It’s 2018 and news is everywhere, often leaving children with a plethora of questions and concerns. But how can we keep our little ones engaged with current affairs, without confusing or alarming them"

Christopher Wilson

Lockers Park, Herts
At Lockers Park, we regularly discuss current events with our pupils. All boarders start their day by watching the news with the Housemaster, and teachers often select news items to form the basis of discussions.
Understanding what?s going on and how to cope with complex news is important in today?s ?always-on? society. One way we have found of giving pupils some control is by encouraging them to consider ways they can help.
When one pupil spoke of his despair at seeing refugees fleeing while on holiday, out sprang our Syria Appeal, which resulted in donated items for Syrian refugees and raised awareness of the issue.
David Bell

Woodlands Schools Great Warley, Brentwood
Children are more resilient than we give them credit for, so we must fight the temptation to wrap them up in cotton wool and address issues head on.
Having taught Upper Junior children for much of my career, I can testify that when children have questions about the ?big scary world out there?, they are mature and thoughtful ? often a world away from the kneejerk reactions of some adults.
In an age of coverage of terrorism, Brexit and Trump, we might actually find that some of the most...