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With schools opening their doors again on Monday, both parents and their children could be experiencing a mixture of emotions, including anxiety. Usually during the summer holidays, bedtime routines go out the window, diets may change and day-to-day activities are usually packed with plenty of fun activities. So trying to recalibrate and get back to regular programming isn’t always straight forward, after six weeks away. Here’s how parents and children can beat back-to-school anxiety… What is anxiety? According to the NHS website, anxiety is a feeling of stress, panic or fear that can affect your everyday life physically and psychologically. Why do parents and children battle with back-to-school anxiety? Jade McLellan, deputy head of pastoral at St Dunstan’s College believes anxiety is a feeling of worry or fear, that for most people, can be momentary, mild or manageable. But for others, it can be constant, overwhelming or debilitating.“Whether there have been holidays in the UK or abroad, or complicated childcare arrangements to navigate while parents continue working, the chances are that your child has had to adapt to a different regime over the holidays and the thought of early starts and late finishes at school can seem daunting. “Schools can be overwhelming environments: noisy, bright, busy and exhausting. If your child has spent the summer in a small family unit, returning to be one of 500 or 1,500 children comes as a shock to the system,” McLellan said.“For some children, particularly neurodiverse children, any form of change can induce anxiety, so the transition into the summer holidays and the transition back to school can both cause anxiety. “On the parent-side, the intense organisation required to manage the school routine, with fitting in pick-up and drop-off around work, remembering letters, trips, non-uniform days and navigating tired children with homework deadlines can all cause parents to feel anxious.”What signs should parents look out for when it comes to anxiety? There are a wide number of signs of anxiety. “Signs of anxiety can be demonstrated in a number of ways, such as complaining of a bad tummy or an illness that isn’t really there, behavioural changes or tantrums, saying no to everything, loss of appetite and lots of tears for no reason,” said parenting expert Amanda Jenner. McLellan adds: “Some are obvious, such as biting nails, becoming quiet, or struggling to sleep or eat. However, anxious children can also lash out and become angry, withdraw socially, suffer from unexplained stomach aches or headaches, or even experience panic attacks.”How can parents battle back-to-school anxiety? Ryan Lockett, a former secondary school head of year and now director of studies at TLC LIVE, a tutoring company for schools, believes it all starts with practising good organisational skills. “Walk to the school. It can ease anxiety if they remind themselves of the surroundings. Less traffic and fewer people will help them feel calmer about the journey,” he said. “Start talking about school, in a positive way. Encouragement and positivity will help a child to feel a sense of excitement and look forward to returning. “Discuss any fears or worries they have and try to address them before the return. It may well be as simple as needing a new pencil case because they’re worried about an equipment check on the first day back; it’s an easy one to solve,” he adds. “Make sure any homework or summer tasks have been completed ahead of time. Don’t let this wait until the week before returning. Get it done in good time; it will help reduce anxiety related to incomplete work.” How can children battle back-to-school anxiety? Life coach, educator and therapist Danielle Baron thinks it’s essential for children to equip themselves with the right tools to tackle back-to-school anxiety. “Expressing yourself creatively can be a therapeutic way to cope with anxiety,” Baron said. “Whether it’s journaling, painting, playing a musical instrument, or writing poetry, find an artistic outlet that helps you channel your emotions and thoughts in a positive way.”She adds: “It’s okay to ask for help when you’re feeling anxious. Talk to your parents, teachers, a trusted person or school counsellor about your worries. They can offer guidance, support and resources to help you manage anxiety effectively. “Remember that everyone goes through changes, and it’s okay to feel a mix of emotions; it’s only human. But it is our ability to bounce back quickly that counts.” Are there any resources parents and children can use?There are different online resources children and parents can use, if they need extra support. 