Suffolk school focuses on pupil wellbeing after Covid

Head teacher April Grimes said the pupils valued school more after remote learning during lockdowns

A school said it was having to focus on helping its pupils with their mental health and wellbeing due to the pandemic.

April Grimes, head teacher of Forest Academy in Brandon, Suffolk, said the last two years had been "really challenging".

Earlier this week Suffolk County Council heard pupils had "lost out enormously" during the pandemic.

A report highlighted behavioural issues due to the two lockdowns.

It also heard of "increased numbers of children with eating disorders and anxiety, with little resilience and interest in school".

Forest Academy in Brandon, Suffolk, has introduced more playtime to help the children's social skills

Mrs Grimes said the last two years had been challenging but they had also "probably been two very exiting years because we've come a long way, we've changed our curriculum, and we've thought really carefully about what the children need for their wellbeing," she said.

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The head teacher said since the pupils returned in September "lots of children have struggled with school and behaviour for some children can be really difficult".

The school has added more time outside, more play resources and a full hour for lunchtime so children can "play to learn and learn to play".

She also said the children needed to be "taught the routines of assembly going into lunch".

Teacher Lorraine Wellham said Covid-19 continues to have an impact at school

Lorraine Wellham, head of Year 10 at Stowmarket High School, said the school had "seen significant problems around anxiety levels".

She said there had been "lots of social anxiety particularly when students have missed out on those really key opportunity to have those social skills".

The teacher also said the school had not been able to go out and do activities such as field trips.

"The impact [of the pandemic] is going to have a rippling effect for some time to come," she added.