Summer 2021
Outside the Box A newsletter helping the Box Hill School community stay together, stay informed and stay happy.
“Great Minds Don’t Think Alike”
Daily Wellbeing Tasks Name one thing that you are grateful for in each day Engage with a new form of exercise/wellbeing task Catch up with a friend or family member Avoid reading the news or social media for a day Be attentive to the present – breathe, eat, exercise mindfully
Summer Edition It has arrived, and we have made it to the summer, that far distant point, that in the height of lockdown seemed a lifetime away. Staff at Box Hill are extremely proud of how our pupils have coped with the challenges that this academic year has sent their way. Lots of work has been done this academic year to help our young people focus on ways to help their mental health in a positive way. We have focused on areas of building resilience and have spent plenty of time discussing how our we are all are feeling about the pandemic. PSHEE lessons as well as tutor periods have been used to reflect on lockdowns, isolation and how the news is impacting us on a daily basis. Zoom lessons were a safe space for many of our young people during the third national lockdown, and staff were able to reassure and put in places strategies to help Box Hill School pupils. For many of our young people, what has become clear throughout the last 18 months, is that they are worried about sharing their thoughts and concerns, as they do not want to worry or upset those closest to them. One of the strongest messages that came across through the work we have done in School this year, is that no matter how we are feeling, and subsequently worried about sharing those feelings, that it is so important to discuss the feelings inside with those that we love and care about. We hope that as we enter the summer period that all our young people are able to speak to their loved ones if they require some extra help and support as we continue to navigate the roadmap out of lockdown. We are hopeful every day that the situation improves, and for many of our boarders, they are returning home for the first time since September. Another clear message that was shared with our pupils this term revolved around support networks and how to access them. While a lot of our young people rely on the support networks within school, as mentioned in this edition, and previous editions, there is a wealth of support available for all to access if and when required. The resilience that has been shown by all our pupils this year has truly been outstanding and we wish everyone a wonderful summer break.
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Wellbeing If you are a regular reader of Outside the Box you will know that we draw on a wealth of resources, particularly from those charities who focus on promoting positive mental health. As we continue to move forward during this pandemic, and as we move towards restrictions lifting even further, it will still be imperative that we focus on positive mental health strategies and continue to build resilience not only in our young people but also in ourselves. Action for Happiness have released their calendar since the last edition of Outside the Box, the focus of which is ‘Jump Back Up July’. There are a wide range of resources on their website that focus on positive mental health and we have included July’s calendar below. https://www.actionforhappiness.org/
The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families continue to provide a wealth of resources to help guide families through the pandemic, focusing primarily on young people’s mental health. Last summer, the Anna Freud Centre published and promoted #SelfcareSummer and this is still as relevant this year. There are a fantastic array of ideas and support links for our young people to engage with over the next 8 weeks if they wish. There are four key areas that we need to focus on to ensure that we can maintain our mental health. With ideas for physical, emotional, social and practical wellbeing, the #SelfcareSummer can provide some brilliant ideas for our young people and their families this summer. https://www.annafreud.org/schools-andcolleges/resources/selfcaresummersecondary-pack/
3 In the previous edition of Outside the Box we mentioned that the theme of Mental Health Week had been about nature and what it can do for our mental health. The below video was put together by Mind and Sir David Attenborough to highlight the links between nature and mental health. Sir Attenborough discusses ways that nature has been shown to improve mental health, how nature has helped him during particularly stressful points in his life and suggests ways that people can better connect with people.
The message that has been strongly delivered this year is that we all have mental health. There is a lot of stigma around discussing mental health, but just like our physical health, we all need to do work to ensure that we remain in good mental health. Our mental health can be seen on a spectrum and throughout the day we will move through this spectrum depending on what has happened. The way that we remain in good positive mental health is a result of resilience and an array of skills that we can turn to. For many people, talking through how they are feeling will help them to remain at the positive end of spectrum, which is why it is important, throughout this summer period, that our young people are able to talk about this with friends, parents or carers. The Diana Award has put together some simple steps to help start these conversations with our young people.
As the summer approaches it is important for all of us to remember water safety. It is perfectly natural to want to cool off when it’s hot. With very limited swimming over the last year, it will be important to remind our young people how to stay safe in or alongside water, with the help of the RNLI poster on the next page.
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5 It is also important to remember the importance of Sun Safety as we approach the summer months. A number of charities have put together important information for us to remember when it comes to sun safety. Cancer Research UK have particularly shared the below resources to help with this.
Tips for using sunscreen properly It's important to use it properly to get the level of protection it says on the bottle: • •
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Make sure you put enough on – people often put on much less sunscreen than they need to. Apply sunscreen evenly and thickly. Make sure that you’re putting enough on if using a spray or roll on sunscreen. Reapply sunscreen regularly throughout the day including ‘once a day’ and ‘water resistant’ products. Sunscreen can rub, sweat or wash off – even if it’s supposed to be waterproof. It’s especially important to put more on after toweling dry. Reapplying also helps avoid missing bits of skin. Check the expiry date on your sunscreen before you use it. Look for a symbol with the letter M and a number that shows how many months the sunscreen will last after opening.
Sun safety for children Sun safety is important at all ages. Protect children’s skin using a combination of shade, clothing and sunscreen. Encourage them to spend time in the shade particularly between 11am-3pm when the sun is strongest, you can read more about this in the above section. Covering skin with clothing helps to reduce UV rays reaching the skin, perhaps wearing a t-shirt in the paddling pool or a hat when at the park. Remember sunglasses and hats are a great way to protect the eyes and face, too. Sunscreen doesn’t protect us completely from sun damage on its own. However, it can be useful for taking care of the parts of skin we can’t shade or cover. Apply it regularly and use a sunscreen with a minimum SPF 15 and a 4 or 5 star rating. Children and teenagers might need a reminder or a helping hand but setting a good example yourself is a great way to help them learn good habits. The NHS recommends that children under 6 months should be kept out of direct sunlight.
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Podcasts
Podcasts have become a staple part of the publication and this one is no different. This edition, we turn to a series of podcasts created by the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families titled ‘Child in Mind’. The Anna Freud Centre have produced a series of expert podcasts to help parents understand and manage child and family mental health problems. The series, Child in Mind, is presented by BBC Radio 4 presenter Claudia Hammond. In each 20minute episode, she discusses an important issue in child and family mental health with an expert and a young person or parent. Linked below is the entire series but we would like to particularly highlight the final podcast, titled The Adolescent Brain. https://www.annafreud.org/parents-and-carers/child-in-mind/ As with other publications of Outside the Box, we continue to turn to the Mental Health Foundation to provide a wealth of knowledge. Their website continues to provide a brilliant array of resources to help with this and they also produce some very good wellbeing podcasts. Please find the link to the Mental Health Foundation web page below. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/
Further Self-help resources for parents Every Mind Matters - Advice for parents and carers on looking after your child's mental health and self-care videos for young people.
Young Minds - Useful tips and ideas for how to support your children with worries or mental health problems.
MindEd for families - Advice and information from specialists and parents to help
you understand what problems occur and what you can do best to support your family.
Free online parenting guides - Online guides to help you understand your child's or teenager's emotional development to improve your relationship.
Family Learning - Online parenting courses for parents and carers who are struggling to support their children with school, homework or behaviour issues.
Qwell for parents of SEND Children - Online emotional wellbeing support for
parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND) in Surrey.
SEND Advice Surrey - Impartial, confidential and free support to empower parent, carers, children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) aged 0-25 years.
Surrey's Family Help Hub - A brand new services, helping you find useful information, advice and support for those times you need it.
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Contacts
Sue Salmon, Deputy Head Pastoral
Susan.Salmon@boxhillschool.com
Claire McCarthy, Assistant Head Pastoral
Claire.McCarthy@boxhillschool.com
We hope that all of the Box Hill Community have a wonderful summer break and we very much look forward to welcoming them back in September.