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Like adults, it’s normal for kids to have wobbles and worries. But what happens when anxiety becomes an ongoing problem, causing a lot of distress and impacting school attendance? “It is natural for children to not want to go to school from time to time. For example, they might be worried about a test, or a problem with a friend,” says Dr Julia Clements, principal educational psychologist for children’s mental health charity, Place2Be. “With a bit of support, most children will be able to attend school regularly and to not avoid it when things get a bit tricky. However, other children may become so anxious that they start to avoid school all together.” Spotting the signs Remember, children often aren’t able to tell adults when they’re struggling with anxiety. Parents and carers can look out for signs, though. “Anxiety can show up differently in different children. Your child may become tearful or quiet at bedtime, for example, or report feeling so ill they cannot attend school. Alternatively, your child may appear quite angry, argumentative and refuse to get ready for school,” says Clements. Dr Marianne Trent, clinical psychologist and author of The Grief Collective, who previously worked in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), adds: “A child may complain about not wanting to go to school, or that it is boring or that they have tummy ache. They may drag their heels more about leaving the house or walking to school.” Responding with care Showing that you are interested and care about how they’re feeling can be really helpful. Having your support could help alleviate their worries, and hopefully you’ll be able to work through some strategies together. “It is important that parents and carers acknowledge the distress their child is experiencing, and that they are finding going to school a real challenge,” says Clements. “For example, you might say something like, ‘I can see that you are really worried about going to school and that going in will be really hard for you’. “However, it is also important to help your child to ‘face their fears’ and to attend school, despite it being the last thing they feel like doing! Acknowledge that this might be tough, but that you believe in them and will support them to do this difficult thing. Praise and encourage your child for any small steps of progress they are able to make towards attending school regularly.” Trent suggests talking to them about what might have caused their sudden reluctance to attend school: “Asking how they’re feeling and if anything happened the day before which made them feel worried, sad or confused can be a useful first step.” It might be easy for parents and carers to get frustrated and possibly angry if children refuse to go to school. However, this could lead to more distress, so it’s helpful to try and communicate calmly. Trent says: “It’s worth knowing that anger is a secondary emotion, and that this might mask a feeling of not having control, sadness, or even parental anxiety too. “Trying to enter into conversations when both parties are feeling well rested can give the best chance of staying calm. It’s also important that repairing any ruptured relationships is modelled ideally as soon as possible after any harsh or loud words have been spoken,” she adds. Talk to the school If the pattern continues, Trent says: “Arranging a meeting to discuss with the school can be an important step forward. If school attendance drops below a certain percentage, then it may trigger a referral to Child and Adolescent Mental Health services (CAMHS) and/or social care. “If there is a pastoral department in school, then arranging for the child to spend time there doing some 1:1 or group work can be useful. Similarly, liaising with mental health and support services for therapy or support can be transformational too.” Your GP can help advise on mental health support, and some schools may also have counselling services in place. However, Clements says there may be various ways school staff can potentially help – simple adjustments that could make a big difference: “For example, your child may like to be met at the gate, or being given a special job to do in the morning.” Is there anything else going on? It’s important to consider whether other factors could be coming into play, which may require additional attention and support. Clements says: “Do make sure that your child is safe from harm at school – for example, their avoidance of school is not due to them being bullied. If your child is avoiding school because of their neurodivergence or additional needs, then liaise with the SENCO (special educational needs co-ordinator) to make sure that reasonable adjustments are being made.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Could talking to toddlers be the key to early brain development? 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Lewis Hamilton finished only 12th in opening practice for the Spanish Grand Prix. As Max Verstappen predictably set the pace for Red Bull at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, Hamilton ended the one-hour running 1.2 seconds behind the Dutchman. Sergio Perez finished second, seven tenths adrift of his Red Bull team-mate, with Esteban Ocon, fresh from his podium at last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, third for Alpine. Home favourite Fernando Alonso was sixth. Mercedes spent the first running of the weekend rooted to the bottom of the time sheets before late laps from George Russell, who finished two places and one tenth ahead of his team-mate, and Hamilton hauled them up the order. Hamilton admitted here on Thursday that Mercedes’ much-anticipated upgrade, which made its debut in Monaco a week ago, had not provided the magic fix he was hoping for. And on his new machine’s second outing, at a track where the Silver Arrows said they would obtain a greater understanding of their upgrades, the evidence suggests they are no closer to competing with the grid’s all-conquering team, or indeed, leapfrogging rivals Aston Martin and Ferrari. Verstappen has been in a class of one for much of the past 18 months and his dominance continued on Friday. He was the only man to break the 75-second barrier, a day after he made the ominous prediction that Red Bull could win all 16 remaining races. Nyck de Vries has endured a trying start to his Formula One career but the AlphaTauri driver finished fourth in first practice, a spot clear of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, with Alonso, the 41-year-old Spaniard, the only other driver to finish within a second of Verstappen. British driver Lando Norris was 11th for McLaren, six places ahead of Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren. Second practice, which could be disrupted by rain, is due to start at 5pm local time (4pm BST). Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Fernando Alonso: Hamilton can win eighth title but Verstappen can break records Fernando Alonso: Aston Martin ‘will not give up’ in push for F1 triumph Concerns Monaco GP could be ‘left behind’ as Max Verstappen wins ‘boring race’

