Worrying about your child going back to school?

You may be feeling anxious about your child going back to school in March. You may also have noticed your child is feeling worried about it. But there are things you can do to help make the transition easier and keep your family safe.

• Talk to your child about staying safe and washing hands while they are at school or nursery, and how this helps everyone.
• Make a new routine for when for when your child gets home from school to help you all feel safe. This could include having a basket just inside the door for them to change out of uniform. Or ask them to put their uniform straight in the wash if this is something that worries you.
• If you feel that your child needs some extra support to help them cope, contact their school as soon as possible. Work with the school to make a plan to support them.
• Your child’s school or nursery should have a procedure in place in case someone tests positive. If they haven’t shared their plans with you, contact your school and ask for information.
• Remember to look after your own mental health and wellbeing. This will help you support your child when they find things difficult.

As well as taking steps to keep your family safe, look at how you can ease your feelings of worry. 

• Talk to someone. Connect with your support network. They may be having the same concerns. And being able to talk about your feelings will help you reflect on how you want to manage the situation. 
• Focus on the positives in your life right now. Try making a gratitude list. Write down or say three to five things that you’re grateful for at the end of every day. See if there’s anything related to school in here. 
• Make a plan to help you feel in control. Take time to prepare for your child’s first day at back at school.
• Take care of your mental health. Look at your sleep routine. Find activity that helps you relax. Do some physical activity, even if this is just around the house. 

• Talk to them about what their concerns are. Give them time and space to share their worries. If they can’t talk about it they could write it down or draw what they are feeling. Let them know it’s OK to feel worried.
• Try to stay positive and calm when talking to them about any changes. Remember your child will pick up on your emotions and this may affect how they feel.
• Use activities with your child to help them work through their feelings. The worry tree, breathing activities and practising walking away from stressful thoughts can be good for this.
• If your child is feeling anxious, help them understand how these feelings are affected by their thoughts. Talk about how they might challenge these thoughts. 
• Talk about what we are all doing to keep safe (hand washing, social distancing and staying fit and healthy). Help them understand that going back to school is an important step in returning to normal life.
• Start thinking about getting your child back into a ready-for-school routine. This could include going on the school run as a practice. Or encourage them to get up earlier and go to bed earlier.
• If your child is talking about avoiding school or refuses to go back to school, you can also see our advice on how to deal with school refusal. 

Worried about your child’s education? Our one-to-one Teacher Talk service is here to help. Ask about any education topic, from school refusal to worries about your child not keeping up. Our volunteer education professionals will listen and offer judgment-free advice. Fill in our short form, and we’ll put you in touch by email, phone or video call.