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Williams boss James Vowles was alert and sharp to McLaren’s amusing attempt at subterfuge during Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix. Alex Albon, who has been a revelation at Williams this year, was valiantly defending sixth position from McLaren’s Lando Norris, positioning his car perfectly to maintain his place in the order. Yet McLaren, desperate to pass Albon with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton rapidly chasing behind, tried something different: a ‘dummy’ pit-stop. “Box to overtake,” McLaren told Norris over the team radio, with the British driver responding: “Yeah I’m pushing confirm.” The papaya team even sent their mechanics into the pit-lane, looking as though they were going to bizarrely pit their driver. But Williams – and the experienced former Mercedes chief Vowles – were wily and shrewd to the situation, aware that McLaren were merely dummying in an attempt to try and force Williams to pit Albon. “Heard their dummy and saw their pit lane, I thought ‘if they want to stop they can stop, but I’m not!’” Vowles told Sky F1 afterwards. “From McLaren’s perspective and Mercedes’ and Alonso, just one foot wrong and all three would’ve got through. We were very concerned about them. “What saved us was our straight-line speed [today]. We were six or seven kph up on theirs, it was just enough that they couldn’t get through. “We make it look easy, at least Alex does. Alex did a sterling job. We don’t quite have that race-pace but we have a driver out there who can get his elbows out and fight for points. That’s what he did today, he did a sterling job. “Again not a foot wrong. Seventh is just reward, the car pace was slightly behind that but he shone relative to that.” Ultimately, neither Albon nor Norris could keep Hamilton behind, with the seven-time world champion finishing sixth. Albon finished seventh – for another impressive six points for Williams – while Norris came home a place behind in eighth. Max Verstappen won the race – a record-breaking 10th in a row – with Sergio Perez second and Carlos Sainz third. Read More Max Verstappen breaks new ground with record victory at Italian Grand Prix ‘It was totally my fault’: Lewis Hamilton admits mistake in Italian Grand Prix ‘It was totally my fault’: Lewis Hamilton admits mistake in Italian Grand Prix Max Verstappen breaks new ground with record victory at Italian Grand Prix F1 Italian Grand Prix LIVE: Race results and reaction as Verstappen wins at Monza

Lewis Hamilton apologised to Oscar Piastri after he admitted he was “totally at fault” for his collision with the McLaren rookie in Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix. Hamilton was hit with a five-second penalty for the coming together at the Variante della Roggia as the two drivers duelled for eighth on lap 41 of 51 in Monza. Hamilton improved to sixth and was able to pull out a seven-second margin on Williams’ Alex Albon to ensure the sanction had no impact on his result. However, Piastri, 22, suffered front-wing damage and was forced to stop for repairs, dropping him out of the points. “He just turned across me under braking,” said Piastri on the radio. Hamilton, who was also hit with two penalty points on his driver’s licence, doubling his total to four, went over to Piastri to concede his error at the chequered flag. “It was totally my fault,” said Hamilton, 38. “It actually wasn’t intentional. I went and apologised to him straight afterwards. “I got up alongside him and just misjudged the gap I had to the right and clipped him. It could happen at any time. “I knew shortly afterwards it must have been my fault and I wanted to make sure he knew it wasn’t intentional. That’s what gentleman do.” Hamilton’s Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had no complaints with the stewards’ verdict and praised his superstar driver for taking accountability. “That was Lewis’ mistake,” said Wolff. “I think a five-second penalty for that is what the menu says. These things happen, you know. It’s hard racing and we’ve seen a few of these. It’s justifiable. “Lewis is very sportsmanlike on these things. And he is the only one that I see out there admitting things that he did wrong. “We just had a chat and he said ‘I didn’t see him on the right and that is on me.’ And I think that kind of sportsmanship is what you need to admire with him. Pretty much everyone else is complaining and moaning to try to avoid getting a penalty.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen’s 10 wins in a row ‘irrelevant’ says Mercedes boss Toto Wolff Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz gets goosebumps after landing pole for Italian Grand Prix Carlos Sainz’s pace in practice gives Ferrari fans hope for Italian Grand Prix

