The challenge facing schools and pupils
Page last reviewed: 04 March 2021
This section of our guide on returning to school after the coronavirus lockdown breaks down a range of challenges for schools and pupils.
Loss and bereavement
- Our piece on change, loss and bereavement, provides some advice for managing difficult feelings
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Young Minds have a piece which addresses loss and grief specifically from a young person’s perspective.
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Cruse Bereavement Care have a range of resources for schools that may be helpful for supporting pupils who have been bereaved.
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Cruse also has information and advice for parents and guardians.
Challenging experiences at home
Many children and young people already experience challenging home environments. These challenging circumstances will likely have been amplified by the measures in place to control the pandemic. Others will be facing challenging home experiences for the first time. These might include, but are not limited to:
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Domestic violence
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Abuse or neglect
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Family conflict
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Financial concerns, e.g. loss of employment for parents and guardians
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Worry about relatives who are key workers and continuing to work
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Caring responsibilities for family members
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Hunger and lack of nutrition
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Insecure housing, e.g. those living in residential care, hostels, or refuges.
The scale of the challenge isn’t yet clear, but with domestic violence charity Refuge reporting a 700% increase in calls to their helpline, it is likely that significantly increased pastoral care resources will be required well beyond the pandemic.
Inequalities
Uncertainty
Transitions
As pupils’ education continues to be affected by the pandemic, with various restrictions in place, the usual preparation that would be done with pupils transitioning to the next school term or year will be lacking. This will be particularly challenging for those moving from primary to secondary school, those moving into exams years and those preparing to leave school.
Read more information and access resources to support pupils during transition periods on the Mentally Healthy Schools website and from the Anna Freud Centre.
Friendships and bullying
Safer at home
For some children and young people, unfortunately, school does not feel like a safe place to be and closures of schools may have been a welcome measure. For these pupils, the challenge of returning will not be what has happened whilst school was closed but the prospect of coming back. This may particularly be the case for pupils with physical and learning difficulties, whose needs may be more easily met at home.