Education News

Fit, Healthy & Happy

Education News from Alleyn's | www.alleyns.org.uk

Tom Scott Soundy, Sports Coach, and Daniel Bearfoot-Fallon, Functional Movement Specialist, both at Alleyn’s Junior School, tell us how to help our children stay fit and healthy.

We all know that exercise and physical activity keeps us physically and mentally healthy. For children it’s especially important because it aids their growth, physical literacy and overall wellbeing. The NHS recommends that children should be active for at least 60 minutes a day, ideally with 30 minutes of that occurring outside school. So how can we achieve that? Here are some simple and effective principles to help keep your child fit and healthy:

FUNDamentals

First and foremost, whatever activity you decide to do, make it enjoyable. Prioritise play over competition and process over outcome - and avoid a focus on ‘succeeding’ or ‘failing’. As a result, your child will stay involved for longer, which will help them to improve their physical literacy.

UNSTRUCTURED ACTIVITIES

This may seem counter intuitive, but many children have ample structure throughout the day with school, possibly after-school clubs and daily home life. You risk losing ‘buy-in’ to an activity if there is no freedom within it. Play and discovery are great opportunities to change traditional rules or add new elements, providing some boundaries but a greater sense of freedom. Remember, children are not mini adults and they need more rest and recovery as their bodies develop.

STAY BROAD

Ironically a big danger can be your child being identified early as being particularly good at a certain activity. This can be very exciting for them and you but don’t fall into the trap of solely pursuing just one sport too early. Expose your child to multiple activities because this will make them more rounded and enable them to develop transferable skills to keep their options open in the future.

DO IT TOGETHER

Typically, families spend time bonding during sedentary activities such as going to the cinema or watching television. Exercising as a family or with your child creates an opportunity to establish what could potentially be a lifelong habit. Not only is this a great way for you to find time to exercise but it also sets an example to your child and gives you some all-important quality time together.

KEEP MOVING

Fundamentally, doing something is better than doing nothing! Start small, keep it manageable and have fun. Do this and you’re more likely to stick to it!

The important thing to remember is that we are trying to establish habits and skills that last a lifetime. Not only will those habits promote physical activity and the myriad of benefits that come with that, but exercise plays a huge role in a child’s emotional and mental development. Evidence shows that more active children have more confidence, higher self-esteem, less anxiety and stress, and better social skills – all attributes that can help them deal with the challenges they face in daily life - in essence, exercise makes us happier!

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Financial Matters

With David Frederick FCCA | Marcus Bishop Associates | marcus-bishop.com

The Rise Of The Side Hustle

The economic fall out of the pandemic has seen what is now known as the side hustle. Although the term side hustle may sound hip, edgy, new and exciting, it is not really. A side hustle is just another name for simply earning an extra income. It is not a new economic activity. What may be new, is the volume of people engaged in a side hustle; and the number of side hustles that are maturing into a small business. It is not surprising to learn about the increase in the side hustle in the economy as a result of the financial upheaval to households in the wake of the pandemic: • “11m people have borrowed to make ends meet since the beginning of the pandemic, including 2.8 million who have used high-cost credit to make ends meet.” (Step Change) • “1 in 4 people not expected to recover financially from the pandemic for at least 12 months.” (Turn2us) • “4.3 million people are behind on household bills including council tax, rent and utilities.” (Step Change) It is with this economic landscape that some households have put their recovery plan into action. The seemingly unspoken approach was we’ll fight our way out with whatever skills, knowledge or experience at our disposal. This became the 2020-21 trademark for side hustling and side hustlers. The marketing and monetarising of their personal skills, knowledge or experience was the catalyst to generate additional income. Furlough was also another driver. Many employees encountered furlough and for some employees, furlough was a first step to permanent loss of employment. The combination of the global pandemic, economic fall-out and household financial pain, collectively contributed to the noticeable rise in the side hustle. Aimee a mother of three who was a consultant in the hospitality sector transitioned her skills into online coaching at the height of the pandemic. “I already had my coaching qualification but had never used it before last autumn. However, with the heart of the hospitality sector being ripped out, I had to find an alternative source of income for family survival as we’ve always been a two income family.” Noel, a father of two children and qualified car maintenance engineer, did not regard furlough as a long term survival strategy. “I have always had an interest in cooking and baking, so I saw this as an opportunity to test myself, by baking cakes and puddings during my period of furlough and lockdown. I am still surprised how the word spread and demand has grown.” It is this demand growth and expansion in a side hustle that can signal danger for the side hustler. Yes, you’ve guessed it, HMRC and income tax. For most side hustlers, income tax is never at the front of the mind at the start or at any phase in their side hustle development. However, it often surprises them when they learn that their successful side hustle may become subjected to income tax. In short, earning over £1,000 additional income must be declared to HMRC via self-assessment. With this backdrop of income tax and selfassessment, side hustlers should consider the following three steps to avoid any tears as their side hustle transitions into a small business: 1) from day one keep detailed records of their side hustle expenses and income, as it may unknowingly convert into business income and business expenses; 2) open or use a separate bank account for all the side hustle spending and income receiving; and 3) seek professional advise as soon as the side hustle surplus approaches £1,000

