A message from our Principal:
BJPS Response:Below is some supportive guidance for parents to reflect on, when considering how they can support their children at home. Remember look after each other and reassure your children.
Be the grown-ups. It's on us to start conversations with our children. Continue to ask them what new things they've heard about the virus, to correct misinformation, and to answer their questions honestly and using short sentences, children get bogged down in words.
Point out things that are different. Birthday parties are being cancelled. Mummy is working from home. (Maybe, for some) there's no school. People aren't traveling for holidays. Acknowledge these things that children will notice.
Point out things that are the same. You're still having Cheerios for breakfast. You're still playing with your favourite toys. We still have to brush our teeth.
Play, play, play. Children work things out with stuffed animals, dolls, action figures, costumes. Let your little ones be mad at the virus, attempt to control it. Maybe Elsa casts a spell so that it freezes in its tracks. Maybe Ryder and the pups go on a rescue mission to help those who are sick. Maybe you mix a Covid-19 cure potion involving food colouring, glitter, and whatever else.
Structure and routines are your friends. Even more than usual, and particularly as daily life looks less and less familiar. The world may feel chaotic and unpredictable, but your home doesn't have to. Consider making a daily schedule and hanging it up for all to see (use pictures).
Validate feelings of anger and disappointment. It is upsetting that you had to cancel your plans, your sleepover party, or your school play. It's OK to cry or feel angry.
Provide helpful, calming strategies. What does help when we're worried is getting into our bodies ie. "Let's do some jumping jacks!" or doing some deep breathing ie. "Smell the cookies as they come out of the oven, now blow on them since they're too hot to eat." You know what makes a worry get even bigger? Worrying about the worry! "And then worrying about the worrying about the worry!" and suddenly you're in a playful interaction and things don't feel quite as bad anymore.
It's OK to say "I don't know," or "I have to think about it." Our little ones need us to project a calm, clear confidence. This is not synonymous with knowing all of the answers. Pause. Think. Look something up. Ask a parent friend how they might respond.
Move your body. Jump. Dance. Stretch. Family dance party. When we feel grounded in our bodies, our emotional state often improves as well.
Focus on community, both local and global. Talk out loud about how you are going to check in on your elderly neighbours to make sure they have all they need. Mention that right now everyone in the world is working together to solve this problem. Guess how many people on your street are washing their hands at the exact same time you are. Your family is not alone in handling these challenges; you are part of a greater whole.
Expect regressions. When children have to adjust to a completely new routine, or are sensing anxiety around them, their developing brains can't always handle that shift on top of everything else; internal resources get allocated to the new task at hand, and something else goes. Your potty-trained toddler may start having accidents, or your self-assured school-goer might start showing some clinginess. That's okay, and to be expected.
Take care of yourself. The number one thing children need to stay calm during difficult times is a parent (or caregiver) who stays calm during difficult times. If you are feeling panicked or overwhelmed, do what you can to regulate yourself before attempting to calm your child. If your attempts to soothe your child are out of sync with your worried demeanour and energy, your child will notice, and this will be even more distressing for them.
Reach out for support if needed. Social media is awash with opinions, arguments and misinformation. As always, if you are worried about, or even just confused by, something your child is doing or saying, please don't hesitate to reach out to our BJPS staff. We are in uncharted territory, and you don't have to go it alone.
If your child presents with one or more of the following symptoms:
They MUST stay off school until tested negative.
If any member of your household presents with these symptoms, the family must self isolate pending a negative test result.
Please watch this page for important updates.
For symptomatic pupils (i.e. one of a new continuous cough, a high temperature (fever), loss of/or change in your normal sense of taste or smell) parents should book a test via:
or by calling 119.
New slots do become available during the day (10am, 12pm and 8pm ) so it’s worth retrying the website after these times.
The See, Hear, Respond Partnership is a new service funded by the Department for Education. With your help, the See, Hear, Respond Partnership will quickly identify and support children, young people and families who are struggling to cope with the impacts of coronavirus.
Its' aim is to provide early intervention before these children reach the threshold for statutory intervention.
The See, Hear, Respond Partnership has been created specifically to help children and young people in England who are experiencing harm and increased adversity during coronavirus, by providing support to those who are not being seen by schools or other key agencies. There is no minimum threshold for referral.
For more information, please click on the link - SEE, HEAR, RESPOND
Key Information