Coronavirus: Packs help pupils with post lockdown school return

The support packs have been created by the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

Mental health experts have created support packs to help anxious pupils through their return to school.

The packs include a back-to-school assembly plan, advice for staff and resources to help with the mental health impacts of Covid 19.

They have been produced by the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.

Lauren Moore, head teacher at Honington Primary School, said it was important to get "wellbeing right" otherwise it could have a "detrimental effect".

The packs have been distributed to all schools in Suffolk and Norfolk with the aim of helping staff support pupils with their understanding of the coronavirus pandemic and their own mental health.

• Coronavirus: Live updates from across the East of England

• School return plan 'like a jigsaw puzzle'

• Head teacher claims social distancing 'impossible'

According to project leaders, they aim to encourage children to express their anxieties and help them understand behavioural changes social distancing brings, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

Psychologist Dr Beth Mosley said teachers have got a "critical role"

Dr Beth Mosley, lead clinical psychologist, said: "Some young people and families are having a fairly OK time and benefitting from the extra time together whereas other families are finding it challenging for their mental health.

"Where young people might see a decline in their mental health it is about trying to make sense of it and their own feeling of being quite isolated from quite important parts of their life, like their social network."

She added: "Teachers have a critical role in helping young people make sense of it, not live in fear of it.

"If they don't feel safe they are not going to be able to learn."

• THE R NUMBER: What it means and why it matters

• AIR TRAVELLERS: The new quarantine rules

• LOOK-UP TOOL: How many cases in your area?

• RECOVERY: How long does it take to get better?