AFTER more than two months, schools are finally reopening for kids in Reception, Year One and Year Six on Monday.
But primary could look like a very different place compared with how it was before lockdown in March.
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There will be smaller classes and youngsters will be asked to sit further apart, stick to social-distancing rules and small groups at playtime.
After so long away, both you and your child could be worried about going back. More than two months is a long time to a young child.
It will also feel very different to starting a new term or returning after the school holidays. Those are defined periods, with clear beginnings and endings.
In school holidays parents can plan activities and socialise. This was sudden, and children at home were isolated from their peers.
If your child has mixed feelings, make it clear that worrying is natural, and may help to keep them safe by reminding them to stick to the new rules.
Most of all, remember that kids take their cues from you.
If you are positive and relaxed about them going back, they are more likely to be too. And it will help to keep things in perspective.
If you are concerned about your child catching Covid-19, remember that kids are still at very low risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus.
Bear in mind too that there are no signs of a spike in cases among pupils who have already gone back to school in countries such as Germany and Denmark — or that they are bringing home more infections.
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So how can you best get your child ready for the return to school?
Talk about it: Ask open questions like “What are you looking forward to?”, “What have you missed most?” and “What’s worrying you?” Just talking will feel comforting.
With Year Six children, go on to the school website and spend some time looking for answers together. Don’t dismiss any concerns, or tell your child they are being silly. Let them talk it out — and listen more than you speak.
Chat about what will be the same: Explain that while there may be some new rules, there are lots of ways that school will still be the same. It will still be in the same building and there will still be lessons and break times.
Make it clear though that it won’t be like flicking a switch, with everything going back to normal, but that going back before the summer holidays is the first step in that direction.
Explain practicalities: When new things aren’t explained, kids use a process called “magical thinking” to fill in the gaps, and they often jump to the wrong conclusions, which can worry them more.
To avoid this, talk about the practical ways in which schools will be different, like how class sizes will be smaller and desks further apart.
Explain why these are all changes that clever teachers, doctors and scientists have come up with so we can all beat the virus together — and keep them safer too.
Help them feel in control: Remind them of the new things they have learned during lockdown, by saying things such as: “I’ve noticed you’ve got really good at baking,” or “You’ve got really good at riding your bike.” When children feel competent and able to do things on their own they feel more confident about their abilities across their board. Also help them to feel like an important part of a team that is already beating the virus.
Put risk in perspective: If your child seems worried about catching Covid-19, explain that kids have super-strong bodies that fight off bugs the best.
Say that if they stick to the rules, it’s much less likely they will catch it, but even if they do, it will be like a bad cold, and that almost every child gets better.
Talk about germs: Explain that while they are too tiny to see, germs can travel. Get your child to put some glitter on their hands then do their activities. Then suggest they retrace their steps to see where all the glitter goes to show how easily it’s spread.
Explain too that there are good germs and bad germs but Covid-19 is a special new one that everyone is working together to beat.
Go slowly on the first day: Young children are still programmed to stay close to the person they spend the most time with.
Going back to school may feel overwhelming, especially on the first day. So turn up in plenty of time and don’t tell your child they must “run along” and go inside. Let them see you being friendly to teachers and parents, so they take their cue from you.
Suggest some hand-washing fun: Help your child decide on a new back-to-school song that they can sing while hand-washing for 20 seconds, or to make it more exciting by imagining their hands are monsters wrestling with each other. Show them how to make lots of bubbles with soap, which can be made into shapes or bubbles to blow.
Talk about friendships: Now schools are putting children into smaller bubbles at playtime, talk about how this is a good opportunity to play with kids they haven’t had a chance to get to know yet.
Explain that it’s good to have lots of different mates who all have different qualities they like, not just a best friend.
Suggest ways of making new friends: Friendship skills can be taught. Talk about how smiling, saying hello and asking questions about what their classmates did in lockdown are easy ways to start.
Describe how giving others compliments, being fair about taking turns, being a good sport and finding out what they have in common with others will also go a long way.
Think ahead to playtime: Chat about the fact they may not be able to play the same games as before, such as catch, but can play others where they don’t have to touch, like hopscotch, chalk-drawing, hula hoops or skipping rope competitions. Suggest they try other games like What’s The Time Mr Wolf.
Talk about how teachers might be different: Kids may be confused if they don’t have the same teacher. Reassure them it’s not because their teacher is sick but because other kids need to share them too. If teachers are wearing masks, tell your little ones it’s to keep them safe.
Focus on well-being: You may be worried your child has fallen behind while they’ve been off. But teachers will be in no rush to assess kids, just keen to settle them back into a routine. So for now, don’t worry about results. It’s a good sign if your child is keen to go to school.
Tanith answers your classroom concerns
Q. Are there still the normal uniform rules?
A. Check your primary’s website but schools are likely to be flexible on this as your child will probably have grown since they last went to school. Head teachers understand that parents won’t have been able to buy new kit.
Q. Will my child still get free school meals?
A. Schools should be offering meals to all kids when they go back. If your child already qualified for free ones, they will still get them.
Q. What can they take with them?
A. If they are allowed to take in their own pencil cases, tell them only to use their own for now. If they have lunch boxes, it’s fine to take in their usual one, as children will be sitting apart at lunch, too. Give their lunchbox a wash under hot water when your child brings it home.
Q. Can I get fined for not sending them in?
A. While the Government strongly advises you to send your child back if they are in the eligible years, if you don’t feel your child is safe from infection, you won’t be fined if you don’t.
Q. Should my child wear a face mask?
A. The Government advice is that they don’t have to.
Q. What childcare is there if I have to send in one child but not the other?
A. You may have to ask for time off from work, or make arrangements with other family members to look after other children who are not returning.
Q. Do they have to go if they’re asthmatic?
A. If your child has an underlying health issue that makes them very vulnerable, such as severe asthma, you don’t have to send them in.
Q. Can I refuse to send my child back if someone else in the household is shielding?
A. Yes, children who live with someone who is very vulnerable if they catch Covid-19 should only go back if parents feel that there is enough social distancing and their child is old enough to understand and stick to those rules.
- Tanith Carey is author of What’s My Child Thinking and What’s My Teenager Thinking? Practical Psychology For Modern Parents, with Dr Angharad Rudkin, published by DK.
