With school starting next week for most of the English and Welsh schools, Northern Irish schools this week and Scottish schools already started, it would be rude not to write a school related post. As a mother of two boys one 17 and going back into Sixth form and one 8 going back into year 4, I am aware of parent’s anxieties towards their children going back into school. Due to the nature of Covid-19 and the reality that it is in fact a big unknown, there is every different opinion, emotion and feeling going. There is no right or wrong way to feel because most of us don’t have access to what happens in the Cobra meetings or discussions around the scientist table when planning the next moves. We are relying on what the government says interpreted often confusingly by different media outlets to provide us with information and because we are human will pick up on certain phrases or statistics that suit what we want to believe.

I have friends who’s children have various conditions that are on the vulnerable scale who are really concerned about sending their children into school and others that believe the risk is so minimum, that even though their child has a severe lung condition that they would be better off in school. I also have friends who have perfectly healthy children that believe the government is wrong and schools should not be returning until we have more evidence that the ‘R’ rate won’t go sky high and others that frankly can’t wait to boot their little darlings butts right back to school. The reality is all these friends are entitled to feel how they feel. The important part is trying not to imprint those fears and feelings onto our children. They are the ones that will be attending school and honestly, haven’t they been through enough already?

Our children have been off school now for nearly six months. Oscar my youngest has gone through not wanting to go back, wanting to go back and back to ‘we should at least stay off till Christmas.’ I think I have made it too comfortable for him at home. My eldest is really struggling with anxiety due to his mock exams now taking place the week of the 21st September and feeling like he has not had any help or support to revise for them. He wants to get back to school so he can continue his A-Levels. He also has hearing impairment so if the school start wearing masks, he is going to be scuppered… But that’s another blog…

I think it is important that we prepare our children for their new style of schooling, one-way systems, bubbles, extra hygiene, eating arrangements and so on. Going back to school after being off for so long in the middle of a pandemic is a huge event and should be celebrated. As parents we can affect our children by adding to their anxieties or making them feel excited. There will be so many children that point-blank refuse to return to school and I imagine many will be upset about returning. We need to get creative and think about what we can do to make it exciting. To make things better for Oscar in the morning of ‘Back to School Eve’ I have put together a ‘Back to School Eve’ box. Similar to the Christmas Eve box they receive. In it I am including various activities that are related to how school might be different.

1) Bubbles – every child loves bubbles and they are lots of fun. Explain how much fun your child will have in their bubbles at school too.

2) Soap and Bath bomb making set – Talk about hygiene and the importance of washing our hands and keeping clean to prevent the spread of germs.

3) New stationary that he can take to school with him. Explain why they need to use their own pens and pencils for the time being.

4) Arrows for a one way day…. In the morning we will place them in the house and we all have to try and follow them for the day. We will talk about how areas might take a little longer to get to in school and that the one way system is to help prevent children bumping into one another.

5) Invitation for afternoon tea – at Oscars school they are having sandwiches instead of hot dinners and they will be doing this in the classroom. Afternoon tea will be ham sandwiches and we will have them in the living room on the floor. We will play some fun party games such as Scavenger hunt, Musical Mayhem from the Partybox Children’s Party Kit and the Floor is Lava as these are his favourites.

6) New book for bedtime reading – Oscar loves David Walliams so I am going to get him the ‘Worlds Worst Teachers’ book and we will talk about how difficult it is for the teachers as well as they too have to follow all new guidelines and that they are all learning together.

In the evening we will use the bath bomb that we made earlier in the day, pack his bag with his new stationary, read the book and put out his uniform ready to put on in the morning. The following morning for school I am going to put up bunting and balloons and we are going to have waffles with chocolate and toffee sauce as a special treat.

I can’t guarantee that this will all work but hopefully, psychologically he will connect going back to school with excitement, wonder and confidence. Good luck to all the parents out there that are sending their children out to the unknown. We have to trust that this is the best step at the current time for our children and support them through it… I sometimes wonder who is going to support us though….

An idea to help prepare your children back to school.