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Resources to support the return to school and college

Although some children and young people have returned to school already, for many, the new autumn term will be their first time stepping into a classroom since lockdown began. Understandably, this may be a strange or worrying time for some children, parents and carers, and schools. Please see a variety of resources below to help you support children and young people’s return to school.

• A range of resources for schools and colleges
• Reset, recover and rebuild a road map for returning
• Back to school- Using psychological perspectives to support re-engagement and recovery
• Beacon school support- practical advice on welcoming children back
• Assembly and class based activities for primary and secondary schools
• Covid 19- back to school resources inclusive teach
• National Autistic Society- back to school guide for teachers
• Staff wellbeing resources
• Education Support- Free telephone support and counselling for school staff
• Resources from Young Minds on Understanding ways to help cope when feeling anxious

If schools have any concerns about a child or young person’s mental health please seek guidance and advice from the following: SENCO, Educational Psychologist, CAMHS or school nurse

Resources for parents and carers

Schools can share the below resources with parents to complete over the summer break

• Mentally Healthy Schools express yourself toolkit to help children and young people talk about their emotions
• Mindfulness calendar daily 5 minute activities Practising mindfulness over the summer break will help your child deal with any anxieties or worries when they return to school.
• Self-care summer activity pack for primary aged children help children create their own self care plan for the summer holidays
• Self-Care summer activity pack for secondary school aged pupils help young people create their own self care plan for the summer holidays
• Self-Care kit lots of ideas and activities for self-care for children, including mindful colouring, breathing exercises, an emotional check-in, a self-soothe box and more
• Activities to boost wellbeing includes: coping tool box, dealing with change, talking about death, going back to school, life after lockdown and mental wellbeing over the summer holidays
• Back to school bubble E book simple, illustrated e-book is ideal for parents of young children to explore what the return to school might look like, and help them feel more prepared.
• Tips for returning to school straightforward suggestions for parents and teachers to deal with any potential apprehension or anxiety children may experience on returning to school. There is also an accompanying factsheet
• FREE mindfulness app -Smiling Mind Smiling Mind is a unique tool developed by psychologists and educators to support the development of mindfulness practices for every age group. Meditations can be played for kids to do on their own, and you can participate together
• FREE mindfulness app- Stope, Breathe and Think kids Help kids discover their superpowers of quiet, focus and peaceful sleep with this easy to use app
• GoNoodle Movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts available for free
• Cosmic Kids Yoga and mindfulness for kids
• Wellbeing activity ideas for families

Resources for schools and Colleges

Whole school / setting approach

A mentally healthy school is one that adopts a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing. A whole-school approach involves all parts of the school working together and being committed. It needs partnership working between governors, senior leaders, teachers and all school staff, as well as parents, carers and the wider community. Please see a variety of resources available below

• Mentally Healthy Schools express yourself toolkit to help children and young people talk about their emotions
• Mental Health and Resilience in Schools (MHARS) Guidance
• Mental Health and Resilience in Schools (MHARS) quick needs assessment
• 5 ways to wellbeing guidance for schools
• Measuring and monitoring children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing- A toolkit for schools and colleges
• Mentally Healthy Schools- Resources for a whole school approach
• Anna Freud- Schools in Mind networkto share resources, tools and strategies to support the mental health and wellbeing of the whole school community
• Minded- FREE educational resource including e learning on children and young people's mental health
• Supporting staff wellbeing in schools This booklet offers practical guidance about what school staff and senior leaders can do to support their own and their colleagues' wellbeing
• 10 steps towards staff wellbeing
• Engaging with parents and carers This booklet offers practical guidance about how school staff can better engage with the parents and carers of their pupils
• Teaching about mental wellbeing guidance
• Watch a short animation, which explains the core story of brain development: https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/media/2547/sharing-the-brain-story-metaphors-summary-booklet.pdf​​​

Resources for primary schools

• Mentally Healthy Schools express yourself toolkit to help children and young people talk about their emotions
• Mentally Healthy Schools- quality assured resources to help promote children and young people's mental health and wellbeing
• Supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools explains what to do if you are worried about a child or young person in your school, and includes information on a range of topics including anxiety, low mood and self-harm
• Advice for parents and carers Provides simple advice and guidance to parents and carers about how to make conversations about their child's feelings part of everyday conversation
• Anna Freud- Resources and guidance to establish a peer support programme for children and young people
• Talking mental health campaign- teacher tool kit  gives children an understanding of what mental health is, the difference between every day small feelings and big feelings, consistent and accessible language to talk about mental health, and an understanding of how to be a good listener
• Public Health England- Rise Above PSHE lesson plans and resources PSHE curriculum topics to Upper KS2; what to do about worry, social media, sleep, dealing with change, transition to secondary school, puberty, bullying and cyber bullying, smoking, online stress and FOMO, alcohol, exam stress, body image in a digital world and forming positive relationships
• Teaching about mental wellbeing guidance
• Boing boing- resilience framework
• Young Minds- Academic resilience resources 

