When the whole community is going through a hard time, there are key steps to safeguarding students’ wellbeing:
- Normal routines
- Plan predictable days with clear timelines and reasonable goals.
- Effectively supervise learning spaces.
- Calmly and clearly explain changes to the routine.
- Remind students that school is a happy place through fun activities.
- Where safe to do so, run extracurricular activities like sport and music.
- Make reasonable adjustments if necessary – e.g. shorter activities broken up by physical movement.
- High expectations for behaviour
- Clearly explain the school’s values and the behaviour you expect.
- Recognise that this is a tough time but kindness and respect are vital.
- Respond promptly to antisocial behaviour, with logical and reasonable consequences.
- Put in place accessible channels for students to report bullying and cyber bullying.
- Ensure your Acceptable Use Agreements are clear, reasonable, and age-appropriate.
- Appropriate communication about COVID-19
- Listen supportively if students want to talk.
- Answer questions in a simple, calm, age-appropriate way.
- Emphasise what adults are doing to keep everyone safe.
- Encourage students to talk about positive things, like the skills they’ve learned and the ways they’ve coped.
- Where appropriate, incorporate credible, scientific information into the curriculum.
- Place reasonable limits around COVID-19 conversations.
- Don’t get drawn into personal opinions or speculation.
- Encourage help-seeking for students who are distressed.
- Creativity and physical movement
- Art, music, dance
- Physical exercise
- Relaxation and meditation
- Writing
- Free play (gently redirect games if a student is upset or ‘stuck’)
- Stories about characters who face challenges and resolve them.
- Optimism and celebration
- Create opportunities for students to set goals, achieve them, and celebrate.
- Praise students explicitly for things they’ve done well.
- Draw students’ attention to the strengths and skills they’ve learned.
- Relaxing, welcoming spaces
Even from a distance, teachers can encourage students (and parents) to:
- Identify places where they feel welcome, safe and happy
- Decorate their learning spaces
- Notice things in nature that make them happy – e.g. birds, trees, animals
- ‘Regreen’ spaces – e.g. by watering, weeding, planting flowers, or growing herbs
- Create calm zones with comforting activities or toys.
- Meaningful decision-making by students
- Helping other students who are new, younger, or struggling.
- Creating their own resources about cyber safety and positive uses of technology.
- Choosing learning activities or assignment topics.
- Discussing school strategies – e.g. through the SRC.
- High-quality social and emotional learning (SEL)
- Long-term
- Evidence-informed
- Delivered to the whole class
- Delivered by staff whom students know and trust
- Builds emotional regulation, creative and critical thinking, relationships, and resilience.
- Mental health strategies
- Coordinate with wellbeing staff and external support services
- Provide professional learning on topics including:
- Mental health first aid
- Trauma-sensitive classrooms
- Spotting the signs of post-traumatic stress
- Managing disclosures.
- Self-care, mentoring, and ‘buddy systems’ for teachers.
Further reading