Response to Covid-19: How do schools support children following a crisis?

Abstract

The Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is a global health crisis which has resulted in mass disruption to daily life, extended school closures and quarantine measures. Research suggests that the pandemic is likely to negatively impact children’s mental health. Therefore, it is imperative to understand how to support children returning to school following Covid-19. The aim of this systematic review was to analyse existing empirical research focusing on methods of supporting children following a crisis to identify the most effective school-based supports in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Six databases were searched which initially identified 4301 articles. Through an iterative process, 18 articles were identified which met the inclusion criteria for review. This review highlighted the ecological nature of school-supports, with schools providing support to children across various levels such as direct support in the classroom in addition to indirect whole-school and community approaches. The role teachers play in supporting children’s wellbeing post-crisis through responsive teaching was also identified. Furthermore, results showed the effectiveness of universal strengths-based interventions to promote resilience and the role of peer support in enhancing children’s wellbeing. At a systemic level, findings also highlighted the importance of community-based school supports such as communication with families, the promotion of staff wellbeing and professional collaboration. Overall, this review identifies schools’ capacity to support children at various levels post-crisis. It also highlights the potential role of educational psychologists when children return to school post-Covid-19, whilst also establishing the need for more research on children’s mental health following Covid-19.