Comment: Five tips on supporting and reassuring children in Harborough

Viewpoint by Dan Cleary, principal at Robert Smyth Academy

The Easter weekend has been a time of reflection as I spent time away from work.

I am sure that for many of our students this holiday has been marked by the impact of social distancing measure that will have limited families and friends from spending time together. I have no doubt that this will have been difficult, and I remain proud of the positive and thoughtful way that our community has responded to each stage of this crisis.

I would encourage students to keep in mind that we are all part of a shared, national responsibility - we must stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives.

Promoting positive mental health is so important at this time. I have been pleased that many of our students are making time to exercise, create, talk and relax. However, I know that this area is a concern for parents as young people will be feeling anxious and finding the changes to their lives stressful. From my own perspective, these tips for supporting children at home from Young Minds (mental health charity) have been helpful:

1. Talk to them about what’s going on. Find out how they’re feeling and what they’re thinking about, let them know it’s okay to feel scared or unsure, and try to answer their questions and reassure them in an age appropriate manner. Remember, you do not need to know all the answers, but talking things through can help them feel calmer.

2. Help them to reflect on how they’re feeling and encourage them to think about the things they can do to make them feel safer and less worried.

3. Reassure them that this will pass, you’re there for them, and you will get through this together.

4. Spend time doing a positive activity with your child (such as reading, playing, painting, cooking or going for a walk) to help reassure them and reduce their anxiety. This is also a great way of providing a space for them to talk through their concerns, without having a ‘big chat’.

5. Keep as many regular routines as possible, so that your child feels safe and that things are stable.

I know that many students have organised a routine that works for them because I have seen the amazing pictures and examples of their work.

I would like to reassure parents that we will continue to make sure that work set is manageable and meaningful. The quality of feedback from our parents has been superb and we will all be using this to adapt and improve our approach to remote learning.

Like many schools, we are doing what we can to help. Last week our science technician Jo Sykes organised a donation of personal protection equipment to Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Our teachers and support staff have continued to support students on site to ensure that key workers can go to work. I hope that this will make a difference to the heroic health professionals and key workers in our community.