BSME Talks | Student Wellbeing in Times of Crisis

On this episode of BSME Talks, host Alexandra White, Digital Marketing and Design Lead at BSME, is joined by Laura Earnshaw, Founder and CEO of myHappymind, and Ruby Fiddes, Assistant Head Teacher at GEMS Founders School Al Mizhar, for an insightful discussion on student wellbeing.

Ruby reflects on the realities of returning to school, sharing how staff have navigated uncertainty while remaining grounded in their core training and professional instincts. She explores the importance of consistency in the classroom, the value of strong relationships, and the critical role that parents and the wider school community play in supporting student wellbeing.

Laura introduces her practical “4 B’s and 3 N’s” framework, offering guidance on what to notice in children’s behaviour and how to respond effectively. She discusses how children often communicate their needs non-verbally, and why understanding this is key to supporting their emotional development. 

The conversation also highlights the importance of prioritising teacher wellbeing, recognising the impact that adult emotions can have on students, and shares strategies to help regulate a child’s nervous system.

Together, they provide a thoughtful and practical exploration of how schools can create supportive environments where both students, staff and the wider school community can thrive.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:12

Hello and welcome to this episode of BSME Talks. I'm Alexandra White, digital marketing and design lead here at BSME. Schools across the UAE are returning to in-person learning just as many students across the region have been doing over the previous few weeks. It's been a challenging time for many, and I do hope that wherever you're listening from, that you're safe and you're settling back into a slightly more normal rhythm. But this shift back to relative normalcy isn't easy. We've seen that post-COVID where students were in a digital bubble for an extended period of time. And whilst it's been weeks compared to months, the compounding factors of uncertainty, alerts late at night, and unfamiliar sounds will have undoubtedly had an impact on students across the region. As we return back to the classroom, every teacher will be wondering how they can best support their students after this troubling time. So joining me today to help me better understand student well-being during times of crisis are two fantastic education powerhouses. I'm delighted to introduce Laura Earnshaw, founder and CEO of My Happy Mind, a BSME partner, and Ruby Fiddles, assistant head teacher at GEMS Founders School Al Mazar, a BSME Member School. Thank you both for joining me here on BSME Talks. Ruby, I'd like to start with you as you're here based in the UAE. Firstly, how are you? And secondly, can you walk us through your experience of the past week and how you and your team have been preparing students, specifically those under your care and primary, for a return to school?

SPEAKER_01 1:45

Hi, thank you so much for having me today. I'm really excited to talk about the students and how well everything's been going. As you said, it's been a real period of change for everybody who's been in the UAE with lots of changes that have happened in the past few months. But the return to school has been really, really positive. It has required really careful planning from everybody. We've had to think about things like timetables. We've had to think about things like the practicalities of getting everybody back in school in a safe way. We've had to think about things like organising drills for the students so they know what might happen if that we were to receive an alert in school. But on the whole, it has been a really, really positive experience.

SPEAKER_02 2:28

That's brilliant. And I said this before we started recording. The GEMS Founder schools in general are always just a hive of activity. But then adding that extra layer of being prepared for a potential crisis is hard on anyone. So how did you set a positive tone and a supportive tone for that first day back at school last week?

SPEAKER_01 2:47

We really considered the well-being of the students and the families as the priority. There can be such a temptation to jump straight back into working out maybe what children have missed in school, maybe where they are academically, what we might need to do, but um to sort of support them in that side. But we took that step back, we thought about the students and families as individuals, and we really thought that what we could do as teachers and as leaders to support their well-being when they came back to school. We all know that children can't achieve if they're not feeling their best self. And it was really important to us to have an introduction to school that focused on rebuilding those connections with our students, on putting our families and our children first and making sure that they were happy and settled. We did that through things like assemblies that welcomed the children back to school. We did that through making sure that leaders were present around, you know, corridors and classrooms when children were coming back in and through really timetabling our first day back to include lots of opportunities for interactions with their teachers, but also with their peers as well, so that they were coming back feeling like they were part of the community again, feeling like they were settled and happy before we moved on to doing other things.