As often was the case amid an American society embedded in racism in the 1980s, Muhammed Ali put it best. Advising black racing driver Willy T. Ribbs, the people’s champion made his point in no uncertain terms: “There are Blacks in my sport. But there are no Blacks in your sport. “They’re going to want to kill you.” Yet for all the death threats, discrimination and abuse, Ribbs had long decided that the only option was to meet the uphill battle head-on. He made history in 1986 when he became the first Black driver to test an F1 car. Five years later, he was the first to race in the Indy 500, one of the world’s most famous events. But on the course to that journey, Ribbs faced it all. Don’t let me tell you though; let the man himself. “Of course, there were death threats, the n-word,” he reflects, in a slow but dead-pan fashion that tells you the wounds have long since healed. Instead, the metaphorical bruises are worn with pride. “But I enjoyed it. It didn’t make me mad, it was fun. I was going to dish out what they were dishing out to me, it never scared or intimidated me. I actually enjoyed it because it was motivating. I was never going to play the victim, that was not Willy T. Ribbs.” Now 68, Ribbs is an ambassador for Formula 1, raising awareness for diversity and equality. A role given a matter of months after his riveting biopic movie, Uppity, was released in 2020. So titled because that was his nickname in motorsport circles – “and he loved it.” But to this interview, he’s late. And he apologises, quipping: “Race drivers are never late, you know! Or they’re not supposed to be…” Son to William ‘Bunny’ Ribbs, an amateur racer himself, Willy’s career path was set in stone from day-dot it seems. It was the racing way or the highway. “I was born in this sport,” he tells The Independent, from his home in Texas. “I watched it from three years old when my Dad was racing, watching the likes of Jim Clark and Graham Hill. That’s all that was discussed in the family. We didn’t discuss any other sport. “I was lucky, I think. At nine years old, I knew what I wanted to do and I knew what my career path was going to be. Most kids that age don’t know what the hell they’re going to do, but I did. And I didn’t want to be an amateur at it – I wanted it to be a profession and I wanted it to be Formula 1.” He learned his craft, in the UK, racing alongside future F1 world champion Nigel Mansell in Formula Ford in the mid-1970s. He raced in NASCAR and the Trans-Am Series, later on, too. But his F1 calling, in ’86, came in the Portuguese town of Estoril. Bernie Ecclestone’s Brabham team – “Bernie has always been good to Willy T. Ribbs” – gave the American the chance to buck the trend and become a true trailblazer. But the tag was not something he felt comfortable with at the time. “All that mattered was I thought of myself as a race driver,” he says. “I had two responsibilities: to myself and to my team. For those who record social history, that’s their job [to say trailblazer] – but I’m not going to carry that weight on my shoulders. “Sure. I was a role model because I was doing something no other Black kid had done. And great, if that’s the category they want to put me in and how they want to document it. But for me? It was about going fast.” It was a mindset of not bowing to the status quo, embodied most especially in the late 20th century by Ali. “What I admired about him the most was not his boxing skills,” Ribbs says of Ali. “What I admired about him was his resolve as a man, not to be squashed, manipulated or controlled. Ali said ‘you have to let them know that you can’t be killed, there’s nothing they can do to you and then they’ll leave you alone for a while.’” Now in motor racing, the baton has been passed on to seven-time Formula 1 world champion and the sport’s only Black driver Lewis Hamilton, whom Ribbs is full of praise about. “Lewis Hamilton, after seven world titles and more victories than any other human being, gets unfairly targeted,” insists Ribbs. “If you can equate it to Tiger Woods, what did Tiger Woods do for golf? He broadened the audience. The attention went off the chart. That’s exactly what happened in F1 – Lewis Hamilton has been Formula 1’s Tiger Woods. “He’s a very kind man. He’ll let it roll off, turn the other cheek – I wasn’t that way. He deals with it and in a lot of cases it’s unfair. Then again, he is in an environment which was not nearly as brutal as I was dealing with. Willy T. Ribbs was treated differently.” The third-person references point to a man who is now comfortable in his own skin; in the significance of the struggle – and what it means to many around the world. And despite a sport notoriously still dominated by white men, progress is being made. “One thing I love about Formula 1 is not only is it evolving commercially around the world, it’s evolving socially,” he says. “When F1 hired me, I asked them ‘what made you make this call?’ “They said: ‘We watched your film and we thought you’d be the perfect person for inclusion and equality in Formula 1.’ “I said: ‘Well, you called the right guy’.’” Read More Mercedes chief admits ‘embarrassment’ after Lewis Hamilton disqualification Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc post amusing joint Instagram after DSQ Red Bull chief condemns Mexican fans who booed Max Verstappen Logan Sargeant earns first F1 point in bizarre circumstances Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes react to shock disqualification from United States GP Chaos as Lewis Hamilton disqualified four hours after finishing second in US GP

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