Home School Link

Home School Link at Harvington

Working with families because...........

...........together we love, learn and grow.

Our Home School Link is:

Mrs Katie Thorp

schoollink@harvington.worcs.sch.uk

Back to School Blues

Goodbye Summer

As the holidays drew to an end most children will have had some nerves mixed with excitement at the thought of returning to school, to a new class (or for some, joining us for the first time). Children may have been looking forward to seeing their friends but at the same time be worried about having a new teacher, not knowing where they will sit or a change in the school routine. Hopefully they will have settled back into school life quite quickly and are, by now, thriving in their new class.

However, for some children, transitions can be a little more tricky and they need more reassurance and reminders about what to expect on their return to school. Whilst transition days, before the holidays, help to prepare your child as much as possible, the long holidays may have led to worries creeping back or new worries arising.

Tricky Transitions and Struggling to Settle.

For a few children however, returning to school after the holidays and moving up to the next class (or starting their new school) may be overwhelming and may be a great source of anxiety, with them still struggling with aspects of their new class well into the new term. There are several reasons that this may happen to your child and outlined below are just some of them.

Reasons for worry at different ages

Children tend to have different worries at different ages. Whilst children in early years often worry about where the toilets are and may struggle with separation, (especially if they have spent lots of time with you during the holidays), older children might be more worried about the work getting more difficult, additional expectations or whether their new teacher will be nice.

Children who have changed schools may need that extra reassurance and preparation as they leave friends behind and worry if they will make new ones. They may also worry about not knowing where to go or what to do when everyone else does. If your child has additional needs they may struggle with changes to the routines they had in their previous class and may need additional help to prepare for change. We can provide Social Stories for you to read with your child at home or to look at in school with one of our additional needs team.

Signs of worry

Children may show their worries in various ways. These could include, asking lots of questions, getting butterflies as return to school day approaches or being quieter than usual. More severe symptoms indicating that a worry may have become an anxiety may be loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, tears and tantrums or even a refusal to go to school.

Helpful things to say or do

Listen to your child’s worries or fears. This lets them know that you take it seriously and it is important to you. Just by listening and acknowledging their feelings, children feel supported and have the space to explore possible options. This helps them to come up with their own solutions and become more empowered to be problem solvers.

Be positive and reassure even if you did not have a positive experience of school. Children pick up on parent’s feelings so try not to pass on any of your own anxieties.

Talk it over with other family members or with your child’s teacher or our Home School Link. Talking about what is worrying your child helps you get fresh ideas on how to help.

Perhaps volunteer to help in school as children love seeing their grown-ups in school and it helps them to make a connection between school and home.

Show an interest in what your child has been doing at school. Ask your child about their day and help them find something good about each day.

Establish routines and prepare your child for school. Children who are anxious or nervous need predictability and consistency whether it is just making sure they know where their uniform is in the morning and having their bag packed or discussing the routine of the school day with them. This might include who is picking them up, what they will be having for lunch, whether they have P.E. or forest school for example.

Plan in some fun time together after school and talk about what you will do at weekend or when the next holidays are.

Here to help

Whilst it is hard to see them struggling, remember that you can help them and that things can improve. We are there to support you and your child so that they can enjoy all aspects of school life. Please do come and speak to us if you feel you need support on any aspect of settling into the school term.

Family Learning

Our Family Learning sessions run throughout the year and are provided in partnership with Worcester Family Learning Service. So far we have run...Book and Cook, Marvellous Me and the Summer Reading Challenge. Families which have taken part say they have enjoyed spending time with their child in school, having fun together learning new things to try at home.

We are very excited about our new sessions starting this term which will offer families cooking and crafting on alternate weeks. We will be making healthy, delicious, low cost meals to tempt even the pickiest of eaters. To dine in style, we will also be making our own seasonal table centre pieces and place settings.