Education Scotland : Re-connection August 2020

What is this? Reconnecting school communities : Term 1 2020 This page is to help support the reconnection of school communities in term 1 2020, with a focus on wellbeing, mental health and engagement in learning. Who is this for? Senior school staff and practitioners planning whole school, inclusive, rights based approaches as part of the return to school in term 1 2020. It will focus on how to meet the learning and mental health and wellbeing needs of children and young people. Explore this resource In August when children, young people and staff return to school there will understandably be a strong focus on wellbeing, mental health, and engaging children and young people in learning at school. Individual settings and practitioners will continue to be empowered to provide a curriculum that is adaptable and responsive to the full range of learners’ needs, reflecting each school community’s specific context. There are a number of experiences and outcomes within ‘Health and Wellbeing: Responsibility of All’ that support learning through these challenging times. We are the most important resource for our children and young people. Education Scotland is keen to support staff, children and young people during this first phase of the recovery. Reconnecting and building relationships will be key to ensuring smooth transitions and re-engagement with school, peers, and staff. We recognise that in Scotland we have lots of strengths in supporting children’s wellbeing, with many staff trained in nurture, restorative practices, and other social and emotional approaches to support wellbeing. The support described below, builds on these strengths by reminding us of what we already know and providing opportunities for staff to share their knowledge and describe how they are using their skills to re-connect children and young people with learning at school. Webinars and Wee Blethers were evaluated last term and proved to provide important opportunities for staff to share their work, anxieties, and thoughts in a safe place. We would like to encourage participants to use this series of blethers and webinar experiences as a launch pad to establish new contacts and networks with your colleagues, Key themes Re-connect relationships Most important to catch up with learners and staff first and foremost Re-member How can we support those who are dealing with trauma and loss? Are we ready to move on? Re-build resilience What will we do to make sure children are in a good place to move forward? Are we ready to learn? Feeling nurtured? Re-affirm boundaries What will our relationship be like in our new classroom, what are our expectations, how do we build on our experience with home learning? Do we have new relationships with working with children and parents and carers? Re-visit vision, values and aims Moving forward