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“We’ve learned about how young people liketo interact.”

Rachael Pryor heads The Hope, Bristol’s virtual school for children in care. She tells SallyGillen how she and her team have adapted the way they work during lockdown.

LIKE many of us, until three months ago Rachael Pryor had never heard of Zoom. Now the video conferencing app has become part of her ‘new normal’, vital to her job as a virtual head teacher at Bristol City Council, where she has responsibility for the education of the 479 children in its care.

“My record the week before last was nine hours on Zoom,” says Rachael. The pace and structure of her working life these days is a world away from how things were BC – before coronavirus.

Then Rachael and her team of 15 employed at The Hope virtual school – it stands for Helping Our Pupils Excel and was named by the Children in Care Council – would hotdesk at City Hall, but a lot of their time was spent travelling for meetings at the 200 schools and settings attended by children in care, around 33 per cent of whom are outside Bristol. Meetings now take place online.

“Sometimes young people feel more comfortable than they do in a room full of adults,” explains Rachael. “In a virtual meeting they can hide or mute themselves. We’ve learned during this period about how young people like to interact.”

Some children have been at home with carers and enjoyed cementing closer, trusting relationships with them. Others have benefitted from school being less busy and demanding.

Caring for the carers “Initially some schools assumed that children in care were safe, and understandably prioritised children where there were child protection concerns because of the sense they weren’t safe at home, even though the DfE guidance is clear that children in care should be offered a school place,” explains Rachael. “But if there is no education placement, it can put pressure on the care placement. For example, if you have older carers who have three or four children at home all the time and they’re trying to homeschool, that can create a lot of pressure. We try to impress on schools that although these children may not be immediately in danger, there may be implications for the care placement of the child not attending school.”

Some foster carers, especially those who have been shielding, have not wanted the child to go to school. The role of the virtual school has been to be at the centre of the discussion if there has been disagreement between the carers and the school, and a risk assessment has been created to guide that discussion.

“We’ve had to make sure that the right thing has been done for the young person, but also that the care system hasn’t been put under too much strain,” says Rachael, adding that supporting carers with regular calls has been part of the work of The Hope.

The predictable, consistent environment needed by children in care, most of whom have experienced trauma, is so difficult to provide during this period, says Rachael. But some have flourished being at home. “It has really made me think of the impact of the demands of school on young people. They have thrived by being in one place and not having the stress of going a long way to school and then managing those interactions in school. We have really learned about the stress of school, and the expectations and demands it places on children.”

Managing the impact The attainment gap, a perennial problem for children in care, is of course getting

Rachael Pryor and her team are based in Bristol but, before the pandemic, travelled regularly for work

bigger, and in practical terms the virtual school has done all it can to ensure the children at least have the technology they need to access learning. Pupil premium funding – Rachael manages each child’s allocated amount as part of her role – has been used to buy laptops. “The social workers and virtual school have worked hard to try to make sure they have got those,” she says.

For year 10s worried about their GCSEs, a statement from the Government confirming that they will only be examined on the parts of curriculum taught outside of lockdown would be reassuring, she adds.

Although she stresses that it is important to think beyond the curriculum because the emotional impact of the pandemic is as important.

It is unlikely Rachael and her team will return to City Hall for months, which means virtual meetings will continue for the foreseeable future. “That’s what I’ve found to be the most difficult,” says Rachael. “We work in a profession that is about people, so we spend our time connecting with people. An awful lot of our work is face-to-face. We didn’t sign up to be static, in one place.

“Another thing is that I’ve always got my information before and after meetings, during the coffee break, when I chat to someone. That’s where you pick up all that extra information that helps you do your job. If you go for a personal education plan meeting you might chat in the reception with the carer or social worker and that’s when you find out what’s working well, what isn’t.

“But in the grand scheme of things, we’ve managed pretty well,” she says.

VIRTUAL SCHOOL HEADS

AS a virtual head teacher, a role introduced under the Children and Families Act 2014, Rachael is responsible for overseeing the educational outcomes of children in the care of Bristol City Council throughout their school career, reporting to a governing board and the council’s corporate parenting panel. She also supports preschool children in care, nursery and post-16, care leavers and previously looked after children.

In 2017, the Children and Social Work Act extended the role to include providing advice and information to previously looked after children.

