Pupils’ mental health is a priority as North Yorkshire’s schools fully reopen

Children’s mental health has been made a priority as they return to the classroom in the midst of unprecedented upheaval.

North Yorkshire County Council said each school has implemented its own arrangements to fit with the layout of school buildings, pupil numbers and other factors, using a risk assessment template developed by the council in conjunction with headteachers and unions.

These measures include keeping pupils in bubbles so they only come into contact with the same group of students every day, with different bubbles using separate entrance and exit points into school, specific areas for eating or socialising and staggered break times where possible.

Other arrangements may include one-way systems, staggered start times for the school day and extra facilities for hand washing. Many schools have adopted a phased return to the start of the new term, with year groups returning to school on different days this week, as students become familiar with new routes around school.

Home-to-school transport has resumed in North Yorkshire, with extra hygiene measures in place for the start of the autumn term.

Bubbles

Rebecca Bainbridge, Headteacher of Mill Hill Primary School in Northallerton, said children had been looking forward to returning to primary on Tuesday morning.

The school worked to make sure it looked as familiar as possible to children in the circumstances, encouraging pupils to wash their hands at sinks they would normally use and accessing their classrooms in the same way. Some of the main adjustments involved teaching children in a bubble of the same classmates. Last week, parents wanting more information on the arrangements were given tours of the school before it reopened.

Rebecca said: “We have decided that we will make measures such as regular hand-washing in school and different break times our new normal.

“We have focused on keeping children in the same bubbles throughout the school day to minimise the risk of infection, so they won’t be mixing with different year groups or classes. Systems such as one-way systems created pinch points, so separate entrances have been identified for different year groups keeping our bubbles completely separate.”

Cllr Patrick Mulligan, Executive Member for Education said: “It has been an encouraging start to the new school term so far. Pupils seem to be adapting quickly to the new routines and arrangements in place, while teachers will be supporting any children who have anxieties about returning to the classroom.

“Teaching staff will also be assessing where children are in their education, before putting the next steps in place for catching up on missed education.”

Mental health

Any pupils returning with anxieties or mental health issues will have extra support in place.

North Yorkshire County Council received a Government grant of £126,000 for Wellbeing for Education Return, to better equip schools and colleges to promote children and young people’s wellbeing, resilience and recovery in response to Covid-19.

As well as strengthening and building wellbeing and resilience, the grant aims to prevent the onset of mental health problems and ensures those with pre-existing or emerging difficulties access the right support. Schools will receive training through the funding and local authorities can use the funding to appoint local experts to adapt the training for a local area, as well as provide ongoing advice and support until March 2021.

Children and young people who are returning to the classroom are being urged “not to suffer in silence” if they feel anxious and overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, wellbeing in mind teams from Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental health and learning disabilities services across most of North Yorkshire, are working with education establishments in Scarborough, Ryedale and Selby to develop a ‘whole school approach’ to wellbeing.

As well as supporting staff to identify and respond to those who may be struggling, the teams are helping to raise student awareness around problems young people commonly experience.

They are also on-hand to provide direct support to young people having problems; working together with pastoral support staff within each setting to help improve outcomes for those in their care.

Nationally, the new Public Health England (PHE) Better Health – Every Mind Matters campaign provides NHS-endorsed tips and advice to help children and young people’s mental wellbeing, and equip parents and carers with the knowledge to support them.