Another extract from my book
As children spend a large proportion of their lives at school, schools play a crucial role in providing a range of social experiences, as well as having a key part to play in developing resilience in children. They play a vital part in both teaching and modelling relationships and life skills to children. When children have difficult experiences outside school they may not be well equipped to manage school and engage with their learning.
Schools are in an ideal position to help them with this and provide them with skills to have a successful life. Children’s individual needs and social and emotional needs are as important as a child’s learning needs and have a huge impact on their ability to engage with their learning. An awareness and understanding of children’s emotional health and well-being is imperative for their general well-being and learning.
Children’s physical and emotional safety, needs and well-being need to come first and be a priority for schools in order for children to be happy, safe and secure and reach their full potential. In school we may ask children to perform tasks that may expose them or make them feel vulnerable such as reading out in class or having a part in an assembly or school play. Children need to feel safe and secure in order to do this. When a child finds it difficult to put their feelings into words they are at a disadvantage at school in terms of making and sustaining friendships and being able to access the curriculum. Children who are able to understand and express their feelings are able to achieve success at school and reach their potential more easily.