Children are physically on roll at schools and settings in Bristol and elsewhere around the country. Once a child has been taken into care, the social work team will inform the virtual school and a personal education planning [PEP] meeting will be arranged within 20 working days. That gives an opportunity for the social worker, the school, foster carer and any other professional related to that young person’s education to sit down and make a plan for them. Meetings on progress then take place once a term.

Rachael is part of the National Association of Virtual School Heads – NAVSH – which promotes understanding about the challenges faced by children and young people in the care system and brings together VSHs to share ideas and work on promoting, for example, awareness of attachment difficulties as well as engendering high expectations for children in care.

Take time to talk

Two experts offer some ideas on how to tackle the mental health impact of Covid-19. On page 21, NEU policy specialist Sally Thomas sets out the union’s advice for leaders.

AHEAD of a full September opening – if it’s safe – making sure the school is Covidready by spacing out tables, installing sanitation stations and introducing one-way systems might present logistical problems.

Those changes may, however, seem fairly straightforward compared to the thinking that leaders need to dedicate to tackling the hugely complex mental health challenge created by the pandemic.

Where do you start?

Patrick Johnston, director of learning and practice at children’s mental health charity Place2Be, says: “A key question for leaders is, how will I go about putting my school community back together?

“Rather than jumping into maths or English, spend time with pupils thinking about what we are grateful for right now – that has a really positive impact on wellbeing and mental health,” says Patrick, who is a former assistant head teacher.

Educational psychologist Paramjeet Bhogal, who works at Newcastle City Council’s educational psychology service, agrees: “This is a new beginning. Time must be spent addressing wellbeing and resilience.” He recommends that initial discussions about Covid-19 should be framed by leaders and teachers in a way that conveys to pupils that everyone has been touched by the crisis, while at the same recognising that each experience is individual.

“At a whole school assembly level it

Paramjeet Bhogal, educational psychologist

“This is a new beginning. Time must be spent addressing wellbeing and resilience.”

is important to give this message: ‘This situation has affected us all in many different ways and it is very difficult for me to know how it has affected you but it’s really important that, as we come together, we aim to create an environment where we can talk and share with each other and are able to raise any concerns or questions that people may have.’”

He adds: “In that message what is important is the we but also the I. Sending out general messages is really important in terms of sharing, which can be done in a whole school assembly, but the most effective work is where people are connecting with each other, so that is in the classroom or the bubble. People are happier and more relaxed in a small group.”

Place2Be has developed a model of recovery that can be used in classes or bubbles. Based on four themes – connectedness, self-efficacy, hope and gratitude – the model emphasises optimism and a celebration of the positives (see box page 20).

“Self-efficacy is really about how we can all make a difference and, although we might have all felt helpless during this period, it is important for children to think that what they do matters. We have seen lots of examples of that with the way they led with things like protests on climate change and Black Lives Matter,” explains Patrick. “Hope positively correlates with our

Patrick Johnston, director of learning and practice at Place2Be

psychological wellbeing. Schools have done some really nice pieces around hope. The rainbow, for example, is an emblem of hope.”

He adds: “Most important, as we go back to school, is to think about connectedness. Yes, students will have had digital contact but we know face-to-face contact has a significant impact. We did a survey of our staff who have been making 2,000 calls a week to families across the UK, and the common themes that came up were loneliness and isolation. Drawing on those four themes of recovery is more important than making sure children can do division or simultaneous equations.”

Leaders must take time to tackle their own mental wellbeing, says Paramjeet, who helped write Developing Resilience: a guidance document for education leaders in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, drawn up by Newcastle City Council’s educational psychology service.

“The senior leaders need to look after themselves first because if they don’t, you don’t know how they might react when children start coming in and sharing,” he says. “Covid-19 should be treated as a critical incident because we don’t know what people have experienced during lockdown.”

Patrick adds that leaders have been “absolutely phenomenal,” in responding to the crisis, but they and many of their staff have been working since Christmas without a proper break.

“School leaders have been exceptionally busy, they have been putting plans in place, have been frustrated by the continual change about what the plans might need to be, they are worried about their staff, their school communities, their own families and they have not stopped,” he says. “The pace of change has been really fast for schools. When are they going to get some space?”

The charity is offering free Place2Think sessions of 30-45 minutes, run by clinicians, in London – it hopes to offer them nationally in future – where staff can reflect on a professional situation.