Resources for secondary schools and Colleges

• Mentally Healthy Schools express yourself toolkit to help children and young people talk about their emotions
• Supporting mental health and wellbeing in secondary schools explains what to do if you are worried about a child or young person in your school, and includes information on a range of topics including exam stress, sleep problems, eating disorders, substance use, ADHD and responding to traumatic events. 
• Advice for parents and carers this leaflet provides simple advice and guidance to parents and carers about how to make conversations about their child's feelings part of everyday conversation.
• We all have mental health campaign- teacher toolkit Provides KS3 with consistent and accessible language to talk about mental health, a better understanding of mental health self-care and to know who to ask for support when it is needed
• Public Health England- Rise Above PSHE lesson plans and resources PSHE curriculum topics for KS3 and KS4; what to do about worry, social media, sleep, dealing with change, transition to secondary school, puberty, bullying and cyber bullying, smoking, online stress and FOMO, alcohol, exam stress, body image in a digital world and forming positive relationships
• DEAL: Developing Emotional Awareness and Listening- FREE teaching resources aimed at students 14 and over Contains session plans and activities that are divided into four themes: emotional health, coping strategies, dealing with feelings and connecting with others
• Supporting construction students with mental health problems this resource is designed for use in further education colleges and is specifically designed for tutors on construction related courses to use with their students
• Teaching about mental wellbeing guidance
• Boing boing- resilience framework
• Young Minds- Academic resilience resources

Supporting children and young people with fear, anxiety and uncertainty

If a child or young person is feeling anxious there are a variety of strategies that may be helpful to them.

• Relaxation exercises to do at home with your kids
• Relax like a cat exercise A guided relaxation, using the analogy of a cat, to ease any anxiety and create a sense of calm for children.
• Anxiety thermometer Using a feelings thermometer is a great tool to help children recognise what feelings they might be experiencing in any given moment
• Sentence Starters prompts for children who are struggling to express how they feel
• Emotion Wheel can be used with children of all ages who are struggling to express their current feelings
• Emotional check in This resource supports children and young people to not only express their feelings but identify why they are feeling a particular way.
• Mindfulness calendar daily 5 minute activities
• Seven techniques for helping kids keep calm Simple relaxation and mindfulness activities to help children learn to calm down when they feel stressed or anxious.
• Self-Care kit lots of ideas and activities for self-care for children, including mindful colouring, breathing exercises, an emotional check-in, a self-soothe box and more
• 5 ways to wellbeing through sports activities a range of fun ‘wellbeing through sport’ activities to do at home
• Helping children and young people manage anxiety  draws on the existing evidence base around self-care and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to think about how we can support children and young people struggling with anxiety.
• Parents’ guide to supporting your child with anxiety
• 7 ways to support children and young people who are worried  identifies seven ways you can use CBT to help children and young people who may be experiencing anxiety.
• Mental Health UK- Bloom resilience building resources for 14-18 year olds
• On my mind- self-care strategies for children and young people
• FREE mindfulness app -Smiling Mind Smiling Mind is a unique tool developed by psychologists and educators to support the development of mindfulness practices for every age group. Meditations can be played for kids to do on their own, and you can participate together
• FREE mindfulness app- Stope, Breathe and Think kids Help kids discover their superpowers of quiet, focus and peaceful sleep with this easy to use app

Supporting children and young people to improve wellbeing and resilience

Resilience isn’t something we are born with it is a skill we learn and being resilient helps us to overcome difficulties we may come across

• 5 steps to resilience videos and handouts suitable for primary and secondary i space wellbeing
• https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/ Mentally Healthy Schools brings together quality-assured resources to help primary schools promote children’s mental health and wellbeing
• Boing boing- resilience framework
• Tools for managing emotions these tools are designed to help children understand and manage their emotions and feelings, and stay calm and in control in the classroom
• Resilience Ladder worksheet this resource teaches children about resilience and the steps they may need to take to achieve their goals
• Resilience- premier league primary stars A series of activities, which can either be used in the classroom or at home, teaching children about positive thinking and resilience through football.
• Resilience game This simple board game explores common scenarios that children may encounter in their day-to-day life at home or at school, and the resilience they may need for tackling them
• Building Resilience with Sesame Street This digital resource from US children’s TV show Sesame Street is full of great videos, printable activities and useful tips for parents and carers.
• Positive Psychology resilience activities worksheets for children, young people and adults
• Building confidence and resilience Clear advice and signposting for parents and carers on helping children deal with change and difficult situations.
• Wellbeing activity ideas for families