that it is second nature when they return to school, reinforcing that they will be fine if they stick to what they already know and do.

Look out for sign of stress. When children become anxious or stressed it may show up in their actions such as being more clingy, being a lot quieter than usual or displaying more challenging behaviours. Try to look at what is behind the actions and talk to them about how they are feeling, that it is normal to feel uneasy and talk to them about what they might need in order to make the transition as easy as possible.

Worry about schoolwork. Some children may have found it easier to do their schoolwork during lockdown while others may have found it a lot harder. This may make some children worry about returning and being behind the rest of the class. They may even fear that they will have to answer for their quality or lack of work. If they do open up about this, discuss what would help them to be less worried before they go back. It may involve a discussion with the class teacher beforehand to help them feel okay.

Prepare them for the changes to school after lockdown. Keep them informed about the changes to school routines, wearing of masks, drop-off and pick-up, no parents on site and so on. You might even roleplay some aspects so that they can understand what’s happening. Ask them if there is anything that they are unsure about and even organise a discussion with the teacher for them to ask any questions they are concerned about e.g. the planned layout of the desks, what will the first day itinerary be. Ask your child what they think they might need to help make it easier for them to return. You might also prepare them for some talk about COVID19. Let them know that there is a lot of information swirling round, some true, some not true. Remind them of how and where it is best to get accurate information and that you are there to help them with that.

Set up normal routines before going back. Two weeks before the school return date you can begin adjusting times to start co-in siding with school routines. This includes bedtime and wake up times and meals times. The night before be really organised with packing of bags and uniforms laid out so that there is plenty of time in the morning for last minute changes or delays.

When they are back at school. Talk to them about how their day was, what went well, what didn’t go so well and what their thoughts are about tomorrow. Lockdown has probably allowed extra time for parents to connect with children. Try to find ways to incorporate special time for each child in the evenings so that you can maintain the same level of connection even though they are not with you as much as they were. The first few weeks you will probably find your child is more tired than usual so keep after school activities to a minimum initially.

Going back to school before siblings. It may be difficult for younger siblings to return earlier than the others who get to still work from home. Let them know that it is understandable to feel disappointed and that the older siblings will be returning soon as well. You might a fun activity such as going to the park or playing a game with all family members after school time so that they can look forward to it. Ensure that you avoid any fun activity or time with other family members while the sibling is at school.

Keep some new routines going. Lockdown would have created some new routines in family life. These may include some fun activities such as going for an afternoon walk or rituals such as having something special for afternoon tea. It may have also included setting new rules and limits which hopefully allowed for everyone to feel happy, safe and respected while at home together. It will be helpful to the children to try and continue these even after school goes back so that they don’t feel that going back to school is only associated with missing out or losing something they felt they had gained by being at home in lockdown.