What is happening in Ukraine......
What is happening in Ukraine is frightening for both children and adults alike.
As hostilities escalate, children may see and hear things about the crisis in the news, leading to feelings of uncertainty, anxiety and fear. Although they may not understand the conflict, they may have questions in response to images, stories and conversations they overhear.
We have made time within the school day for children to talk to trusted adults if they want to and ask questions and share their thoughts and feelings with them. We have found that for many children the questions have not arisen but for others their concerns and worries are very much at the forefront of their minds. Please be reassured that we know that every child's understanding and experience is different and we are very much tailoring our approach to this.
Young children may not understand what conflict or war means and we are very careful to give an age-appropriate explanation and not go into too much detail as this can make children unnecessarily anxious. We seek to support and reassure children but not dismiss their concerns.
We have some children whose parents are in the armed forces and we will be utilising the pastoral support we have access to, provided by the army in order to provide additional support as thoughts turn to possible deployment.
We are also there to support parents, whether that be on sharing resources on speaking about conflict with children or talking with them about their own anxieties.
We have decided that this year, rather than raise funds for the school we will raise money for Save the Children and the British Red Cross to support their work with the people of Ukraine.
Many thanks for your continued support.
Kind regards,
Mrs Hirst