We are aware that some of our pupils may have some worries about the conflict in Ukraine. In Monday's assembly I will be sharing a picture book story which gives the message that everyone worries at one time or another and the best way to deal with a worry is to talk about it with a trusted adult. I will not mention the conflict directly due to the mix of ages and due to educational psychologist advice that parents/carers are the best people to broach this subject.

You will be best placed to know whether or not this subject needs to be broached with your children.

• An effective way to broach the subject may be, 'Have
you heard about this and what have you heard?'
• Key messages we could offer are, 'We are safe,' (it may
be helpful to use a map to show how far away the
conflict is for younger children) and 'The world has
been in situations like this before and they have been
resolved.'
• Older children may need to be told about the risk of
seeing false information online.
• Older children may find it helpful to know there are
government agencies and charities working together
to do all they can to help the Ukrainian people.

The following sites have some advice for teachers and families about how to talk to pupils about the current situation in Ukraine.

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2022/02/25/help-for-teachers-and-families-to-talk-to-pupils-about-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-and-how-to-help-them-avoid-misinformation/

https://www.bps.org.uk/news-and-policy/supporting-children-manage-anxiety-over-war-conflict-and-crises

https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/your-feelings/anxiety-stress-panic/worries-about-the-world/
https://draliza.bulletin.com/talking-about-ukraine-with-our-children/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/13865002?fbclid=IwAR0TkUpsHU4XfqpMwrPfMNvb0Vh5NyEqVc8U_agvgNs-eu4HveDwKdlxtZE

Your child's class teacher will notify you if your child seems to have any worries about the conflict or if they have deemed it necessary to discuss this subject with the class.

Again, Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us, should you have any concerns about any of the information above.

We are aware that the last 2 years have presented with some difficult circumstances for us all to navigate. We wish to maintain a balance between reassuring children and feeding into any worries unnecessarily. We will endeavour to ensure school is a safe place for our children to learn and have fun and on that note, we look forward to welcoming you back into school tomorrow.