‘Getting the kids back to school’: education and the emotional geographies of the 2007 Hull floods

Abstract

Major flood events almost inevitably affect education and are likely to have a lasting impact on a school and community. In this paper, based on interviews with head teachers carried out in Hull during December 2008, we focus on the 2007 flood event in Hull and the way this affected schools and pupils in the city. The paper indicates the importance of reintegrating children (and families) into community structures such as schools as soon as possible after the flood and of creating safe spaces (‘circle time’) within the school classroom for pupils to explore their flood experiences. While we have commented on the potential therapeutic value of circle time in a post‐disaster situation, we acknowledge that more research is required.

Leadership in times of crisis: Dispositional, relational and contextual factors influencing school principals’ actions

“…Children expect these adults to keep them safe, to reassure them and reunite them with their families (Ema, 2013; Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology [MEXT], 2012;Mutch, 2014a;Parmenter, 2012). When school reopens children continue to need support to adjust to their changed circumstances (Convery, Balogh, & Carroll, 2010;ERO, 2013;KellerDupree, 2013;Lazarus, Jimerson & Brock, 2003a, b;Mutch, 2014a, b).…”

Flooding and schools: experiences in Hull in 2007

“…This latter comment about stability shows the importance of the school in this type of disaster (see also Selvidge (2008), Convery et al (2010)). The other two responses reveal that attachment and identity bonds between the school and community had been affected, and even broken in some cases.…”

“…Elsewhere (Convery et al, 2010) we have discussed in detail how schools responded to behavioural changes in students and in particular how 'circle time', an in-class discussion approach most often linked with addressing self-esteem and the emotional and behavioural needs of children, was successfully used in some schools to create an emotionally safe space for students to explore what they thought and felt (see Lang, 1998;Miller & Moran, 2007). Similarly, Fothergill and Peek (2006) report that in New Orleans it helped children if they could talk with someone they knew and trusted.…”

“…The questionnaire was composed of 20 open-ended, topic-based questions derived from this initial information and the literature on experience of flooding, granting respondents a certain amount of freedom to express themselves in writing about: school closures; flooding; help given to other schools; damage to the school; impact on the head teacher, teachers, and students; temporary facilities; costs; use of floods in the curriculum; and lessons learned. The incorporation of flooding and flood experiences in the curriculum has been reported elsewhere (Convery, Carroll, and Balogh, 2010). Replies were received from 58 (82 per cent) primary schools, 9 (64 per cent) secondary schools, and 5 (83 per cent) special schools, a total of 72 (80 per cent).…”

Population displacement after the 2007 floods in Kingston upon Hull, England

“…An estimated 8600 houses, 20 000 people and 1300 businesses were affected by flood damage in the city (Coulthard et al, 2007;Crichton, 2007;House of Commons EFRA Committee, 2008;OFWAT, 2008;Coulthard and Frostick, 2010). Substantial health, economic and social impacts were reported through a qualitative diary-based study (Whittle et al, 2010) and questionnaire surveys (Convery et al, 2010).…”