SPEAKER_02 3:56

I think that's the key thing there that you've just brought up. It's all about communication and community. We saw that before the return to school, you know, the people that felt most confident about staying here in the UAE were the ones that were communicated with effectively and still felt that they were part of that school bubble, even if we were, you know, further apart from it. I hope you don't mind. I've got a bit of a bonus question there that I've just sort of thought as you were talking there. But how do you ensure that student well-being stays a priority when they go home as well? Because parents haven't had these conversations that you may have had at school, and there's obviously a lot of uncertainty there. So, how have you been supporting your parent community?

SPEAKER_01 4:34

So, our our families at founders are really, really important to us, and we put a great deal of effort into building those relationships, not just in this time where there's been a sort of a difference and a crisis, but all through the year. And I think that has really helped our school because we have got such good relationships with our parents. So we often welcome parents in, they they know where we are, they know the leaders who work with them, and they really do feel like they're part of our family. Throughout the period of being online, we have kept up that communication with parents. Obviously, lots of schools in our school have been using sort of apps to deliver work, so there's been that homeschool link, but we've also checked in with our families to make sure they feel confident. Our parents know that if ever they need anything, they can email class teachers, they can email leaders, they can communicate with us about any of the worries that they have, and our staff are very good at supporting our families. So I think because we've always managed to build such good relationships over the year, when we've come to this difficult time, it's been quite natural for us to carry on those relationships and to be able to have that two-way communication with parents. Our teachers, you know, our people too, so they recognise that families are going through a real difference at the moment. Lots of our teachers have children of their own, so can really empathise with these concerns. And I think it's been really lovely to see the teachers interacting with parents, welcoming them back, not just when we've been in school, but also over the period where we weren't in school, checking in with the families and making sure those relationships stayed high. Because, as you've said, the parents have to feel confident and secure about sending their children back to school.

SPEAKER_02 6:08

No, absolutely. And I think we've seen that confidence play out in terms of developments that have happened here, you know, allowing school buses to run and then allowing outdoor activities as well. So clearly the school communities are doing their job in reinforcing that message of confidence and like you said, also of community. Now, Laura, I'd like to bring you into this conversation now. Um, and you know, there's there's excitement among students returning, there really is, being back with their friends, back to their normal activities. But that's not the case for everybody, especially people who may have been in and out of the crisis, travelling from the UK back to here and being hit with this barrage of uncertainty. So, what are some subtle signs that a primary student in particular may be struggling emotionally, even if they seem fine on the surface?

SPEAKER_00 6:55

Yeah, it's a great question. And and Ruby, before I dive in, just great to hear about that kind of foundation that you've got with your parent community. Because I think you're absolutely right. If you've got that foundational communication going both ways just all throughout the year, you've you've kind of already got that vehicle through which to help parents. So I think that's fantastic to hear. And also loved hearing you say that you've been focusing on the children's well-being as the primary factor, not what they might have missed academically, because you're absolutely right in saying, you know, all the research says if children aren't happy, they can't they can't learn and engage with learning anyway. So just wanted to give a shout out there because it was really good to hear those those things. So I think in terms of you know identifying some of the subtle signs that that children might be struggling, it's a it's a really important thing to keep focused on during this time because you're right, there's the kind of the excitement of coming back and getting back into a routine, and and of course, that's for parents, for staff and for children. But there will also be some subtle signs that that we can watch for that children might be struggling, and also that parents might be struggling as well. And we all know that if parents are struggling, so often that can get passed on to or transferred onto onto the children as well. So, really important, I think, to look at the whole community. But what I've done is to try and make this memorable is come up with a bit of a bit of a framework to think about this, and and we kind of call it the four B's. So I'll walk through each of these Bs in turn, and hopefully it will it will help people to frame around this. So the first one is body. So looking for things like you know, tummy aches on a Sunday night, or maybe changes in sleep routines, difficulty getting to sleep, or maybe resistance getting out of bed in the morning. So some of those more physical signs are things to watch for that might be indicators that children are struggling or feeling um worries. The next one is behaviour. So maybe you've got a really um chatty, vibrant child who all of a sudden is is less reserved and is is speaking up less, or maybe kind of wanting to stay closer to adults than go off and play with their friends in the playground, things like that that seem different to perhaps how a child might have been showing up before. The next one is buddies, so those social shifts. So, as I say, maybe children not wanting to do as many activities, not wanting to go to after school activities, not wanting to be with the same group and instead kind of gravitating more so towards adults, or maybe seeing more friendship fallouts, maybe children being kind of less resistant to the kind of the normal social challenges that they might face. And then the last one is big feelings. So, you know, we all talk about this idea, don't we, that behaviour is just communication. And I think that's never more true than when there's been a difficult situation. So, you know, children struggling to self-regulate, maybe children, you know, having those amygdala reactions more frequently can be a really, a really strong sign that they're that they're struggling. But I guess to wrap all of that up, this is all about neuroscience at the end of the day. It's all about children's brains and us understanding what's going on in the brain so that we can take the right steps to support them if if one of those four Bs props up for them.

