So here we’ve put together some tips on how to make this return to school go as smoothly as possible.
Communicating with the school
Make sure the school or college is well informed about your child’s Crohn’s or Colitis. Share what effect these conditions can have on them and their learning – if your child finds their symptoms are worse in the morning, they may need flexibility about what time they start their day, for example. It can also be really helpful if children are able to access staff or visitor toilets when they need them.
Older children may appreciate being the one to inform their school or college themselves. Your school should have their own policy on who best to contact.
As many people are still unaware of what Crohn’s or Colitis is, it may be helpful for the school to have a read of our Guide for schools. Access to the toilet, meal arrangements, and support to manage your child’s workload are among the issues worth raising. Ask the school to ensure that any other staff your child may come into contact with are also informed about their needs.
Even if your child isn’t starting at a different school or college, a new academic year is a good time to give the school an update on any changes in their condition or medication.
Help with talking about IBD
For younger children, Meet our Crohn’s and Colitis Cats, our illustrated storybook and video animation, is a good way to help them share their experience with their school friends. Aimed at children aged 7 to 11, it explains the conditions in a child-friendly way by representing them as cats. These feline companions sometimes bother the main characters and need to be carefully looked after.
Older children could use our Talking Toolkit to help them find other ways of describing Crohn’s and Colitis and how it affects them. It’s really easy to use – you just answer a few simple questions about your condition and symptoms. Then the toolkit comes up with some key information for friends or teachers, and suggestions for ways to explain to them about Crohn’s and Colitis in more detail.
Your child may not want to open up to other people straight away, but when they do feel bit more comfortable they could use our information sheet on how to tell friends and family about Crohn’s or Colitis. One of its useful tips suggests that to begin with, the young person only shares a small amount of information. Then, as they grow more comfortable discussing their condition with other people, they can go into greater detail.
And once your child feels even more confident, they could also suggest that their friends or teachers try out our In My Shoes immersive app. This app allows users to experience what it’s like to live with Crohn’s and Colitis for a day.
Managing school work
It can be hard for students to keep on top of homework and coursework deadlines if they’re struggling with symptoms such as fatigue and pain. Though it can be scary for them, they have every right to ask for deadline extensions. And to help prioritise, it’s useful to find out if there are pieces of work that are essential and others that are less important. See this video on Young Person Films at the Crohn’s & Colitis UK website for more insight.
It can be very distressing if, on top of a flare, students have to worry about falling behind on their school work, especially if they’re studying for exams. Things may now be a little easier as schools have had to adapt to lockdown measures and are much more geared up for remote learning. Virtual lessons and resources, and worksheets that pupils can use at home when they feel able, could all be available.
There’s lots more information for young people and their families on our website.
