Two-thirds of parents want to keep kids out of secondary school until vaccine is available, study finds

12 June 2020, 12:50 | Updated: 19 June 2020, 17:40

Secondary schools reopened for some pupils in England to have limited face-to-face contact on Monday 15 June, but not all parents are happy for their kids to return.

Two-thirds of parents are reluctant for their teenagers to return to school until a coronavirus vaccine is found, a study has found.

The research - carried out by Valenture Institute - also found that 24 per cent of secondary school pupils were nervous about returning when they opened on Monday.

Secondary schools in England were opened for years 10 and 12 to have some contact with teachers on 15 June, with many students set to embark on a combination of home and school study.

Sue Atkins, a parenting coach and author, has opened up about the anxiety many families are feeling at this time.

She told Heart.co.uk: "Working with the families I work with at the moment, there’s a lot of anxiety about returning to school because it’s not normal, it’s a new normal.

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"And while kids are wanting to get back to see their friends, and of course some of them to see their teachers and get back into a system and a routine, there are real changes with social distancing, with cleanliness, and social distancing in classes."

Sue added that as lockdown eases in the country, we should see a gradual alleviation of anxieties about returning to school.

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She said: "I think that as we come out of lockdown gently and slowly, as parents feel more reassured, as young people themselves feel more confident, then I think we’ll be returning more and more back into the real classroom."

Returning to school can often be a divisive subject between parents and teenagers alike, with many disagreeing on the right thing to do.

If you and your child differ on the right thing to do, Sue advises to communicate with them.

"The whole process of healing through the traumatic time for some kids is to listen to them, and I mean really listen, she said.

Sue also added that the older they are the more effective calm communication can be, adding: "They’re striving for independence if they’re teenagers, so sitting down and discussing it properly, not just shouting at them, but actually talking to them."

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