SPEAKER_02 10:00

Thank you for that. That's a really nice, concise way of summarising it. I think there's been a lot of content and talk around comparing this situation and student well-being to that of what it was like during COVID. I think it's the most, it's the closest comparison that we have. But I think sort of what you've brought to light is that, and you as well, Ruby, is that right now we've got the the advantage of having a personal touch here, of actually being able to see these developing signs in students, and we need to be aware of that sort of longer-term impact that this has had and the fact that you know symptoms of of stress and anxiety can appear in so many different ways. So, so thank you for that, Laura. Um, a second question for you, and I think a question on everybody's mind, and I imagine it differs based on age group as well, but is it important to acknowledge the situation directly with students, or can that sometimes in itself increase anxiety?

SPEAKER_00 10:54

Yeah, it's a it's a it's a great question. I know this was a very live question when the conflict first started, and I think inevitably in the world in which we live, it's it's very difficult not to not to know what's going on. And of course, given the situation, it was it was very physical and evident what was going on with children who were still in the UAE. So I think I think what I would start with here is by saying that that saying nothing is is rarely a good idea. I think what's important is that we are very much led by the child and that we meet the child where where they are. Um so again, you're starting to learn I like a bit of a framework. Hopefully, a nice easy way to think about this. So the first thing is to acknowledge that that sometimes we just need to name it and acknowledge that it's happening. So, you know, pretending everything's fine when children have been hearing the sounds they've been hearing and they've no doubt been hearing parents talk about it and having family reach out to check on them, we can't just pretend it's not happening. So, naming it and acknowledging it, I think, is the first really important step for children. And then, you know, with the younger children, maybe the year one, year two children, you know, that can be enough just to acknowledge, and I know it's scary right now. With older children, they're likely to have heard more, and so it might be that you need to have more sophisticated conversations about what's happening, but still kind of naming it and acknowledging it is the first most important thing. I think the next thing is around normalizing it, right? So acknowledging that it is scary, and I understand that you're scared, and it's okay to feel scared and to kind of acknowledge that those emotions are normal. You know, I think often as parents we can we can feel tempted to say, Oh, it's okay, you don't need to worry. But actually, that's quite unhelpful because children are gonna worry. And so instead, recognising that those feelings of concern and worry are normal is really important. And then the final thing is navigate it. So we've named it, we've normalized it, and now we need to navigate it. So really helping children understand, you know, that it's okay for them to ask for what they need, you know, what what's gonna make you feel more comfortable, what's gonna help you with this, and often that is just having the space to talk about it and the space to explain how they're feeling. So I think keeping those three things in mind is is really important. But I guess the the conclusion to all of that is is this it's very, very important that we invest in the adults as well, because if the adults aren't okay, it's very hard for the children to be okay. So making sure that we're not neglecting that point, whether that's teachers and leaders in school or parents, we've got to support parents first because ultimately, when it comes to helping children navigate their emotions, they can only do that if the adults are okay as well.

SPEAKER_02 13:30

Absolutely. No, we had an episode of BSME Talks last week and we had Ilia Lindsay from Komodo on the podcast. Yeah. And she said the exact same thing. It's about naming it and making sure you're having those open and honest conversations with the adults, with the parents, with the students, with your board members, whoever it may be, because the second you start to bubble wrap something and sort of dodge around the issue, that's when more issues start to spring up. So it's lovely that you've consolidated that messaging. And I really do hope it is something that people take away from when they've listened to this show. So thank you for that. That's really, really helpful.

