Nurture in East Lothian - Schools - 2. The school offers a safe base

2. The school offers a safe base

The school offers a safe base

Welcome everyone
Explain, discuss and revisit the new requirements
Think structure, routine and predictability
Create a sense of belonging
Provide safe and calming spaces for everyone

Welcome everyone

Welcome everyone back personally – staff and pupils. There are many ways to do this. You will want to consider what will work best for your children, young people, school and community e.g. a video or letter from staff that could be posted on the school website or emailed to parents, individual class/group circles and connecting with individual children and young people. Plan how you will spend the first session - reconnecting, sharing, listening (encourage empathetic responses), observing and supporting.

Thinking about what children need when they first start school is a helpful starting point for thinking about what all learners might need. This article by Dr Bruce Perry (2000) provides advice and guidance about starting school for younger children.

Our ELC colleagues have been creating and recommending resources to support children and young people to tell their story and let staff know what they need and hope for.

A returning to school questionnaire for children/young people

Coming back to school.pdf

Explain, discuss and revisit the new requirements

Think about how you will convey the ‘new normal’, such as hand washing and physical distancing. Ongoing explanations and discussion will be needed e.g. a whole school social story, assemblies, poster making. Do not assume that everyone will know what to do and why they should be doing it. Support children and young people to understand that these boundaries are there to keep us all safe. There will be children and young people who are concerned about the risks. Give them a chance to ask questions and be reassured.

The Washington Post Corona Simulator may help with explaining the relative impact of social distancing and other measures to older children.

Here Carol Gray gives advice on creating Social Stories for coming back to school.

Think structure, routine and predictability

You need strategic and individual classroom planning that promotes connection and ensures physical distancing. Think about entering the school, routes round school, one way systems, seating and timetabling. Think about the storage of personal possessions and resources. We know visuals have great impact and support many learners, so use them to full effect. Consider your children and young people with Additional Support Needs who will require a more individualised response. The Circle Inclusive Classroom Scale can support you with this task.

Create a sense of belonging

The social connections you can make across your whole school community can provide everyone with emotional support and safety. Words of appreciation, gratitude, gestures of kindness, special events where everyone can come together can all help.

Create/develop your sense of identity and belonging e.g. displays and collages with photos of everyone, photos of key school events. Consider the words you use - ’We have missed you.’ ’I’m look forward to getting to know you.’ 'We are all in this together'.

Provide safe and calming spaces for everyone

Identify areas or spaces, inside and out, where children, young people and staff can relax and have a bit of space when it is needed. Different sensory experiences such as lighting, texture, scents and colour can support this process. Make sure children and young people know where these are and how to get to them. The CIRCLE Inclusive Classroom Scale can help – what will these spaces look/feel/sound like?

Calm Box

This video by Dr Karen Treisman discusses how to make and create a sensory, soothing and grounding box which supports all of one's senses to regulate. The activities are adaptable for children, young people and adults. Take time to choose what is most helpful; we are all different in terms of our needs and preferences.

References and further information:

CIRCLE Collaboration (2015) Inclusive Learning & Collaborative Working; Ideas in Practice, Primary School Resource 5-11 years. (International Version (3.2)). Queen Margaret University: CIRCLE.

CIRCLE Collaboration (2015) Inclusive Learning & Collaborative Working; Ideas in Practice, Secondary School Resource 12-18 years. (International Version (3.2)) . Queen Margaret University: CIRCLE.

Education Scotland Inclusive Practice training and resources.

Perry, B. (2000). Creating an emotionally safe classroom. Early Childhood Today, 15(1), 35.

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