WELL BEING AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Wednesday 1st February 2017

Public Health Enquiry by the British Govt stated that:

1. Pupils with better health and wellbeing are likely to achieve better academically

2. Effective social and emotional competencies are associated with greater health and wellbeing, and better achievement

Self Esteem

Wellbeing & Academic achievement

• Many researchers and educators regard self-esteem as a predictor of academic success.

• This belief suggests that positive self-esteem is vital to a child’s level of achievement.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/226308-relationship-of-self-

esteem-academics-in-children/

Self esteem Wellbeing comes from physical, mental and

emotional health

It’s about:

• having positive emotions

• taking part in different activities

• Having good relationships and social connections

• finding meaning in life

• feeling that you’re doing well

Self esteem and the parent

A child realises its ‘value’ in the refection of themselves in their parents’ eyes

Learning social and emotional skills can have a positive impact on pupil attainment

• Emotions can support or impede pupils’ learning, their academic engagement, work ethic, commitment, and ultimate school success.

• pupils who are confident about their learning and who have a ‘growth mindset’ persist when faced with challenges

• pupils who can set goals, manage stress

and organise their school work achieve

higher grades

Growth Mindset

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75GFzikmRY0

Are we aware of the efforts?

As parents, are we asking too much?

• We bask in the assumption that others will see in our child’s successes our own superior parenting

• We often deprive our children of developing a solid sense of self

• We stifle their innate creativity

and urges

• We may subconsciously deliver the

message that they will only earn our love by being just like us

Physical Activity

Positive health behaviour and attainment

• Children and young people who are aerobically fit have higher academic scores

• Physical activity has been linked to improved classroom behaviour across the whole school

• Participation in extra-curricular

activities also has a positive effect

on attainment

Average hours of exercise per week

Year Hours of Physical Activity p/week

7 9.3 (4 – 14)

8 9.6 (4 – 20)

9 5.5 (1 – 20)

10 6 (2 – 10)

11 2.65 (0 – 6)

12/13 5 (0 – 15)

Nutrition

Nutrition

• Studies show promising associations between diet and academic attainment

• There is evidence that eating breakfast has a positive influence on short-term cognition and memory

Number of students who eat breakfast

Year Number who eat breakfast

7 46/73

8 32/66

9 56/76

10 34/85

11 29/94

12/13 30/107

Breakfast for Day Scholars

• Cereal (chocolate) oats

• Milo pancakes

• Fruit toast

• Fried eggs

• Crisps

• Cupcakes

• An apple

• Cup of tea

Breakfast in Boarding

• MONDAY OMELETTE, CEREAL, FRUIT JUICE, FRUIT • TUESDAY OATS PORRIDGE, CEREAL, FRUIT JUICE,

YOGURT • WEDNESDAY POACHED EGG, SAUSAGE, CEREAL, FRUIT

JUICE • THURSDAY SCRAMBLED EGGS, CEREAL, FRUIT JUICE,

YOGURT • FRIDAY PAN CAKES, CEREAL, FRUIT JUICE, FRUIT • SATURDAY FULL ENGLISH, CEREAL, FRUIT JUICE,

YOGURT • SUNDAY SCRAMBLED EGGS, CEREAL, FRUIT JUICE

Water

• By the time you feel thirsty, you’re often beginning to show the early signs of dehydration, which can be very detrimental as it leads to :

Fatigue

Dizziness

Poor concentration

Lower thinking skills

Mood swings

• A typical serve of coffee has up to 150mg of caffeine in it, while some brands of energy drink have as much as 500mg. Do you think your child should be having a triple shot espresso before school?

• insomnia, nervousness, and headaches

• increased risk of tachycardia

Energy Drinks (Red Bull/Robust/Monster)

Tea and Coffee

• A lot of people say they get far more water than they need because they drink large amounts of tea and coffee. But these are both diuretics and they lead to water loss, which in turn leads to an increase in the amount of water your body needs!

• Plain water is the best solution!

Recommended daily intake of Water

• drink 30mls of water per kg of body weight

• If you exercise for an hour

per day add on another litre

• Humid conditions; drink even more as we sweat more.

http://h2o.co.za/much-water-drinking/

Sleep

Sleep and academic results

• In puberty the brain undergoes

a bit of reorganisation and sleep

provides the opportunity for the

brain to do this

• Teenagers need extra sleep to help them change into adults. The time shift could also be explained by simple social issues like young people trying to stay up later than their parents or socialising late

Sleep is just as important as diet and exercise

Consequences of lack of sleep

• feel irritable, depressed and anxious

• have mood swings

• difficulty concentrating

• Difficulty remembering things or

• Difficulty making decisions properly

• low attention span

• slower thought processes

• drop in IQ

• Lower immunity; often catching colds

Average hours of sleep per night

Year Hours of Sleep

7 7.6 (4 – 11)

8 7.4 (6 – 10)

9 7.5 (3 – 10)

10 7 (5 – 10)

11 6.37 (5 – 8)

12/13 6.6 (3 – 13)

Recommended hours of sleep

• School age children (6-13): 9-11 hours

• Teenagers (14-17): 8-10 hours

• Younger adults (18-25): 7-9 hours

• Adults (26-64): 7-9 hours

https://sleepfoundation.org/press-release/national-sleep-foundation-

recommends-new-sleep-times

Tips for better sleep

• Keep lights dim at night to

encourage melatonin production.

• Curb caffeine (caffeine can reduce the ability to sleep for up to 10 hours after it‘s consumed)

• Avoid stimulating activities like listening to loud music, playing computer games and watching TV for an hour or more before bed.

