Summer 2022
“Great Minds Don’t
Outside the Box A newsletter helping the Box Hill School community stay together, stay informed and stay happy.
Think Alike”
Everyone’s Invited
Daily Wellbeing Tasks Do something active – it does not matter what. Get the heart pumping Engage with a new form of exercise/wellbeing task Catch up with a friend or family member Challenge yourself to have no screen time for an hour
As we draw to the end of another exciting academic year where we have seen the return to near normality with events such as Box Hill’s Got Talent, Speech Day, Sports Day, and the recent School performance of The Addams Family, we recognise that there are many challenges that students still face. In this edition we have provided some useful information on how to talk to your children about different issues and to address their feelings. As you may be aware the Everyone’s Invited movement was founded in June 2020. This was built on the voices of brave survivors who shared their testimonies of their own experiences of rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse whether physical, mental, emotional, or verbal, sexual harassment and uninvited attention. A recent poll on Instagram showed that 94% of young people felt that their sex and relationship education was not sufficient in preparing them for today’s world. Education leaders have met to discuss how changes could be made in schools and how best to support teachers. One of the outcomes from the discussions was that everyone needs to take ownership and accountability for their actions. In a survey conducted across the UK, there were two questions which highlighted this: Have you ever been complicit in a friend’s behaviour despite knowing it to be wrong? 52% Yes
48% No
At school, have you ever made another pupil feel uncomfortable through your own behaviour? 23% Yes
77% No
Everyone needs to take ownership for their behaviour and the impact is has. We need to create cultures where people know what good looks like and are equipped to make conscious, thoughtful choices and have the skills to action them. In PSHE, we discuss the importance of consent, how to recognise consensual and non-consensual responses, unacceptable behaviours surrounding assault and harassment, how to be an up-stander in times of crisis, and how to report and support a survivor of sexual assault. The aim of discussing these subjects in a classroom setting is to create a generation of young people who know how to treat one another with respect and dignity, with the aim to eradicate the very real issue of assault in our society.
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Pride Month 2022 Pride month takes place every year in June, to mark the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York and recognise the influence of the LGBTQ+ community. Celebrating diversity and people’s right to choose how they live without discrimination Pride Month promotes ss well as being an opportunity for celebration, Pride Month is also a chance to raise awareness of current issues facing the community. This year was particularly significant as it marks 50 years since the first Pride march took place in the United Kingdom. Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families have put together some useful resources to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex young people. The Anna Freud Centre
Wellbeing Outside the Box draws on a wealth of resources, particularly from those charities who focus on promoting positive mental health. Action for Happiness release monthly calendars and the focus of July 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.
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Mental Health Awareness Week Back in May the annual Mental Health Awareness Week took place where the whole of the UK has the opportunity to focus on achieving good mental health. This event has become one of the biggest awareness weeks across the UK and globally. The aim is to start conversations about mental health and the things in our daily life that can affect it. This year the focus was on Loneliness and Mental Health. Loneliness is affecting more and more of us in the UK, particularly during the pandemic which had a big impact on people’s physical and mental health. One of the fundamental ways of protecting our mental health is through the connection with other people and our community. Take some time to check in on friends and family, especially those that are living on their own. Mental Health Foundation Mind
Talking Mental Health As parents and carers, it can often be difficult to know whether your child’s feelings and behaviour are normal or becoming a problem. The pandemic has highlighted for us the necessity for positive mental health strategies. Teenagers face a rollercoaster of changing emotions and feelings that come and go which is completely normal at this age. Particularly during the adolescent years, young people can feel a great deal of pressure and increasingly want to loosen their family ties. Talking can be a helpful way for young people to manage their wellbeing as it helps them to manage difficult experiences and feelings. The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families have put together some top tips for talking.
For more information please look at their website.
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Supporting Conflicts
Children
with
the
Recent
Many of us are anxious about the news unfolding about the recent conflicts. Even if you’re not directly affected, watching these events can be upsetting. Your child may not be watching the news, but they may still hear about these events in other ways, and this may cause anxiety for them too. It’s important to talk to them about what’s happening. The information below suggests some ways for parents/guardians/carers to address these topics.
A number of organisations have put together resources and guidance on how to discuss these topics. BBC Bitesize/Anna Freud Centre https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zbrdjsg YoungMinds - https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/blog/top-tips-fortalking-to-your-young-person-about-the-events-in-ukraine/ Childline https://www.childline.org.uk/get-involved/articles/worrying-about-russiaukraine/
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Festival Safety Many teenagers will be packing their tents and wellies to experience their first festival this summer. For the majority, their weekend will be exciting and eventful. For others, it may be memorable for the wrong reasons. The Festival Safe website aims to help first-time festival goers have a safe experience. The site includes a section on alcohol and other drugs, including: • • • • •
Understanding the Law General Harm Reduction Guide Alcohol Harm Reduction Guide Drugs Harm Reduction Guide Drug Testing
https://www.festivalsafe.com/information/drugs-alcohol
Water Safety As the summer approaches it is important for all of us to remember the importance of water safety. It is perfectly natural to want to cool off when it’s hot. Teenagers can often get drawn in by peers to partake in risky behaviours in unsuitable rivers and quarries. It is important to remind our young people how to stay safe in or alongside water.
6 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: •
•
•
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(link is external) that children under 6 months should be kept out of direct sunlight.
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Podcasts As with previous editions of Outside the Box, we turn to the Mental Health Foundation to provide podcast suggestions. Their website provides excellent resources to help with this and provide a range of beneficial podcasts to help wellbeing. Friendships and Mental Health. In this podcast they talk about friendships, what they mean to us, how they impact our wellbeing, and how to nurture a healthy friendship. In this podcast the host Jennie Walker has a series of guests to talk about this topic. Linked below is the podcast. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/podcasts/friendships-and-mental-healthpodcast Please find the link to the Mental Health Foundation web page below as well. 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.
Mindworks Surrey – The children and young people’s emotional wellbeing and mental health service.
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.
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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 School Community have a wonderful summer break and we very much look forward to welcoming them back in September.