Inna Hryhorovych’s niece and nephew in a bomb shelter in Kyiv
(Picture: Handout)Some London teachers are afraid to talk about the war in Ukraine for fear of being “politically incorrect” and are leaving children anxious, the headmistress of the largest Ukrainian school in the capital warned.
Inna Hryhorovych, head of St Mary’s Ukrainian school in Holland Park, spoke out as she told how her family in Ukraine have been forced to take shelter in their bath as missile sirens blared.
She urged teachers not to be afraid to tackle the subject in class with children of all nationalities.
Some Ukrainian parents reported that their children have been told to be resilient when they were crying, and some teachers have not mentioned the war or checked on the welfare of pupils who have family in the warzone.
Mrs Hryhorovych said teachers are doing their best but are worried about speaking about the issue.
It comes after the department for education issued official guidance to help teachers broach the subject and help pupils spot misinformation and conspiracy theories.
More than 260 children attend St Mary’s Ukrainian school on Saturdays and go to regular London schools during the week.
The school is producing a guide to help teachers talk about the war with pupils and is offering for any teachers unsure about how to broach the subject to contact it for advice.
Mrs Hryhorovych said: “We are really grateful for the support we are getting from the UK, everyone is fabulous, but many schools actually are a little bit lost about what to do.
“I am getting calls and emails from Ukrainian parents saying some schools don’t know if they have to be politically correct, and if they should talk about this or not.
“The world needs to understand this is not just a war between two countries, we know there are war crimes and it is a human crime what Putin is doing at the moment, so talking about the war is not politically incorrect.
“Some Ukrainain children go to school and say that during the day nothing has been mentioned about the war and they haven’t been checked on.
“Some say if they cry they are being told just to be resilient.
“I am not saying it’s anybody’s fault but I think it’s important that our children with Ukrainian heritage do get a lot of support and hugs. Don’t be scared to talk about the war. I think English students are scared as well. Just hiding the topic is not helping.
“People just don’t know what the right thing to do is - whether it might be too much to talk about it. So we need to support teachers in every school where there are Ukrainian children.”
She warned that some schools may not know which students are from Ukraine, especially in secondary schools where parents are not as involved, and if they speak fluently in English.
She said: “Some children will just go quiet – but the teacher may not know it’s because they are Ukrainian and are anxious.”
Mrs Hryhorovych is from Chernivtsi in western Ukraine, which has not yet been attacked. Her parents, sister and niece and nephew are still there. She said: “I was just on the phone to them and there were sirens so they had to sit in the bathtub in their bathroom. I cannot believe I am saying these words. It is a parallel reality. I was there in October and took a group of students from London on a language programme. We were making plans to go back.
“My dad had flight tickets booked for yesterday when he was supposed to come to see his grandchildren.
“Each of the pupils at my school have direct families in Ukraine, brothers and sisters who are studying there or working, and they have grandparents, uncles, aunts and friends.”
Speaking about the morale among families at her school she said: “They are not demoralised, they are not in despair, but they are very scared.”
She said her sister, who has children aged one and three, is living between a bomb shelter and her flat. She said: “My sister said she feels useless physically. But I told her she is defending the land with her life and that of her children. That is the spirit at the moment, Ukraine will stand and stand together for their land.”
Mrs Hryhorovych has children aged 13, 11 and 4. Her youngest is just four months older than her sister’s son in Ukraine. She said: “Their lives are now so different. Her three year old is scared and anxious even though they don’t talk about the war in front of him. That’s the reality. A whole generation is going to live with trauma.”
Many London schools have been holding assemblies about the war in Ukraine, and the Oasis academy chain will hold a vigil on Friday for its 32,000 pupils.
