Helping your child start school
When children enter foster care, they will need to adjust to a new routine, especially if they are moving schools or are about to transition from primary to secondary education.
Continue reading to find out the essentials for helping your child in their educational journey.
The routine
Involve your foster child in their routine for preparing and travelling to school.
What will they need for each day, and how will they travel to school? Discuss what time they’ll need to wake up, the order of who uses the bathroom and when they’ll need to leave.
Familiarise yourself and your child with the route, doing a practice run together to ensure you know how to get there.
Communication with school staff
As a foster carer, it’s important that you know who the staff members of your child’s school are, and who to contact if there are any issues.
If they are in secondary school, find out about their form tutor and head of year – who are the first port of calls? – and also make sure to find out who the designated safeguarding lead (or equivalent) is. It can be beneficial to meet them at some point, so that they know who you are and vice versa.
Communication with your child
Inform your foster child that you are open for communication regarding their school life. Encourage them to talk about their day, what they enjoyed and what they found challenging. You can even help them with their homework, which is an excellent opportunity to bond and makes the task less daunting.
At Beacon Fostering, we seek to guide foster families on how they can handle such challenges. Contact us today to learn more.