Saturday 6 March 2021 9:00 am Back to school with confidence: Ensuring schools are safe for returning students
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With the arrival of a safe and effective vaccine, the UK Government has started to look towards the reopening of society after lockdown.
In England, the Government is prioritising the full reopening of schools as a first step, with primary, secondary and college students going back to school the week of March 8.
Schools have been open throughout lockdown for the children of key workers and vulnerable children, but this will mark the return of valuable face-to-face teaching.
Many parents have thrown themselves into organising their children’s education at home, and advances in video technology have made remote learning a real alternative to in-person schooling.
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By Multimedia Producer Narbeh Minassian
Children are not the face of the pandemic but, as UNICEF puts it, they risk being among its biggest victims.
Their mental wellbeing has not been this fragile on such a widespread level in the UK since perhaps the Second World War.
Drastic changes to education, isolation from friends and family, and confusion over the changes to the world around them could leave a lasting impact, if left without support.
This figure represents an increase since 2017, when the rate was one in nine.
After a bleak 12 months living with Covid-19, Children’s Mental Health week has taken on added significance.
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With the reopening of schools now pushed back to March 8 – and only then if the vaccine targets are met – the mental health crisis among teens and young people is set to endure for much longer.
At a time when, developmentally, teenagers should be pushing boundaries and reaching for independence, they’re holed up with mum and dad, isolated from friends and stuck in an educational limbo, with all the usual yardsticks for achievement – exams, grades – still mired in confusion.
A few days ago I noticed that my usually silly, smiley seven-year-old seemed a little flatter than usual. She was sleeping more and wanting to do less in the day, be it our daily dog walk or home schooling.
Earlier this week 10 of the UK’s top experts in child health wrote an open letter to say that anxiety and depression are at “frightening levels” among children, which prompted me – and many parents like me – to ask the question: can young children become depressed?
“It’s a very good question,” says Dr Elizabeth Kilbey, a consultant clinical psychologist who works with children both privately and in the NHS. “I’m not sure I’d use the word depression with a big D, but young children can certainly suffer from low mood when all the things that usually give them pleasure – whether it’s play time with their friends, birthday parties, or cuddles from grandma – are not there.