• Don't eat too much too late

Tips for better sleep

• If stress or exam nerves are triggering insomnia, calming foods like warm milk can help

• Don't try and catch up on sleep at weekends: Late nights and long lie-ins further disrupt the body clock

• Too much junk-food diet, too little exercise, smoking and alcohol will only make sleep more difficult so try and encourage a healthy lifestyle

Most importantly…….

Regular sleep routine

Communication

Communication

The good news is that research actually shows many young people really would prefer to be able to talk about important topics such as sex, relationships, and drugs with their parents, rather than getting a distorted view from bits of information they pick up here and there from friends and the media.

Communication tips

• Create an environment in the home

• It's often easier to introduce important topics while doing something else together

• Let them know that they can always come to you if

they're worried about something, and make sure you remain calm and open when they do. Let them talk, and really listen before you respond

Care Structure at SAIntS

• Friends

• Prefects

• Head of Years/Form tutors/Boarding parents/House managers/Teachers

• Mrs. Gausi/Mrs. Gaunt/Mrs. Samanyika

• External support if required

Social Media

Hours p/day on social media

Year Hours p/day on social media

7 2.6 (0 – 8)

8 3.1 (0 – 10)

9 3.5 (0 – 7)

10 3 (0 – 5)

11 3 (0 – 5)

12/13 3.7 (0.5 – 19)

Students who have a Whatsapp account

Year Number of students

7 41/73

8 26/66

9 55/76

10 68/85

11 51/94

12/13 81/107

Some scary statistics from 2014…..

• Age 9 = access to youtube

• Age 10 = instant messaging and slang

• Age 11 = greatest proportion of internet activity (first post an image of themselves /a nasty comment/set up fake social media)

• Age 12 = twitter, whatsapp and form relationships with strangers

• Age 13 = Snapchat and sexting

Danger of too much time spent on social media

More importantly, researchers found a link between the amount of time spent on social media and the participant’s risk for depression. Those who checked their social media most frequently were 2.7 times more likely to be depressed compared to those who checked less often.

http://www.medicaldaily.com/social-media-major-depressive-disorder-mental-health-379396

What are the dangers? 2015 UK Office for National Statistics

• A delay in emotional and social development

• Social media are potentially “a source of social comparison, cyber bullying and isolation”, which could lead to mental health problems

• Make inappropriate statements, pictures and videos that could ultimately harm them

• Sleep disorder, depression, addiction,

24/7 stress, isolation, insecurity, and

fear of missing out (FOMO)

• Screen relationships detract from spending time in real life relationships and developing social skills

• Social media use particularly at night, with strong emotional involvement, led to poorer sleep quality, lower self-esteem, and higher levels of anxiety

http://www.raisesmartkid.com/10-to-16-years-old/6-articles/43-facebook-myspace-twitter-good-or-bad-for-kids-brain

Mental Health

Signs and symptoms of depression in teens

• Sadness or hopelessness

• Irritability, anger, or hostility

• Tearfulness or frequent crying

• Withdrawal from friends and family

• Loss of interest in activities

• Poor school performance

• Changes in eating and sleeping habits

• Restlessness and agitation

Signs and symptoms of depression in teens

• Feelings of worthlessness and guilt

• Lack of enthusiasm and motivation

• Fatigue or lack of energy

• Unexplained aches and pains

• Thoughts of death or suicide

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/teen-

depression-signs-help.htm

Symptoms of Anxiety

• Restlessness

• Feeling keyed-up or on edge

• Easily fatigued

• Difficulties concentrating

• Irritability

• Muscle tension

• Sleep disturbances

http://www.villagebh.com/disorders/anxiety/symptoms-signs-effects

The way forward

• Parents are key players in the development of a child’s character, confidence, motivation and personal responsibility for schoolwork – all of which contribute to the child’s academic and personal well-being

• The teachers, parents, students and

community are all members of this

team. If one member is not involved,

the student’s education will suffer http://www.focusonthefamily.ca/parenting/learning-and-education/10-ways-

to-boost-your-childs-academic-potential

Boost your Child’s Academic Potential

• Read, read, read

Reading is key to a child's success in school, and it begins with their first teachers: their parents

• Use everyday experiences as teaching opportunities

Encourage your child to ask

the question ‘Why?’ Don’t

give your child the answers; help work through the question with them.

• Know what your child is studying at school

Look at their assignment book, ask them what they’ve been discussing at school, flip through their textbooks

• Don’t just look for A's

Not everything will come naturally to your child. Your child will naturally show interest in some subjects while needing help in others

• Take care of the base (of the pyramid)

Sleep, nutritious food, good hygiene,

regular exercise and medical care

• What’s your child’s motivation? Why are they doing something?

The trick becomes teaching children to want to choose the good versus forcing them to choose the good out of fear of punishment or disappointment.

What subjects should they

be selecting?

• Talk to your child’s teacher/form tutor regularly

Messages in the planner/emails

• Allow your child to succeed – and fail – on their own

The most successful students are those who learn to be responsible, dependable and organized through trial and error. Sometimes the best life lessons come from failures or learning how not to do something

• Practice discipline and respect at home

Some parents look to their child’s school to handle discipline, but discipline is something that needs to be reinforced foremost in the home.

• Praise and encouragement

Be your child’s biggest fan

Let your child know you’re proud of who she/he is

• Thank you for attending our Wellbeing Awareness Evening

• Please feel free to chat to some of our specialists here today