Students: Coronavirus
(asked on 25th June 2020) - View Source
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that school behaviour policies do not adversely affect students who have experienced trauma as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.
It is important for schools to be calm and disciplined environments, where everyone follows the rules. The Department has published advice that sets out how, as schools start to welcome pupils back, schools should update their behaviour policy to reflect the new protective measures and new rules and routines:
Schools will be aware that the current circumstances can affect the mental health of pupils in a way that affects behaviour. Our guidance on mental health and behaviour in schools can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2.
It sets out how mental health issues can bring about changes in a young person’s behaviour or emotional state and how this can be reflected within the approach to behaviour set out in Creating a Culture:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-in-schools.
Additionally, some children will return to school having been exposed to a range of adversity including bereavement and anxiety. This may lead to an increase in social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) concerns. We are aware that some children will need additional support and access to services such as Educational Psychologists, social workers, and counsellors, and the guidance below on supporting vulnerable children during the COVID-19 outbreak acknowledges that staff may need to be redeployed: