Wellbeing

Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families has set up a website dedicated to helping you people make informed choices about their mental health and wellbeing. Lots of the articles and advice have been written by young people, for young people, to help them face the struggles of daily life. Please click on the picture to go to the website.

Student tips

What should I do at home?

When working at home, we would expect you to look at your timetable at the start of each day. You could make a schedule of your own, with breaks and time for some fresh air added in. Once you have a timetable planned out, try to stick to it as much as possible. You should have a routine in place. Staying in bed for longer is tempting, but it means you will miss out on some of the live interactive learning we are providing for you.

If you find that the schedule of school work is too much, let your Head of Year to help you plan a new one. Maybe focus on the core subjects, plus one other and build up from there.

If you are finding the schedule too little you can add to your learning by reading around the subject. There are many other resources you could be using, such as SAM Learning, Active Learn or Hegarty Maths. These will all help to support the learning you are doing online within the lessons.

Home Schedule Example

This is an example of a schedule you could follow when at home. You can download and print it each week and make it personal to you.

The suggestions in the first column may help you to plan out your day and stick to a good routine.

Sleep

Make sure you stick to a good bedtime routine. Going to bed at a reasonable time each day and getting up will help you to stick to a good daily routine for completing your online learning. Staying up all night and sleeping all day will not improve your progress in school.

Try to limit screen time before you go to bed. Put all devices away an hour before you plan to sleep. This will aid your sleep and help you to fall asleep quickly.

Avoid playing computer games before bed. This can lead to extended times if you get "lost in the game" and also the screen time will affect your quality of sleep.

Have a hot drink or a warm bath before bed. This will relax your body and ensure a peaceful rest can take place.

Eating

Try to eat at the same time each day. Breaks for food and drinks should be in your daily schedule. This will help you to secure a good routine and keep a good pace for work completion.

If possible try to avoid sugary snacks and drinks as these will spike your energy levels and then leave you feeling low and hungry. Healthy snacks will give you a longer boost of energy and keep you feeling fuller for longer.

Stop working a take a break away from your workspace to eat. This will make you feel ready to return to working and keep your day broken up into sections of work and rest.

Workspace

If possible create a quiet workspace, where you will not be disturbed and where there is nothing to distract you. This needs to be comfortable, well ventilated and have a seat that promotes good posture. Regular breaks should be taken away from this workspace, in order to differentiate between work and play.

Try not to have any devices that you don't need while work is happening. Maybe give you parent your phone or put it in a draw while you work. This will help with concentration and you will be less distracted.

It's OK to ask us questions

We are here to help. If you find you are confused about work or need to talk to someone about a good routine please ask us. Your Head of Year is here to help you with anything. They may be able to come up with a solution to a problem that you hadn't thought about, but we can't do that if we don't know what the problem is.

Make Time to Talk

Make time in your day to talk to your family. Talking through any issues will help you to come to a positive solution. Having a conversation that is not based around school work can also help you to relax.

Having some time outside, walking and getting fresh air maybe an ideal time to talk through how your day has been, or have a chat about something you have seen on You Tube.

Don't forget to speak to your friends and check in on them, They may need to talk just as much as you.

Parent tips

We understand that homeschooling can be difficult and current restrictions are contributing to that difficulty. Hopefully within this website you may be able to find some advice to help you.

We are here to help...

If you are experiencing difficulty and want some advice please do contact us.

Heads of Year are available via the following emails;

Year 7 swoodgate@bwsboys.org

Year 8 arobins@bwsboys.org

Year 9 lthornton@bwsboys.org

Heads of Year will be emailing and calling to see how each household is doing and to offer any advice and support.

What can I do at home?

Establish a clear routine

Your son will be used to getting up at a certain time during the week and maybe a different time at the weekend, try to stick to this to enhance a good structure. Include breakfast, starting the day hungry for everyone will make for a difficult day! Set times out for lessons and breaks. Work towards an activity outside if possible so you can all get some air and away from the "work" environment.