SPEAKER_00 14:04

This concept that that we talk about a lot here, which I think is really helpful, is that when um children are dysregulated, which many children will be coming back in, actually, what they need to do and what they tend to do is borrow the kind of the nervous system of the adult to help them to regulate. And so if adults are dysregulated as well, they can't do that. So I think this concept of kind of like borrowing from adults around them, the kind of the ability to self-regulate can be quite a nice way of thinking about it and a nice way to ensure that there is that focus as well on supporting teachers, leaders, and and parents too.

SPEAKER_02 14:36

And teachers are brilliant at putting on a mask, they really, really are. It's something that it's probably on the job qualification for becoming a teacher, but it's so important that it isn't just a mask, especially in this situation, that it is something that is genuine and and that comes from the framework that you've described, Laura, and also from the community and the confidence that you've been talking about, Ruby.

SPEAKER_01 14:57

I was just gonna follow on with what from what Laura was saying with that while it sounds like a very different context, and it is absolutely a different context. A lot of the skills that teachers are need in our skills that they're really familiar with, and you know, speaking to children respectfully on a one-on-one level, getting down to a child's level, really understanding how they're feeling is things that all teachers, you know, do day in, day out, but are also trained on when we think about things like our safeguarding training at the beginning of the year. Those are some of the skills that we teach to our staff. So while it's a different context, teachers have got the skills. And I think one of the jobs of leaders is just to connect the skills that teachers have got to the new situation and really make teachers understand that there is that, you know, they have got those skills, they are available to them, they're in their teacher toolkit that they use all the time because we all know as adults when you're in a new situation, it can feel a little bit scary at first, but once you start to make those connections, you start to see that it's something that you're actually probably doing without realising it. So that's one of the things that teachers really need to consider over the next few weeks is that they have got those skills and they do know how to use them.

SPEAKER_00 16:03

I love that. I think that's so, so grounding. And I think again, to build on that, it's why it's so important to focus on staff well-being first, because you'll know that if a teacher is feeling dysregulated, the part of their brain, that all of those strategies that they're taught and that they understand, which is of course is their kind of hippocampus and their prefrontal cortex, that kind of executive functioning part of the brain, if the amygdala is in control, those bits of the brain are shutting down. So again, it just reaffirms that we've got to be focused on well-being and making sure our teachers are okay so that they can access those parts of the brain where they've already got that toolkit. So, yeah, I love that. I think that's a really nice way of thinking about it.

SPEAKER_02 16:39

No, it's we were talking earlier about how it's really reassuring here in the UAE in particular, we're seeing all of these signs of a return to normal. We're seeing school buses back up and running, we're allowed to have assemblies again, we can go back outside and have PE activities. But whilst that's all great, if we haven't focused on that foundation in these first few weeks, if we haven't got that sense of normalcy in terms of the absolute basics, fundamentals of what an education is, why we send our children to school, then we aren't going to get past this point in a way that allows people to feel confident, hopefully leading up to the very, very end of term. Now, I know we've sort of just focused on why it's important to have normal, but Ruby, what's changed fundamentally since students were last in school in February?

SPEAKER_01 17:24

I think it's a really interesting point, and I think the only answer is that it will really depend on the school, but also on the individual children. For some people, for children and adults, a return to normal is comforting and it is massively supportive and it helps them. But as Laura was saying, for some children, not recognising what's happened, it actually causes more worry and anxiety because those children are then thinking, well, I seem to be living in a different reality to everybody else because I'm unable to move on and everybody else has. So I think that's where teachers have to be really observant, like you've said, of the children and report any concerns that they have, you know, like we would with anything else, any other concern about a child. We would have those discussions, we would say, you know, I've noticed this. It might be that you will have a whole year group of children where you say, actually, the timetable that we had two months ago is now not appropriate. We need to build in more relationship time so that children are working with their peers, or in our individual lessons, we need to put more structure or less structure. We may need to adjust some expectations for a week, for a month. And it might be that that works for a whole year group of children, maybe because of their age or because of their circumstances. But it might also be that within an individual class, there are particular children who may need an adapted plan for a few weeks, who may need some additional support through adults or through visuals or through a program that can help them. But there is no one size fits all. What works for one child, what works for one school, what works for one year group might not work for somebody else in a different situation. And I think that's one of the real key things for the BSME schools to recognise is that just because something's worked in one school doesn't necessarily mean it's going to work the same in your school. All the children are different. We've all got different profiles of staff within our school who will also need different support. So I think it's really just about assessing the situation that you find when children come back to school from both a child and adult point of view and then making adjustments as needed. And it might be that from now until the end of the term, until the end of summer, several changes are needed over time. It might be that this week you've put something in place and that works brilliantly till the summer holidays. But I think it's really just about looking at what you can see around you and then being responsive and finding that balance between flexibility and structure for yourself because there isn't going to be one way that works for everybody.

SPEAKER_02 19:48

Agility is definitely the buzzword of term three. It's being ready for anything, being ready to adapt. But I think agility paired with that personal touch is going to be so important. It's not following trends that, like you're saying, another school is doing or another teacher you know is doing. It's following the trends you're seeing in your own school and making sure it's reflective of that situation. So thank you both so much for offering your insightful thoughts on what will be for many still a very tricky time to navigate. And we do hope that this return to normal is the reality for the rest of the term. But before we completely wrap this episode up, we always close BSME talks with one question. And that was who was the most influential teacher during your schooling and why? Laura, can I start with you?

SPEAKER_00 20:36

Yeah, this was a great question to reflect on, actually. It's quite fun kind of interrogating all your teachers as an adult and going back and thinking about it. But the one that really kind of kept coming back into my mind was my economics teacher, which she was actually my A-level teacher, so one of my last teachers. But I really loved her because she I was I was a bit of a class clown at school and a bit of a rebel. So she pulled me aside um one day and she said to me, Look, Laura, I know you're the class clown. I know you like to make people laugh, but you're also really bright, and you can do really well in this subject if you apply yourself. So you don't need to choose one, but you just need to be mindful that getting everyone laughing doesn't overtake you doing really well. And it was the first time I think that an educator had seen me as a whole person and had acknowledged that the two things could be could be true at the same time. And I think that recognition that actually as human beings, it's important that we do see the whole person and that we acknowledge all bits, strengths, and otherwise of a person. And that really, really inspired me. And it's it's actually something that I look at now in all of my team as well. Yeah, I've got 30 odd people in my team, and they're all so different. And I actually hire for that difference, and I make sure that I acknowledge all of them, their whole selves. So, yeah, that's that's the one that really really stands out for me.

SPEAKER_02 21:47

I love that. I love this question because you do just your teachers in a completely different light. And what about you, Ruby?

SPEAKER_01 21:53

Mine would have to be my head of six form when I was in six form. She was called Miss Rogers, and I think she might still be. Working at my own school, but I'm not sure. The thing that I remember about her the most was that she was just always available. Her office was in the six-form common room. And I can't remember any particular instances, but I remember being able to just go to her office if I had a question or if I needed something. And we were quite a big school, so she probably had hundreds of six-formers doing that. But she just made you feel like she had time for you and your questions and anything you needed. You really just felt she was there. And she actually taught me as well. She taught me for one of my A levels, but I remember her pastoral care so much more than I remember the academic side. And I really think that links back to everything we've been saying about the importance of relationships because that's what the kids will remember when they leave. They will not necessarily remember everything that they've been taught, but they will remember how you've made them feel and how you've made them feel supported.

SPEAKER_02 22:50

Yeah, we should never underestimate the impact that teachers have. That's something we always try and get through on every single episode here. Is no matter what action you do, no matter how big or how small, somebody is going to remember that action for the rest of their life and it's going to inform who they are and who they become and how they potentially then go on to impact other students if they go into the education world. So thank you both so much again. And just a reminder that the resources page on the BSME response to regional tensions page on our website is continuously being updated. So please do check those and feel free to get in touch with the BSME team if we can support you in any way. Thank you all for listening and happy teaching.