BREAKING NEWS

The death of The Queen, the war in Ukraine, climate change, costof-living crisis – today’s breaking news headlines are worrying for us all but can be particularly frightening for younger children if not handled sensitively. Developing an understanding of world events and global issues is an important part of a good education, but current a airs and political threats need to be discussed in an age-appropriate way.

Many schools use assemblies or ‘circle time’ to talk about news-related topics. Secondary school students have exposure to news at home and, of course, via their smartphones and social media channels, and increasingly schools are having to provide students with workshops on how to spot ‘fake’ news. These encourage students to evaluate news sources and examine why governments or organisations might want to spread false information.

Students might be encouraged to have an open classroom discussion and to explore topics from di erent angles and di erent points of view. For example, the recent death of the Queen can be placed in a historical context and perhaps can open up debate into the role of the monarchy.

These concepts are likely to be a little too sophisticated for the younger prep school pupils. They will relate more closely to the very moving images of Prince George and Princess Charlotte at the funeral. Quite often these issues dovetail closely with a school’s PSHE (personal, social, health and economic education) programme and can be approached from a pastoral care and emotional wellbeing perspective. This might entail happiness and wellbeing projects such as ‘Think Positive’ and ‘Time for Laughter’, providing ‘worry’ buckets for pupils to share their concerns and, when appropriate, speaking to children individually and providing them with comfort and reassurance.

Whatever the age of the students, combatting any feeling of helplessness is very important and finding a way for pupils to respond positively to a crisis can be mutually beneficial. Fundraising is an excellent way to provide ageappropriate information and to help children engage positively with global issues. For instance, recently we saw many schools in the UK fundraise considerable amounts to support Ukrainian refugees. At Redcli e, students, sta and parents supported the Refugee Response programme run by the local church to provide refugees and asylum seekers with hot meals and English lessons. In March, we were lucky enough to have a visit from His Royal Highness, King Charles III, who came to learn first hand about the important work the church was doing.

Environment is another area where schools are doing fantastic work in harnessing students’ energy and passion into positive action. Many schools run schemes to discourage car use for the school run, promote recycling, cultivate their own vegetables and plant trees.

For younger children there are age-appropriate news resources, such as The Week and BBC’s Newsround, which can be invaluable. But being in a smaller school where teachers can quickly spot and step in if a pupil is upset can also really help. Sometimes just taking time to really listen to a child’s concerns and letting them know that it is OK to be worried is what is needed most.