Pictures of war: Houses destroyed and burned during the Russian invasion of Ukraine (image: Adobe Stock)
We cannot – and perhaps should not – prevent our pupils from having some awareness of international crises.
The extent to which they will be exposed to these will vary enormously of course, and some pupils will certainly have seen and heard far more than they should have for their age.
However, the fact remains that we are all surrounded by the images of war and conflict at the moment, not to mention many other worrying international issues such as the impact of climate change.
Whatever your approach as a teacher or a school, we alone cannot protect pupils from the wider sphere of influence that they are exposed to on a daily basis – especially in a world of social media.
However, we do have a key position as trusted adults and, as such, are in a position to provide children with an opportunity to share their anxieties and to help them find a way of dealing with them. This is a sensitive and difficult role and one that can cause staff themselves much concern.
Of course, this issue has come to the fore for many because of the conflict in Gaza, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 also led to many questions from our children.
In Headteacher Update in March 2022, child psychologist Dr Stephanie Thornton wrote about the impact that wall-to-wall media and social media coverage of war can have upon children and young people (see Thornton, 2022).
There are variations in the extent to which children will be exposed to the images on the newsreels and there will be differences in the extent to which they have an impact upon them.
You may already have had discussions in the classroom or in assembly. Pupils may have raised their anxieties. Wherever you are as an individual and as a school leader in terms of dealing with your own, your staff’s and your pupils’ anxieties, perhaps it is time to prepare your approach as a school – if you haven’t done so already.
Tackling the issues together
This is not a proposal for creating another school policy. However, there is definitely merit in discussing the issue of how to handle pupil talk and questions about conflict and other anxiety-triggering news. What is your approach as a school and how well are staff prepared to deal with those difficult and disturbing questions? As a staff you might want to discuss and agree on:
- Your approach as a school – when and where will these issues be addressed.
- The language you will use.
- Guidelines for what to say and what not to say.
- Any additional support or training that staff feel they might need.
As a school leader you should consider how staff may feel too and what opportunities there are for them to discuss with peers (or others) any concerns they might have.
When to talk
You will have to decide in your school if, when and how to open the discussion. You may already have it built in to your curriculum plans. Alternatively children might raise the subject themselves. Using circle time or class discussion time is probably ideal and you might want to delay answering impromptu questions to give you opportunity to prepare your thoughts – but never forget to come back to pupils with an answer to their question.
If introducing the subject in assembly you may want to check with teachers first whether there is anyone who may be more adversely affected – especially those pupils who may have family and friends living in the affected regions. In these cases it might be better for the class teacher to raise the issue first.
Being aware
If a discussion is planned then careful consideration can be given to the background, experience and SEN of the class. If you have families who are refugees and have fled conflict themselves you need to reflect on how events and discussions might impact on them in a very direct and personal way. We may not be aware of all the pupils who have had experiences of violence in their lives and we should be vigilant for other cues that might indicate that children are uncomfortable or feeling anxious. You may find two recent Headteacher Update articles useful, one focused on welcoming refugees to our schools (2022a), an another specifically about welcoming children fleeing the Ukrainian conflict (2022b).
Listen first
A good starting point is to find out what your pupils already know. This is important because they might have misconceptions that you can then address. They are likely to have gleaned snippets of information from different sources and younger children may have no concept of where the conflict is actually taking place. They may, for example, believe it to be a much closer threat than it really is.
In these cases, it can be beneficial to actually look at where the countries are without negating the disastrous impact on those living there. However, once again, do be aware of children in the class who might have family living in or close to the war zone and who could find this information more worrying than consoling.
What do you want to know?
Following on from hearing what they do know, you might ask pupils “what do you want to know?” rather than a leading question such as “what’s worrying you?”. Dealing with the facts can be more reassuring than talking about worries at this stage. As Dr Thornton points out in her article: “A focus on knowledge can be empowering, a focus on fear is not.”
She adds: “The advantages are clear: by focusing on what the young want to ‘know’ rather than what they ‘fear’, we may direct the conversation away from overwhelming anxieties and toward a more manageable matter-of-fact.”
