ONLINE question and answer sessions have been set up with Public Health Scotland for parents worried about their children returning to school after the lockdown.
They are being co-hosted by the National Parent Forum of Scotland (NPFS) which has also created an animation to help families look after their mental health during the coronavirus crisis.
Although some parents are “delighted” their children are going back to school, some are “anxious, even terrified” their children will be “guinea pigs”, according to correspondence received by NPFS chair Margaret Wilson.
Meanwhile parents of children not yet due to go back are worrying about when the return date will be and how much longer they can survive remote learning for without damaging their relationships with their kids, Wilson said.
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“We are trying to relieve any anxieties parents have so we have asked Public Health Scotland along to all of the sessions to explain the science behind the decisions the Scottish Government are making,” she said.
“As a parent volunteer I consider myself to be in a privileged position to hear the science first hand and wanted to share this with as many parents and carers as possible.
“A lot of parents are worried about what will happen with the new variants and if it is safe for schools to reopen but every Early Learning Centre in England has been open so Public Health Scotland has been able to use their data.”
Wilson said she understood why parents might be frightened to send their children back to school.
“To be honest, I had the same anxiety when my children were offered a space at a hub last June,” she said. “I was worried because they were going to be mixing with kids whose mums and dads work at the hospitals. I can totally understand how parents will be unsure about the return but these sessions should help to put their minds at rest.”
A successful initial session was held on Thursday night with over 500 parents signing up to hear more about the science behind the full reopening of Early Learning Centres and the return of P1 to P3 this week.
Tomorrow night the session will be aimed at parents of pupils in S4 to S6 and on March 4 it will be for parents of children in P4 to S3.
At the same time, NPFS has produced an animation called Learning at Home in Lockdown which emphasises the importance of working in partnership with schools and why parents should reach out to ask for support if they need it.
It is the latest in over 500 “nutshells” produced by the organisation to help parents during the pandemic but it is the first to be animated.
“You see a lot of adverts on Twitter and Facebook that are little animations and they catch your eye so we have done the same,” said Wilson. “It has loads of resources for parents, particularly on the issue of mental health for them and their children and they will be able to find useful links all in one place. We also give tips on how to tell their school if something is going on, and how they should keep the school informed as they would if they were open.”
The other nutshells include one on blended learning, what it means and what parents can expect.
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“My inkling is that there may be a form of blended learning for some time for the older children so this resource will be useful for parents too,” said Wilson.
More information on the NPFS, which has 15,000 followers and covers 25 out of the 32 Scottish local authorities, can be found on their Facebook page and Twitter account.
NPFS works in partnership with national and local government and other organisations involved in education and child wellbeing issues to ensure that parents play a full and equal role in education.
Its overall aim as a group of parent volunteers is to help every child maximise their potential through their school life. Local authorities without a representative have been invited to ask parents to become involved.
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