Supporting Student Behaviour After a School Break

When it comes to wellbeing, taking a break over the holidays is essential, not just for us as educators, but also for the students we support. It’s a chance to put academic pursuits on hold and enjoy a well-deserved rest, enabling us to come back feeling refreshed and reinvigorated.

However, after a break, and in particular after a long holiday, there can sometimes be an increase in the frequency and intensity of behaviour incidents, with some students struggling to regulate themselves once they return to school.

The question is why, and how can we best support students after a break?

Why the frequency and intensity of behaviour incidents can increase after a break

There are many reasons why we might see an increase in behaviour incidents following a break:

1: Disruption to routines

While school holidays can provide a welcome opportunity to rest, relax and recharge our batteries, they also disrupt our regular, everyday routines. While many of us can cope with these changes without any problems, for some of our students, any change to routine can be hugely unsettling.

2: Varying expectations between home and school

Some children and young people may find it difficult to readjust to the expectations we have in school, as these might be different from those they experience at home. The lack of structure that often characterises the holiday period – long lie-ins, late nights, and ever-changing daily plans – can mean that the boundaries we set in school can feel restrictive and overly demanding for some individuals.

For these students, aligning the expectations of home and school can be challenging, and they may need more time to readjust to our in-school parameters.

3: Difficult domestic situations

For some children and young people, the school holidays are a time of stress, anxiety or fear, where they may endure trauma in different guises, from domestic abuse to emotional or physical neglect.

Read our article about understanding ACEs.

It’s little wonder, then, that they may return to school feeling distressed and dysregulated and engage in behaviour that needs our support and understanding.