insideKENT Magazine Issue 101 - September 2020 | Page 111

IN ASSOCIATION WITH
BACK TO SCHOOL: OVERCOMING ANXIETY
AND PROMOTING REENGAGEMENT
RETURNING TO SCHOOL HAS ALWAYS COME WITH A SET OF ANXIETIES; GOING BACK TO A STRUCTURED ROUTINE
AFTER THE FREEDOM OF SUMMER BREAK FEELS INTIMIDATING AND SCARY. HOWEVER, THIS YEAR WILL BE A
DIFFERENT STORY FOR PARENTS, TEACHERS AND CHILDREN. MANY CHILDREN WILL HAVE BEEN AWAY FROM
SCHOOL FOR OVER SIX MONTHS BY THE TIME THEY EVENTUALLY SET FOOT ON SCHOOL GROUNDS AGAIN. MANY
WOULD HAVE SETTLED INTO A HAPPY HOME LIFE, ONLY TO HAVE THE RUG PULLED OUT FROM UNDER THEM ONCE
AGAIN. NOT ONLY WILL THEY HAVE TO COPE WITH GOING BACK TO SCHOOL, THEY WILL ALSO HAVE THE ADDED
STRESS AND PRESSURE OF ACCOMMODATING PPE AND SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES, MAKING THIS YEAR'S RETURN
TO SCHOOL, SO MUCH BIGGER AND SCARIER THAN ANY THAT HAVE COME BEFORE. TO ENSURE YOUR CHILD'S
WELLBEING AT THIS UNIQUE TIME, IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER TO LOOK OUT FOR SIGNS THAT THE USUAL
SCHOOL ANXIETIES AREN’T AN INDICATOR OF SOMETHING BIGGER. JESS MARSHALL INVESTIGATES WHAT TO
LOOK OUT FOR, AND HOW TO HELP IF YOU SEE YOUR CHILD STRUGGLING.
Whilst many children will have found
homeschooling a safe space, where
mum and dad were always on hand
to help, and to guide them through
any difficulties they may have been
having. Now with the prospect of
returning to a structured learning
environment, they may feel that their
support system of mum and dad has
been dismantled.
On the opposite end of the spectrum,
children may have a sense that they
have fallen behind in their studies due
to homeschooling. Some may have
felt neglected in their studies as parents
juggled working from home with
teaching, and many will have felt the
loss of their wider support network
such as grandparents who were unable
to be part of the family bubble for
never-ending weeks. Older children and high achievers in particular, may
feel worried and frustrated about the future, and its uncertainty. Confidence
coach, Andrea Barker (www.andreabarker.co.uk), wants to reassure parents
that anxiety around going back to school is normal, and in times like these, it
should be expected. ‘For many children, lockdown has been a happy and
safe experience that they may not want to change. Without doubt, the situation
we have all been through has heightened anxiety levels for many people,
however, be reassured it is entirely ‘normal’ to be feeling this way, and a lot of
people are feeling like this.’
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