As we head towards the weekend, I can imagine there are going to be many that are feeling exhilarated, exhausted, and everything in between. Its so lovely to have seen so many lovely things written or recorded by schools, talking about welcoming their children back. It’s fantastic for children to hear teachers excited to have them back in school, and where teachers or schools have gone that extra mile with balloons, banners and bunting celebrating the return. There has been a sense of making this work together, especially with the carrying out of lateral flow tests for example, where staff and volunteers have commended the mature and sensible attitude of the children having to do something, which to be fair is pretty horrid. Likewise, children have recognised that staff have helped make this better by being kind, reassuring and organised. 

I haven’t heard too much talk of the dreaded ‘c’ word – saying this in education at the moment is like saying Macbeth in a theatre – however I definitely have seen evidence of calm, empathy and kindness. I am sure this is not the case everywhere, but I am tentatively optimistic that irrespective of political speak, schools have actually got their priorities sorted. My hope is that these approaches last and leave a positive legacy that has long been needed in schools. If schools approached every week as if children were returning from unknown experiences, and that they therefore may need some added support, some curiosity and a focus on building strong and positive relationships, what benefits may we see?

The pandemic for all the negatives has shone a light on all the research and science that proves that having a key adult in school, who ‘gets you’ and takes the time to develop that rapport and understanding, can have a significant impact on so many vulnerable children. We know that children who have insecure attachments or who have experienced early adversity and trauma need relationships to heal. We know from the biology that we can develop and strengthen connections in the brain, that allow a child to begin to emotional regulate in order to make navigating the world more feasible. I talked about this in my blog around Captain Tom, about being that one person who for a child makes a difference, and I genuinely don’t think it needs to be that complex.

Many for example, talk about the impact of really simple things. The difference it makes when you greet the children at the start of the day and ask them how they are. The difference it makes when maybe as a peripatetic or supply teacher you make it a mission to learn all the children’s names as quickly as you can. The difference it makes when you notice a child who is trying to make themselves invisible. The difference a thumbs up makes to a child having a tricky moment. The difference when you look for opportunities to praise rather than looking for behaviours to punish. These are all things that take conscious effort, however importantly in a world of restricted time and money they cost neither. 

Just take a few moments to imagine someone who you regard as important, and who you respect, in your work or personal life, taking a second to notice and acknowledge you. Making an active effort to tell you that they have seen you – whether this is recognising something positive you have done, or just thanking you for something you always do. If you were having a bad day, just consider whether this would maybe make you feel just a little bit better. I think it might. I also think when later on something challenging happens, you remember this in your head to remind you that it isn’t all bad. It doesn’t even matter necessarily what was said or about what, its just warming to feel that you matter and to realise that someone would care if you weren’t there. We all need this, and sometimes really blatantly! I love the quote:

And this is so apt for how adults in school have made children feel this week. 

So, my blog this week is short and sweet. It comes from a place of excitement and optimism that we are having some really important conversations in education right now that in my view have been a long time coming. We are perhaps beginning to recognise that the value and success of a school is not only measured in academic attainment. Most importantly we are understanding that a focus on care and nurture isn’t mutually exclusive from a school that is aspirational, successful and respected. The irony is that the ‘fluffy side’ of teaching if we get it right, is the bit that can make the most difference and have the most significant impact. It’s common sense. If you attend training, and you’re having a horrendous day, the trainer is disinterested and the environment is unwelcoming, how much do you learn? How many of us attend training (back in the real world), and the first thing we talk about afterwards is the food (or lack of these days). This isn’t because the food is more important, it is an indication of how the training made us feel. Did we feel nourished and cared for, or did we feel like a bit of an afterthought?

I therefore want to end the blog with a thank you. Thank you to all those headteachers, deputy heads, teachers, teaching assistants, learning mentors, lunchtime supervisors, caretakers and anyone who works within a school, who this week focused on making the children feel welcome, happy and safe. If some learning took place then brilliant, if the children got to the end of the week feeling good about being back in school, even better! The learning will come. If as a parent your school has done this well, please tell them. They need to hear the positive stuff too, and then they will pass that positivity on to your child. 

If as an adult in school you approached this week differently and looked at the children through an altered lens, because you were more likely to be coming from a position of empathy, don’t forget that, it will make a difference every week. If for children, particularly those who are vulnerable, each week can feel like a fresh start, a new chance to get things right and an opportunity for them to be different, then genuine change is possible. If you have been that one person who this week made a child feel better, about the situation, about themselves and about their learning, then thank you. You have planted a really important seed. 

Remember to take some time to rest and look after yourself this weekend. If you don’t, you can’t do it all again next week! (It was also World Sleep Day today apparently so I’m guessing we all have some sleep to catch up on). And I hope you get a ton of that compassion, empathy and kindness back, because you did it, you survived the week, and you deserve that recognition. 

#justbekind #thankyouschools #relationships #becurious