Ukraine

The current situation in Ukraine has understandably brought a sombre feeling amongst us all.  Our responsibility to our students remains the same as always, whilst trying to manage their fears and sensitively answer their questions. I personally remember being at secondary school at the start of the Gulf War in 1990; it is something I recall well.  With our young people's discussions with friends being dominated by the conflict in Ukraine, students are naturally likely to have concerns for the welfare of families affected by the conflict, may worry about how it might affect us, and may have a fear of the unknown.

We cannot shield and protect our children from the news and conversations regarding this crisis, and we know that, as adults, we find the situation concerning. So how do we ensure we support our children at this time? The situation is distressing, and we are aware that young people have questions and seek reassurances from us.

As educators, it is important that we approach these questions in the right way, that we establish facts and explore issues from a range of diverse perspectives. This means considering all voices.  We may not be able to answer all their questions, but we can model to our students that there may not be an answer, as the news is ever-changing.  We will encourage students to discuss and debate the conflict, whilst ensuring that this does not become personal.

One of the key issues we are discussing with our students is how to identify misinformation and disinformation, that of conspiracy, manipulated media and opinions, rather than factual information from a reliable source, whilst using social media. Lots of older children are accessing news via Tik Tok or other social media. It is important that we explore what information they are accessing, and how accurate that information is.

It is hard enough being a young person and growing up, so these additional concerns add pressures to our youngsters, but I guarantee that we will do all we can to support them in school, and urge you to continue those discussions at home to explore any concerns they have. There is no formula or template for these  discussions; each child is different and you, as their Parent or Carer, will know them very well and how to  respond to their enquiries.  If your child wants to talk about the situation, don’t suppress it or shut it down, because this will increase their anxieties.  

Our thoughts are with all families who are currently affected by this crisis.

Mrs Garrod, Head of School