Wellbeing

Wellbeing

Term 1 2021 has certainly got us all in the Wellbeing Team and in the wider school community moving quickly to adapt and be flexible to our ever changing circumstances. The experience of this week is a clear reminder of the challenges facing our young people as they adapt both to the new school year as well as to complex world they are inheriting.

The next couple of weeks are a telling time when it comes to getting a feeling as to whether your young person is settling into their school year.  For our junior students, in particular the Year 7 cohort, challenges often centre around new classes, new routines, lockers,  changing friendships, new teachers and generally growing up and into themselves.  For our senior students, these challenges are compounded by an increased workload, moving out of House based classes and a sense of moving closer to the finish of their high school career.

Signs to watch out for that something may not be feeling great for your young person can include:

• A sudden reluctance to attend school (this could be expressed through either emotional distress or physical symptoms)
• Statements around wanting to move schools/classes/Houses
• Expressing difficulty finding friends
• Quietness or moodiness (may be more pronounced during the week days)

Things you can do to help:

• Don’t panic…..it is not abnormal for students to take a while to settle in, acknowledge their worries and try not to dismiss their worries by overly reassuring them that things will be okay
• Pace yourself in having conversations with them.  Don’t rush into the conversation about how their day was.  Sometimes it can be good to allow them some time to settle in and unwind and look for an opportunity later in the day when they seem relaxed and open to talking
• In trying to find out how their experience is going try to avoid asking yes and no questions. Try “Who is the noisiest?”, “Which teacher is the funniest?””How hard was it to go into a certain class”
• Building resilience and a capacity to cope with change is a major skill you can support your child to develop. Try to normalise their experience and discuss how proud you are of them for getting to school/hanging in there/giving things a go
• Brainstorm solutions together rather than offering to either fix the issue or telling them how to cope
• Manage your own anxiety – how you cope and communicate with your young person, the hope and calmness you bring to the conversation will go a long way to offering them a sense of “can do” to the transition period

Remember each year level does bring its own challenges, particularly this year.  Try and find a balance to supporting your young person to give things time to improve and finding ways to let the school know there is a problem if you are sure things are not settling over the next few weeks.  If you do have concerns about how your child is coping with their transition into the school year please support your student to contact their student manager for help.  If they are reluctant to take this step we would definitely encourage you to make contact on their behalf.  As always, the Wellbeing Team are also here if you hold more significant concerns for their levels of anxiety or mental health.