For the last week, I have been wracking my brain about how to answer these questions, as a coach and support working and someone who does not personally have to deal with these worries as of yet. I have been researching and asking for opinions from a variety of people and realised that even though I cannot answer the questions specifically, I am well equipped to reassure you, as parents that we as a team are doing as much as we can to reduce stress in this time for both you and your children.
Whilst it is understandable that most parents will be concerned about Schools being more unsafe than usual and whilst I cannot provide a solid piece of advice to relieve those fears (because those worries will always be present as a parent) I can do my best to reassure you with the information that I have. At School of Play, we have everything possible in place to make sure we are creating a safe and still supportive, creative, and enjoyable environment to ease your children back into their school lives. Below are some of the questions I have seen; hopefully this will reassure you slightly.
‘We always knew School was the safest place to send our children, now it feels like the most unsafe place’
We are completely aware that on top of sending your children back to school after a long time, that the current situation with the Covid-19 Pandemic, is a further concern for their safety, as we all know how difficult it is to explain the ways we must do things differently now to young children.
At School of Play and School of Sport, we are determined to continue creating an environment alongside the children that is fun, friendly, and supportive, whilst also following all Government Guidelines to keep your children as safe as possible.
We, like most organisations, do not know all there is to know about Corona Virus or specific family situations that could be affected due to it, so this is just the little bit of COVID reassurance that we can give you.
We are continuing to take appropriate measures in all of our breakfast, after school, and holiday club settings, and with all of our staff to make sure this affects your child’s experience with us as little as possible and we promise to continue updating our approach to this situation with the evolving guidelines from both Schools and the Government.
If you would like to read further guidelines that we are using in our clubs, please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/protective-measures-for-out-of-school-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak. Or if you would rather speak to one of our Team, please email any questions to Ashlea@schoolofsport.org.uk.
‘What if my child likes their teacher more than me?’
There are so many reasons why I cannot answer this question specifically, but what I can do is reassure you that your child’s relationship with their teacher is massively important to both of them and that means they will spend time working on it, which is a good thing!
Say, for example, you don’t let your child have Chocolate Cake in the morning, they might not like you very much that day, but that does not mean they have stopped loving you or that their teacher has instantly taken your place.
This is a question that came up particularly often when I researched this and spoke to parents about their concerns. This for me is one of the hardest questions to answer without generalising, as we know that every child, parent, and family is different and will inevitably deal with this differently.
Whilst we build up a relationship with your child/children within their school setting, we will never replace the specific relationship you and your child have, however that relationship may work for you both.
We want the children in our care to like us, have fun, and feel supported, it is something we often have to work at and build up, but the time spent doing that can often be the difference between a child approaching us with concerns rather than letting it get on top of them and often this relieves a lot of stress when they return home.
It is also really important that you, as a parent, feel comfortable talking to your child’s teacher or care worker about any concerns you may have and collaborate with us on how we may be able to help, this is beneficial for all parties involved and often allows us to get to the root of the problem quicker, therefore being able to assist the child more effectively.
‘What if my child doesn’t make any friends and the teacher doesn’t notice?’
I can promise you that we are always actively trying to encourage friendships, and if there is a problem, we are always trying to act on it before the child feels the need to approach us with it, to minimize embarrassment and stress, as we know how hard making new friends is in School! We have all been there!
However linking massively to the last question, kids are way more likely to approach a teacher with a problem like this after building up a relationship with them.
At School of Play and School of Sport, we nudge the kids into team games/projects where they are compelled to find a relationship within that group, this often shows great results, as kids are building those relationships for themselves and therefore becoming more confident in approaching new people.
This is also really beneficial in children when approaching adults, as they feel comfortable and confident enough to do so, meaning they are more likely to be able to take their problems to the teacher themselves and gain a sense of independence when dealing with them.
One of the best things for us to witness is when a child feels confident and comfortable in dealing with their problems and only feels they need to come and talk to us after about what happened, just to let us know, like they would when coming home from school!
Working at Urmston Primary School around all the teachers, staff, and support teams that assist in making that school as fun as possible, is honestly the most exciting feeling for me. As a child myself, I would have been one of the kids who was excited to go back to school and couldn’t wait to meet their new teacher, so to enter a setting where the Teachers are playing music, engaging their entire class and going above and beyond to attend to the needs of every individual is so gratifying.
School of Play and Urmston Primary School are a great team in the way our core values link and assist the students in becoming their own person, building confidence, and making new friends.
I am so grateful that I am receiving and being able to research questions like this. As a young woman who is excited to start a family myself in the future, I feel privileged that I am being given the opportunity to answer these questions, and whilst I cannot promise that I will have all the answers, I can promise to always be honest with you from a teacher’s perspective.
So please keep the questions coming and feel free to email me with any opinions or updates on this topic – ashlea@schoolofsport.org.uk
