How can school support my child through flares and recovery?
Children and young people can experience significant changes in health, behaviour, learning and emotional wellbeing during flares and recovery. School support is most effective when it is flexible, compassionate, and guided by the child’s or young person’s current functional capacity — what their body and brain are medically able to manage at that time, which may be very different from their usual abilities when well. Their views and preferences should always be listened to, helping them feel understood and respected, while recognising that symptoms can significantly limit what is possible. The priority is always safety, connection and wellbeing, with expectations adjusted as health and capacity fluctuate. Progress may be uneven, but with the right support, children and young people can rebuild confidence, and move forward at a pace that is realistic and right for them.
Please share this information with your child’s school by directing them to this page or downloading this print-ready copy.
Please note: This information applies to education settings across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Where processes or terminology differ, this is clearly explained. The information provided on this page is for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for medical or legal advice. Always seek guidance from qualified health professionals for concerns about a child or young person’s health and refer to local statutory guidance for policy requirements.
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1. During a flare: health, safety, and connection come first
Flares can involve overlapping symptoms, physical, emotional, and cognitive. When symptoms are severe, your child or young person may be too unwell to attend school, and their health needs should always take priority. Feeling safe and maintaining a sense of belonging with trusted adults and peers is essential. Forcing attendance during a severe flare can both increase distress and harm recovery.
If children or young people are well enough to be in school, staff should reduce demands, compensate for impaired skills, and create a safe, supportive environment. This support needs to take into account the safety and wellbeing of everyone in the setting, including other pupils and staff. In some situations, particularly during severe flares, a school may not be able to keep a child or young person fully safe, and this may need to be considered when deciding whether attendance is appropriate at that time.
Examples of adaptations
- Ensure a trusted adult is available for reassurance and wellbeing monitoring.
- Shorten tasks, remove non-essential homework, and simplify instructions.
- Provide access to a quiet, safe space for breaks and calming.
- Allow flexible attendance or home-based learning in the shorter term.
- Keep communication open with home and offer virtual check-ins to maintain connection as appropriate.
2. Recovery: A stepped, flexible approach
Recovery is rarely straightforward, symptoms can improve, then worsen again. Progress is often not linear, and expectations should increase gradually, guided by your child’s or young person’s health and social, emotional, and mental health needs. Feeling safe and connected helps rebuild confidence and engagement.
Examples:
- Start by re-establishing emotional safety, connection, and a sense of belonging for example through gentle check-ins with a trusted adult, low-pressure interactions, or brief time in familiar spaces
- Begin with one short activity and build up slowly
- Reintroduce gentle targets step by step, prioritising emotional safety before academics. Expect this to take weeks or even months; progress should be gradual and guided by wellbeing, not speed
- Schedule regular check-ins with a key adult to monitor progress
- Keep adjustments in place for fluctuating symptoms (e.g., extra time, safe spaces)
- Encourage peer support or buddy systems to maintain friendships and belonging.
3. Ongoing monitoring: Baseline, gaps, pastoral support, and aspirations
After a flare, ask the school to review your child’s or young person’s progress with you. This means checking whether skills have returned to their usual baseline (how they were before symptoms started) and identifying any gaps in learning, social skills, or emotional wellbeing. It is important to remember that baselines are time sensitive: a child’s expected skills at age five will not be the same as at age ten, so reviews should consider both their pre-flare abilities and what would typically be expected for their age. Schools should also consider the time missed during flares, as extended periods of being unwell can affect progress across all areas including learning, social interaction, emotional development, motor skills, independence, and confidence. It will also be helpful to share any new information with treating clinicians and other professionals involved.
Remember that some symptoms such as fatigue, or mental rituals are internal and may not be obvious in school, so these need to be considered too. Emotional and social recovery can take much longer than physical recovery, sometimes there are lasting impacts, so ongoing support may be essential. Feeling safe and connected at school remains crucial. At the same time, remain aspirational; support should aim for your child or young person to thrive and rebuild confidence, not just cope with difficulties, Ensure everyone keeps in mind who they are, their strengths, interests, and potential even when symptoms make these harder to see.
Examples:
- Maintain friendship-building activities and emotional support within their peer group.
- Monitor and support social, emotional, and mental health needs, ensuring strategies are in place to reduce anxiety, build confidence, and maintain a sense of safety and belonging.
- Compare current handwriting, maths, and attention levels to previous work
- Provide catch-up sessions for missed learning as appropriate.
- Review progress regularly and adjust plans if new difficulties emerge.
- Set realistic but ambitious goals for learning and wellbeing, so that your child or young person feels hopeful, valued and motivated.
