School preparation in a COVID year

It will be a school term like no other. Although there is a plan in place that will see children return to school at the end of the month, things will be very different. Children have to be prepared for their return to school so what’s the best way for parents to approach this?

Áine Lynch is chief executive of the National Parents Council (primary) and she suggests a number of key things that parents can do at home to prepare their children.

Don’t heighten your child’s anxiety

“The first one is not to heighten your children’s anxiety by talking too often and too much about going back to school,” she says. “They need to enjoy their summer holidays. Parents should give their children the opportunity to talk about the return to school if they want to however, like they would in any normal year.”

Listen to your child’s concerns

Listening to your child is the really important bit.

“Listening to your child should be where the conversations start. Rather than pre-empting what your children might be anxious about, parents should listen to what their children are talking about and explore that with them in more detail. Children will then bring up their concerns if they have them. We have to be careful that we don’t put concerns into our children’s heads.”

Áine advises having the conversation in a relaxed place and manner.

“That could be in the car or watching TV, where it’s not an intense kind of conversation.”

Not just a one-day event

She also advises monitoring your child over several weeks when school reopens, to see how they are settling in.

It’s about supporting the child

“Going back to school isn’t a one day event, remember. Your child’s feelings will be seen over a number of weeks. Children are very used to being in the family unit for quite some time now and while some children are really looking forward to getting some space in school, others may be a bit anxious about going away from the home after being so close to their parents for so long.

“It’s about supporting the child over that period of time. One of the important things is to let the schools know what’s going on for their child. When the home and the school are talking closely, the child is better supported.”

Sanitising saga

“In relation to procedures like sanitising, these are things that are changing in society generally, so children will have to get used to how they apply to their school situation,” she says.

Children transitioning from pre-school to primary

With pre-schools and creches closed for several months, the opportunity to prepare children for the move to ‘big school’ wasn’t there in the usual way this year. The normal training sessions for parents run in each county by the National Parents Council were all postponed, for example, although they are expected to happen via video link or at venues between now and the end of September.

“Children and parents won’t have been left in the lurch, but still there is going to be a gap,” says Frances Byrne, director of policy with Early Childhood Ireland, the national membership organisation for early childhood care and education providers in Ireland.

“Crèches, even though they haven’t been open, will have been doing some transitioning work in May and June with parents and children moving to primary school,” she says.

Our members have spoken of three and four year olds running back in the door, delighted to be back

“Normally, there would be a lot of liaising between creches and playschools and nearby primary schools, but this wasn’t possible in the way it normally is because of the lockdown.”

While it is a strange time, most children are adjusting really well, she says.

“Our members have spoken of three and four year olds running back in the door, delighted to be back even though some parents were anxious about how they’d readjust, so children can surprise you.

“Obviously, starting ‘big’ school is a different scenario, but all efforts will be made in both education spaces to understand and make allowances, and to give children, whether they appear to be happy or not, every opportunity to talk and express how they are feeling and coping through art and through play.”

Open days at schools are expected in August, so that children can visit the school, meet their teachers and see their classroom, she adds.

Most important abilities when starting primary school:

The Simmons Family, Co Wexford

Lorraine and David Simmons from Barntown, Co Wexford, are busy parents. Their four children, Emma (14) Laura (12) Harry (11) and Emily (10) are at school – Emma in third year, Laura going into first year, and Harry and Emily going into sixth and fifth class respectively.

Lorraine is deputy principal in Coláiste Abbáin, a secondary school in Adamstown, Co Wexford. As well as running a grass-fed beef enterprise, Lorraine and her husband David run their family business, Pure Oil Ltd, which supplies and collects cooking oils and fats from the manufacturing and food service sector. We asked Lorraine a few questions about lockdown and back-to-school concerns.

How do you feel facing into a new term during COVID-19?

As a family, we are looking forward to returning to school and extra-curricular activities. While we will have our concerns where I teach (as will every school in the country), we will endeavour to prevent the introduction of the infection into our school. Everyone will have to play their part and act responsibly so that risks are minimised.

What are your plans for Preparing your children for the new term ?

Generally, two weeks before school term we get our children back into the school routine, which starts with an earlier bedtime and handing over mobile devices. During school time, everyone is up at 7am, although David gets up earlier in the winter to feed cattle before starting in the office.

Once school commences, we have specific routines. The children arrange their uniform and pack their bags for school the night before, which ensures there is less arguing and rushing in the morning.

What about health concerns going back to school?

Our children have a clear understanding of the importance of hand washing and sanitising. This has come very easily to them, as they already understand from living on a farm the importance of good hygiene practices after feeding animals and engaging in farm work.

What kept your children busy during lockdown?

Living on a farm kept them busy – helping out, gardening, checking cattle, moving fences etc. We also renovated a farm house, so they all learned how to paint and decorate. They spent a lot of free time with their ponies, going to the beach, cycling and playing with our dog Lucy and the school rabbit, which we minded during the school closure. They kept in contact with all their friends from school also, but they haven’t really been out much during the lockdown.

What impact has lockdown had from an educational perspective?

Our children have definitely developed better IT skills from using Seasaw in primary school and Microsoft Teams in secondary school. They have also learned to become more independent learners, which is a very important skill in life.

I believe that since lockdown, everyone now realises the importance of education in a school setting. It is difficult to replicate this at home and very challenging for parents of teenagers to be experts in all subject areas.

The National Parents Council Helpline number is 01 8874477.

You can also email helpline@npc.ie

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