Sleep

Ensure a clear bedtime routine is in place. Stick to the same time as if they had to get up and travel to school. This will help productivity during the day. Exercise will also aid sleep, try to get out for a walk or a run to the park. Children need between 8-10 hours each night. Limit screen time before bed. Try to limit the time on computer games, this can become a spiral into late nights and poor quality of sleep. Remove the device from the bedroom over night so you can be sure sleep is happening and not gaming.

Eating

Try to keep the same eating routines in place each day, you can then rely on breaktimes and lunchtimes to be away from the "work" area. Avoid sugary snacks and drinks. This will spike energy levels and make concentration difficult. Hydrate with water to enable the neurons in the brain to fire quickly, conductive to creativity and concentration.

Workspace

If possible create a quiet workspace, where your son will not be disturbed or distracted. This needs to be comfortable, well ventilated and in a seat that holds good posture. Regular breaks should be taken away from this workspace, in order to differentiate between work and play. You may want to agree that phones and devices, not needed for work are put in a different place to the workspace to avoid distractions.

It's ok to ask

If you are unsure of anything, please do contact us to ask. Members of staff are willing to support you and answer any queries. It's also ok not to know. Showing your son how to investigate a situation and asking for help is a valuable life lesson. Emailing or call into school is ok and we all understand there maybe confusion and frustrations at home. If we know what the problem is we can help you to find a solution.

Make time to talk

Sometimes we just need someone to sit and listen to us while we talk. Make time in the day for this with your son. Check in and make sure he feels understood, appreciated and that what he is doing is worthy of recognition. You could discuss incentives for work completion or just a chat about a favorite program or You tube channel. Making time for each other each day will ease stress and ensure that things are on track.

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Further Website Advice

There are many different places parents can find support and advice, however sometimes this choice can be overwhelming. Below are a few links to look at that offer parents advice and support both about homeschooling and wellbeing;

https://youngminds.org.uk/blog/a-parents-tips-for-home-schooling/

https://www.servicesforeducation.co.uk/resources-for-parents/

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents/mental-health-parenting/

https://bromley-y.org/for-parents-carers.html

Bromley Wellbeing (Bromley Y)

In order to support students and families with positive mental health Bromley Y offer a range of support services. Please check their website for full details, https://www.bromley-y.org/ .

One to highlight in particular is their phone/video consultations. They are offering consultations via phone/video (up to 30mins) to talk to one of their practitioners. The aim of this is to provide advice and guidance to support the wellbeing of your child.

To access this service email: swswellbeingsupport@bromleyy.org providing your name, phone number, child’s school, best times to call (morning or afternoon), a brief description of what you wish to discuss. They will do their best to call within 5 working days to help you think about how to get the help you need. This may lead to a referral into their service or sign posting to a more appropriate service with your consent

Bromley Childrens Project

For up to date information and further details, please visit The Bromley Children Project - Facebook Page.

Child Mental Health & Wellbeing- 10 Top Tips for ParentsTop 10 Tips to promote child mental health & wellbeing- hear from our Safeguarding Director, Sam Preston

Things to try at home

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These are just a few examples of techniques that may help to calm an anxious environment. Please do download and print these at home to use as and when you feel is necessary.

We will be adding to this section over time.

" Anything that's human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be made manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary."-Fred Rogers

Resources to boost your child's wellbeing during the Covid-19 pandemic

Practice Square Breathing this DeStress Monday with Our Helpful GIFDeep breathing exercises are a great way to reduce stress - concentrate and breathe deeply for a minute with our square breathing GIF.

Parents' Toolkit: SENDSEND (special educational needs and disabilities) resources, activities and support to help you and your family during lockdown.

Supporting children with special educational needs and disabilitiesChildren with special educational needs and disabilities may face lots of changes in their lives because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. We've got advice and support for parents and carers.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/

The RSPB are holding their Big Garden Birdwatch from 29th-31st January. Click the link to sign up and join the activity.

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