Back to School 2026:

 

Like other milestones or changes, returning to school or starting a new school, college or university can stir up lots of different feelings. You might feel excited, anxious, proud, sad, angry or happy. Perhaps a mixture of all.  Whatever you feel is okay.

There are things you can do to help yourself and things the adults on your life can do to help you too. Don’t be afraid to ask.

You might feel worried about leaving your carer or safe adult. Together you can look at ways to ease this. It might be that you take a comforter to school, need some extra reassurance or a very structured routine to help you feel secure. Sometimes it can be helpful to know where your carer will be while you’re at school.

Work with a trusted adult around how you might answer questions from your peers. They might ask about your family or your bereavement directly. Nelson’s Journey can provide you with ‘Smiles and Tears’ cards. These can help you communicate with your friends and teachers what you need from them.

Don’t expect too much from yourself, you’re going through a tough time and a big change so be kind and compassionate to yourself!

There are things your carers can do to support you in returning to school. These include:

• Involving you in what you need and want from your teachers and school friends. They can help you decide how much people at school know about your situation and needs
• Schools are always open to conversations with caregivers about the needs of a child returning to school. Together they can create a plan for difficult times. This might be a time out card, a designated adult to talk to or a quiet space you can access. The plan needs to be flexible to adapt to your changing needs.
• Routines are really important to give us a sense of safety and security. With your carer you can build a good routine around sleep, school, meals and other activities.

You might really miss your special person during your return to school or college so think about ways you can keep them in your mind and heart during this time.

Perhaps you can write a note for your memory box telling them all about it, take something with you belonging to that person such as a small item or a photograph in your bag. Or you could visit a special place after your first day. This could be a grave, memorial site or somewhere else of importance to reflect and make them part of your day.

 

If you require support and would like to talk to one of our team, please call our support line on 01603 431788