This newsletter gives you an update on what support is available to students and some ideas about how you can support your child’s wellbeing. There are many additional wellbeing resources on the school website for parents and students to refer to.
We believe in ourselves and connect:
The 31st January is the second Wellbeing week in school and this time we have a focus on the importance of sleep.
The pandemic altered children’s daily routines, including sleep and wake schedules, screen time and physical activity, all of which can be harmful to their overall health and well-being. Now that most students are back in the classroom, it’s important that they establish new routines that include the proper amount of healthy sleep.
Sleep is as important to our health as eating, drinking and breathing. It allows our bodies to repair themselves and our brains to consolidate our memories and process information.
Poor sleep is linked to physical problems such as a weakened immune system and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.
During form period we will be discussing sleep hygiene and encouraging students to consider how to ensure that they get a good night's sleep.
Why does sleep matter?
Getting enough sleep is critical to the health and well-being of students of all ages. Sufficient sleep helps students:
- Excel in the classroom by maximizing attention, memory and learning abilities
- Perform better in sports by being faster, stronger and more accurate
- Feel positive and have a more optimistic attitude toward life
- Look their best and maintain a healthy weight
- Have fun and enjoy life by making better decisions and staying safe
The benefits of healthy sleep require not only adequate sleep duration, but also appropriate timing, daily regularity, good sleep quality and the absence of sleep disorders.
When students don’t get the recommended hours of healthy sleep on a regular basis, it can lead to:
- Behavior and learning problems
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Mental health problems
Studies agree that approximately 8.5 hours of sleep is required for teenagers to perform at their optimum level. 65% of young people do not get the required amount of sleep.
The required level of sleep varies throughout your life, and it’s researchers agree that in your teenage years you need sleep more than ever.
Your body needs time to recover and rejuvenate, and you need to allocate a good chunk of your day to sleeping. But you can have too much of a good thing. Regularly oversleeping can actually have an adverse effect and you’ll end up feeling fatigued. In the same way your body needs time to relax, your body also needs to be active and awake for a good proportion of the day – spending your active time oversleeping can lead to a range of health issues.
How can students improve their sleep?
- Gradually shift bedtime at least 15 minutes earlier each night and wake time 15 minutes earlier each morning until on the right schedule.
- Create a quiet, cool sleep environment.
- Develop a relaxing nightly routine, which may include reading, journaling or taking a warm bath or shower.
- Restrict screen time before bed.
- Maintain a consistent sleep schedule, whether classes are held in-person, online or in a hybrid format, including getting up and going to bed at regular times.
Safeguarding our children:
Safeguarding our children remains our key priority during this difficult time. If you have any concerns about the safety of a young person in our school please email rcs-safeguarding@rawmarsh.org in the usual way and our team will endeavor to support you.
Supporting our children
We are lucky to be working in partnership with ‘With me in Mind’ who are mental health practitioners. They will be in school during wellbeing handing out free resources and on hand to chat about how to get a good night’s sleep.
Pledges update:
During this half term students will be taught the value of embracing new experiences and finding opportunities to surprise themselves. Students are given the opportunity with these Pledges to explore multiple means of self-reflection to support feeling good about who they are, what they've achieved and what's to come.
The Pledge challenge that has been set is 'We take pride in our appearance”'. Students are encouraged to demonstrate their independence by washing and ironing their clothes or completing a household chore. To link this to the theme of sleep, this could be making their bed every morning and washing their bedding at the end of the week.
PSHE update for this term:
Year 7 - Are currently looking at the physical and emotional changes that happen during puberty.
Year 8 - Are working their way through their citizenship unit where we will be exploring how democracy works in the UK, issues around discrimination and hate crime including the impact discrimination can have on the individual and how we can tackle this both on and off line.
Year 9 - Y9 students are currently completing their relationships unit of work. Including healthy and unhealthy relationships as well as exploring the law and how this protects people in society.
Year 10 - This term year 10 will be exploring issues around healthy and unhealthy relationships as well as how to look after their wellbeing.
Year 11 - In PSHE workshops Y11 have been looking at the importance of looking after their physical health. This term we are looking at healthy relationships and finance.
For more information about PSHE lessons, please contact hmayfield@rawmarsh.org
Useful resources:
The following websites are really useful for supporting young people with sleep and wellbeing:
This is an excellent resource with advice for parents and teenagers on sleep hygiene and mental health. There is an ebook they you can download, a quiz you can complete about your sleep profile and some really useful videos to watch.
Some great resources for young people on how to look after their wellbeing and a chance to chat online with mental health professionals about anything that is on your mind.