Resources for Schools
School can be a tricky time for children who are adopted, and it's important that they have a strong support network both at home and at school. Below is a selection of resources to share with teachers and key members of staff at your child's school to help them to better understand your child's needs and ways in which they can help.
Welcoming an Adopted Child into your Secondary School
School transitions are a difficult time for any child, but especially so for children who have faced trauma or have attachment difficulties. If you're preparing your child to transition, or they already attend a secondary school, this PDF resource may be of help to the key staff involved in your child's education and provides some tips on strategies and support systems.
Welcoming an adopted Child to your Primary School
Also produced by Adoption UK, this guide is very similar to the Secondary School resource above, however it offers some more advise tailored specifically to primary school aged children.
This is a guide for parents and teachers of primary school aged adopted children. The PDF was specifically created for children in Northern Ireland, however a lot of the information and tips inside are relevant worldwide. Although this booklet is targeted specifically towards teachers of adopted children, information inside regarding early trauma and FASD will also be of relevance to fostered children.
This guide is specifically aimed to help teachers understand the effects of FASD and to give practical tips on how to accommodate for these effects while teaching.
How Trauma Affects Kids in School
This article, written by The Child Mind Institute is aimed at helping teachers understand how trauma can affect a child's presentation in school, focusing on effects on executive functions and ability to regulate their behaviours and emotions. It also offers some advice on how teachers can help support our children in the classroom.
Recovery, Re-introduction and Renewal: Safe and Successful Returns to School
Written by educational psychologists, the Recovery, Re-introduction and Renewal handbook presents five guiding principles of recovery and a graduated response framework for schools to use in planning the return to school at individual, group and whole-school level. It also includes references to practical resources to share with young people, staff and parents.
Barry Carpenter, CBE, Professor of Mental Health in Education, Oxford Brookes University, UK and Matthew Carpenter, Principal, Baxter College, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, UK explore loss and life for children and schools post pandemic and discuss the benefits of a recovery curriculum to re-integrate children into full time education.
Supporting Mental Health and Wellbeing in Schools
The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families has produced a booklet for primary and secondary schools to support all staff working in school settings to understand how best to help children and young people in their care. The booklet, developed with child mental health experts, explains in simple terms what to do if you are worried about a child or young person in your school, and includes information on a range of topics including anxiety, low mood and self-harm.
Every Child Flourishing
The video below is from the Every Child Flourishing Event hosted by Dr Krish Kandiah who heads up the Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board. This special event brought together experts in children's mental health, school leadership, and child welfare leaders for an inspiring and informative seminar. A must watch for anyone interested in helping schools to become places where every child can thrive.