Talking to the children about the conflict in Ukraine28 February 2022 (by admin) |
Dear parents and carers,
You will be acutely aware of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in the last few days and the images we are being exposed to both online and in the news. Given our diverse make up, we monitor the impact any conflict between countries could have on our school community. It is highly likely that children in our school have already overheard conversations about the invasion or indeed watched it on the news.
In response to a number of older children discussing the invasion of Ukraine already this morning, we have made the decision to address this across the school in an assembly on Tuesday morning. We understand that some children will have no knowledge of this and so it will be age appropriate in two separate assemblies.
The assemblies will focus on the impact on the families in Ukraine. We will share the attached image and discuss what is happening to families in Ukraine as opposed to talking about invasion in much detail. We will emphasise that the Russian government made the decision and not the civilians. We imagine that older children will have more questions about the reason behind the conflict and will attempt to answer this using guidance.
The DFE have provided guidance for schools on how to manage this discussion: 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/
We believe that if we talk about this with our children in a sensitive way, it will avoid any misinformation and prevent any upsetting comments being made to children who have Russian backgrounds or who are perceived to be Russian by children.
Please support us at home with any follow up conversations your child may have. Here is a link to further guidance for families: https://www.familyeducation.com/life/wars/talking-children-about-war-violence-world
I hope that you understand the need for us to address this in the school and please do contact me via the school office if you have any concerns or queries.
Kind regards
Miss Kelly Dillon
Headteacher