She points out that letting pupils lead the discussion with their questions helps to keep the conversation age-appropriate. Different ages can have very different worries. A very young child might be more anxious about losing their toys than the prospect of dying. It is easy to assume that our concerns are theirs. Remaining calm and providing thoughtful and balanced responses is what is important.
Difficult questions
So, if they can’t and shouldn’t be protected from all that is happening, how do we deal with the inevitable questions? To begin with, children will come at us with very different types of question depending on their actual understanding of events.
Honesty is important. Don’t give false reassurance however tempting it might be to do so. Children come to us to make sense of the world and if we try to cover up the facts and this turns out to be wrong then they will lose their trust in us and turn to other sources for their answers.
When a difficult question is asked it is better to say that nobody knows than to make false promises. Alternatively, when you simply don’t know the answer you might suggest that you will get back to them or even search the answer out together.
Your response will change according to the children’s age. With very young children your main focus is likely to be on reassuring them of their own safety and security. With older children you can provide accurate information and research further questions alongside them.
Show that you are open to talking about the subject but acknowledge that you don’t have all the answers. Acknowledging uncertainty is more important than pretending you know.
You can promote fact-finding, discuss how we can identify trusted sources and introduce and explain important concepts such as misinformation and propaganda. Remember, at all times you must respond robustly to hate speech.
Talk about the good
Consider highlighting the strengths and qualities people show in these difficult times – stories of kindness can help mitigate the images of cruelty and destruction that young people might be seeing. It is important that children know that many people are trying to improve the situation. Focus on these helpers. Remind them that there are many adults working to keep people safe.
School routines
Encourage children to focus on the now – we don’t know what will happen in the future but in the present this is how things are. With very young children this approach can work particularly well. As children get older, encourage them to consider what really matters in their life and what their fundamental values are.
Help pupils to see what they are in control of rather than what they’re not. A sense of routine and order is vital. Schools represent a predictable environment. Maintaining the rules and the clear structure of the school day and the classroom helps pupils to focus on the present and reassures them of normality.
Those most affected
As mentioned, some pupils in your school may have family and friends in war-torn countries and this has particular implications not only because of their personal worries but also for how others in the school might view them.
Your school’s anti-bullying policy and school values are important here to ensure that news coverage doesn’t encourage negative reactions to particular communities.
You may even have pupils who might represent different sides of the conflict within the same friendship groups and classes. This can be particularly difficult especially when other pupils may make assumptions about their relationship or even take sides on their behalf.
Where you do have this situation in your school you might liaise with other members of the school community to find out the background to any tensions there might be between groups. This is not to get involved or to take sides, but simply to make sure you are fully informed.
Final thoughts
Dealing with the fall-out of conflict is not a tick-box exercise. You might want to pick up again on the subject as events unfold. Having established a foundation for discussion, teachers can build on this when there are further developments.
The same goes for your staff too. Having discussed your approach as a school you will want to return to the topic and consider whether new events may have an impact. Keep the door open for staff and pupils to feel able to discuss and share their thoughts on what continue to be major issues for our time.
- Suzanne O’Connell is a freelance education writer and a former primary school headteacher. Read her previous articles for Headteacher Update via www.headteacher-update.com/authors/suzanne-oconnell
Headteacher Update Spring Term Edition 2024
- This article first appeared in Headteacher Update's Spring Term Edition 2024. This edition was sent free of charge to UK primary schools in January. A free-to-access digital edition is also available via www.headteacher-update.com/content/downloads
Further information & resources
- Headteacher Update: Welcoming the refugees seeking sanctuary from war, 2022a: www.headteacher-update.com/content/best-practice/welcoming-the-refugees-seeking-sanctuary-from-war
- Headteacher Update: Welcoming and supporting Ukrainian refugees in your school, 2022b: www.headteacher-update.com/content/best-practice/welcoming-and-supporting-ukrainian-refugees-in-your-school
- Thornton: How do we talk about Ukraine? Engaging with young people over the war, Headteacher Update, 2022: www.headteacher-update.com/content/best-practice/how-do-we-talk-about-ukraine-engaging-with-young-people-over-the-war