Please feel free to download these packs however updated versions will be available by 1st September 2020

Young people will return to school with a variety of personal experiences, feelings and anxieties about the Covid-19 pandemic. Some will be coping better than others. While it will be essential to establish ‘normality’ as quickly as possible for all the students, can we really expect them to settle as quickly as they would compared to a period of extended absence such as the summer break?

While we can expect the majority of pupils to return to school with a reasonable learning disposition, many would have still experienced greater feelings of uncertainty, fear and anxiety, and as a result it may take them longer to adjust back into ‘regular school’ and whatever the new reality is while the pandemic continues.  As teachers we can help the students translate any questions, worries and uncertainties harboured so they view school as a safe and secure space for learning, and to develop healthier cognition for managing the aftermath of the lockdown and the continuing crisis.
 
These free to download packs offer flexible lesson plans and PowerPoint presentations to support all pupils to address their concerns and issues experienced during the lockdown and the resulting return to school. There is an emphasis in the materials on skills and strategies to help them manage this. The packs are not intended as a substitute for professional counselling which some students with more serious mental ill health concerns may need in line with your setting's safeguarding policy. Packs for 11-14 and 11-16 contain the same materials which you can differentiate accordingly.