Best Practice

Spotting the signs: 10 mental health challenges post-Covid

Mental health Pastoral issues Behaviour Safeguarding PSHE Pupil wellbeing Attendance Coronavirus
What kind of wellbeing and mental health issues will some students be presenting with this term and what signs should we be alert for? Dr Pooky Knightsmith considers 10 challenges we are likely to see in the coming weeks and months – and what we can do to help

There are a whole series of issues that we can expect to see in our pupils in the coming months. To help you spot the signs and take action, I have outlined a range of potential concerns and for each I advise at which point we should worry and suggested next steps.

This article is designed to arm rather than alarm. I hope it gives you some useful pointers. You do not need to know all the answers to be able to significantly help a child.

For further support, Headteacher Update recently published an eight-page Best Practice Focus in which I discussed spotting and responding to the signs of mental health problems, including how to listen when a child is distressed (Knightsmith, 2020).

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