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff called Max Verstappen’s drive into the Formula One record books at Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix “completely irrelevant”. Verstappen went behind enemy lines in Ferrari’s backyard to fight his way past Carlos Sainz’s scarlet car and become the first driver in the sport’s 73-year history to win 10 consecutive races. The Dutchman, now a victor at 12 of the 14 rounds so far, bettered the record he had shared with Sebastian Vettel. Verstappen has not lost a race since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on April 30, 126 days ago. Sergio Perez finished runner-up as Red Bull – who remain unbeaten this season – claimed a one-two finish, with pole-sitter Sainz third ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and sixth for Mercedes. Hamilton’s Mercedes machinery carried him to six world championships in seven seasons, but the British driver was never able to win more than five successive races. The best Michael Schumacher, so dominant in his Ferrari at the turn of the century, could manage was seven. Yet, despite Verstappen’s historic streak, Wolff found it difficult to express praise for Red Bull’s star man. “For me, these kinds of records are completely irrelevant,” he said. “They were irrelevant in our good days in Mercedes. “I don’t know how many races we won in a row. I didn’t even know that there was a count of how many wins in a row, so if you are asking me to comment on the achievement it is difficult, because it never played a role in my own life until I heard about it yesterday. “The result itself shows a great driver in a great car, who are competing on an extremely high level.” Wolff’s lacklustre appraisal came after Hamilton devalued the strength of Verstappen’s team-mates in an interview on Italian television on Thursday. Verstappen responded in the Dutch media by suggesting Hamilton was “jealous” of his current success. Hamilton was then asked about Verstappen’s record-breaking run after Sunday’s 51-lap race. “I had strong team-mates,” he replied. “Valtteri (Bottas) was quick a lot of times. I don’t care about statistics in general. Good for him.” Since he claimed his maiden title at the controversial season-ending Abu Dhabi race in 2021 – denying Hamilton a record eighth championship – Verstappen has won 27 of the 36 races staged. In his last 25 appearances, Verstappen has failed to win just four times. “What Max is doing is breaking records and driving at an unbelievable level,” said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. “I don’t think there is anybody in the world at the moment that can beat Max Verstappen in this car, that’s for sure. “You have to recognise and applaud what Max is doing. It is very special to achieve what he has achieved and we shouldn’t detract from that in any way. “In sport it is very rare that something like this happens and it is a golden moment for him and certainly a golden moment for the team.” Verstappen was made to wait 14 laps and a handful of corners before he assumed the lead of Sunday’s race at the Variante della Roggia. From there, he never looked back to seal another crushing win and move 145 points clear in the standings. There remains an outside chance he could be crowned champion of the world for a third time as early as the Japanese Grand Prix in three weeks with half-a-dozen rounds still remaining. “I never would have believed that it was possible,” said Verstappen after his record triumph. “But we had to work for it today and that definitely made it a lot more fun.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz gets goosebumps after landing pole for Italian Grand Prix Carlos Sainz’s pace in practice gives Ferrari fans hope for Italian Grand Prix How Max Verstappen equalled Sebastien Vettel’s record for consecutive race wins

Lewis Hamilton admitted he was at fault for the collision with Oscar Piastri in the latter stages of Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix and has apologised to the Australian driver. Hamilton and Piastri were fighting for eighth position on lap 41 of the 51-lap race and, coming out of the Curva Grande, the two cars were side-by-side and touched with the Mercedes squeezing the McLaren on the outside and both having to take to the escape road. It was an incident which ruined Piastri’s race, having to pit for a new front nose and dropping outside the top-10, with Hamilton promptly receiving a five-second penalty from the stewards. Ultimately, the penalty did not impact Hamilton – who finished sixth – while Piastri finished 12th. “I misjudged the gap I had with Piastri right at the end,” Hamilton said. “It was totally my fault. “I apologised to him straight afterwards and we move on.” Piastri, though disappointed with the race-impacting clash, seemed satisfied with Hamilton’s apology. “He creeped over a bit more than he thought,” Piastri said. “The stewards gave their verdict and Lewis apologised and nothing more I can ask for or do at that point.” Max Verstappen won a record-breaking 10th race in a row in another Red Bull one-two victory, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz holding off his team-mate for the final podium place.