“As a head teacher who do you speak to? You don’t want to bring a problem to your deputy because you’re trying to shoulder what they’re shouldering. Do you

“School leaders have been exceptionally busy... they have worried about their staff, their school communities, their own families, and they have not stopped.”

want to go to your chair of governors with everything? Probably not,” says Patrick.

Preparing students and those staff who may be returning after months away with the adjustment to the “new’’ normal will be a challenge. Virtual tours on the school website are one way to do that.

Patrick says: “We are moving to a way of teaching that we haven’t done for so long, where pupils all sit on their own. The more we can prepare children for that, the better.”

USEFUL RESOURCES:

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n Place2Be has produced resources for heads and staff to help bring their students back together. They include assembly and class activity ideas.

place2be.org.uk/our-services

Place2Think – school mental health supervision:

place2be.org.uk/our-services/services-forschools/school-mental-health-supervisionplace2think neu.org.uk/what-you-need-know-supporting

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n vulnerable-students-staff (Fact sheets on mental health and wellbeing of pupils and staff) neu.org.uk/learning-and-events (Further training on bereavement, mental health etc) Checklists: neu.org.uk/coronavirus-reps Trauma-informed approach – framework to be published soon on neu.org.uk The Education Support Partnership is offering support for leaders at educationsupport.org.uk

NEU POLICY SPECIALIST SALLY THOMAS SETS OUT SOME UNION ADVICE

THE NEU has developed guidance for members on a whole school, trauma-informed approach to support the mental wellbeing of pupils and staff. It will help planning for wider reopening and for supporting healthy transitions and pupil/staff mental health. Here are some tips to help you start developing this approach:

1. Create a safe school environment

Fears and anxieties around Covid-19 will remain at the forefront of many pupils’ and staff’s minds when they return to school. Keep engaging with parents, pupils and all school staff about what changes have been made to the school environment, including new rules and policies, to keep everyone safe. This will help to reassure those who are concerned and address questions, as well as help pupils to settle into new routines. When planning for wider reopening you must be compliant with NEU checklists. However, you should also consider involving pupils and capturing their views on what would make them feel happy and safe. This will help to build pupil agency, trust and a sense of belonging.

2. Build on what has worked well during the summer term

There will have been lots of things that will have worked well during the summer term to support pupil mental health and wellbeing – from wellbeing calls to distributing free school meals. It will be important to continue to prioritise pastoral support, building on what has worked well during lockdown but also reviewing where additional, tailored and specialist support may be needed. It might be useful to consider, for instance, if your school has access to counselling, creative therapies, play, music and art therapy and other interventions to support pupil mental health. Think also about whether your school’s connections with mental health services and other relevant local services need to be strengthened. Some children will not be able to return to school in September – so ensuring that pastoral support continues to reach those at home and on site will be crucial.

3. Use the principles of Care, Context, Create, Connect and Community in teaching and learning

Teaching and learning will be critical to supporting wellbeing in the phased return. The curriculum must be responsive to children’s needs and prioritise social and emotional learning rather than a rush back to normal. We have developed guidance on supporting learning during coronavirus that will continue to be relevant throughout the academic year. The guidance contains links to resources that are helpful for supporting children’s mental wellbeing and how to encourage children to be creative and stay connected with others. Playbased learning will be particularly important for early years and primary schools. All children will need opportunities to be physically active and be outdoors, particularly as some pupils have had these opportunities restricted during lockdown. All children will need time to express how they are feeling and be given space to make sense of lockdown and Covid-19.

4. Ensure staff feel confident, mentally well and equipped to respond to trauma

Some of your staff may not feel confident in supporting pupils who have experienced trauma during lockdown. In some cases, children may exhibit challenging behaviour as a response to trauma. Ensuring staff have access to training will be important so that the whole school can be supportive of pupils, help them recover and build resilience and good mental health. The NEU has a range of CPD and training that may be helpful.

School staff will also need to be supported with their own mental health and secondary trauma some will experience. The NEU believes that it is important for staff to have access to clinical supervision to support wellbeing during this time. You may also want to consider what spaces in the school could be used for staff for reflection/down-time. Some staff will need access to specialist support and the school should promote awareness of what services are available. Importantly, ensuring that a reasonable worklife balance can be achieved will support all staff’s wellbeing.

5. Look after yourself, too

The advice to support the mental health of school staff applies to leaders too. What support networks, peer support and specialist services do you have access to? Remember, the NEU is here for you if you feel overwhelmed. Other services, such as the Education Support Partnership may be a useful service for school staff and leaders.