As the side hustle activity rises beyond 25% of the population, HMRC will keep a watchful eye out on the side hustlers.

Early Days With A Rescue Dog

Pets Corner with Leonie St Clair | www.londondogstraining.co.uk

Many of you are rehoming dogs from abroad. All with the best of intentions but the temptation to go full swing helping your rescue dog live his ‘best life’, packing on PDA with lots of ‘fun’ experiences, is often the exact opposite of what he needs. Many foreign rescues will have lived on the streets or in kennels, a different experience from co-habiting with humans. Many will already have decided which humans are okay and which are not; men in particular may be viewed with intense suspicion. Undoing these strong associations can be challenging. For any rescue, the experience of being

‘airlifted’, sometimes literally, into a totally new environment with different types of human, new animals, objects, sounds and smells they have never encountered before, is traumatic. Some will have undergone this process of forced ‘dog rendition’ a number of times. On landing in its latest home, the rescue dog will be confused, anxious and insecure, others frustrated and angry, and wanting only to seek the safety of familiarity and to escape. The new owner wants to make the dog feel better, they try to soothe them with trips out to meet other dogs and friends. They give the dog lots of toys, delicious food, a padded bed. Many, with the best of intentions, try to get the dog into training classes right away. The dog may reject all of these and try to hide, eating only when the owners are well out of sight. The harder the owners try to make the dog feel better the worse things seem to get until after just a few weeks the dog and owner are in crisis.

Here is a guide to the first weeks and months with your rescue:

• The process of rescue renders many dogs crate aversive but create a den area in a quiet place in the home, where your dog can rest undisturbed. • Sleep and plenty of it is the key to recovery. Leave your dog alone to rest. • Scatter food near his den and let him forage. Put food into Kongs or other toys and let him discover these near his den. • We want to encourage a bond with the new dog but not neediness, so letting him slowly relax and ‘discover’ how the immediate home works will help. • Let him come to you in his own time and slowly start to build interactions with him but don’t crowd him with affection. Many dogs will not value touch at first. • Give your dog access to a garden or an outside space so he knows where to toilet. • Give him time to get used to all the noises and routines in your home (your dog may never have been exposed to a range of household devices and noises, they may never have trodden on or smelt a carpet before). • Postpone visits to the park, other dogs and wider family, until you can see your dog has started to relax. A decent knowledge of canine body language is a must as signs of stress and anxiety can be quite subtle. • Speak to your vet about calming supplements. • Take time to get your dog used to a lead, collar and harness in the home before trying to go out on walks. Many dogs may never have encountered any of these before. • When you do eventually go out for a first walk remember your dog will be learning all the time. Go slowly and be patient. I am indebted to my colleagues Denise Nuttall and Alton Matherne for this article.