It's been a busy term but it has gone so quickly! Our older pupils are doing a fabulous job supporting younger pupils at lunch and breaktime. They are taking their responsibilities seriously! Here are some snapshots of the term so far.
Pupil Gallery:
Safeguarding Spotlight
Purchasing a Smart phone for a child? The safeguarding partnership have asked schools to share this information.
Is it the right time to get my child a Smart phone? This is something we are asked a lot especially by Primary School Parents. A new film by the charity Nip in the Bud discusses the hidden dangers of social media and smartphone use among children. If you are considering getting your child a phone we would urge you to watch the film. The film provides insights from children, headteachers and doctors, shedding light on the everyday harm caused by digital platforms.
Key facts:
- 90% of 11-year-olds own a smartphone, and most under 13 have a social media profile.
- 90% of girls and 50% of boys have received explicit pictures or videos they didn’t want to see.
- 80% of teenage girls are pressured to provide sexual images of themselves.
- 1 in 5 children have been bullied online. Among them, 24% self-harm and 22% change their appearance due to bullying. Only 13% delete the app where they are bullied.
- Boys as young as 13 have been targeted for sextortion scams.
- MRI scans show screen time reduces brain areas responsible for visual processing, empathy, attention, memory and early reading skills.
Psychologists, headteachers and GPs are advocating for stricter guidelines: no smartphones until age 14, no social media until age 16
You can read more information here which provides more options to consider around technology prior to purchasing smartphones for children.
Learning differences
Some children underreact to sensory input and they may seek out more input. However, when children overreact to stimuli, they become overwhelmed and may avoid the input.
Types of sensory input:
When we think of sensory input, we think of having five senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. These are some common examples of things kids seek and avoid from those senses.
- Sight: Visual patterns, certain colors or shapes, moving or spinning objects, and bright objects or light.
- Smell: Specific smells. Some kids like to smell everything, while some kids are able to detect — and object to — smells that other people don’t notice.
- Hearing: Loud or unexpected sounds like fire alarms or blenders, singing, repetitive or specific types of noises (like finger snapping or clapping).
- Taste: Specific tastes (like spicy, sour, bitter, or minty) and textures (like crunchy, chewy, or mushy), chewing or sucking on non-food objects (like shirt sleeves or collars).
- Touch: Touch from other people, touching and fiddling with objects, tight or soft clothing, and certain textures or surfaces.
But there are two other senses that affect kids with sensory processing issues. One is the ability to sense body movement, position, and balance. This is called proprioception. Sensory-seeking kids will try to get more proprioceptive input. They might give people tight hugs or crash into things to feel the physical contact and pressure. Sensory avoiders will try to get away from those sensations.
The other sense has to do with spatial orientation, or knowing where your body is “in space.” In this case, sensory seekers might rock back and forth, spin or swing, hang upside down or jump from heights. Sensory avoiders may be more physically cautious.
If your child has differences in how the perceive and process sensory information, participation in a short sensory motor circuit can be a great way both to both to energise and settle children and young people into the day. This resources was shared with me recently, so I will add the full resource to the website for reference.
Free SEND course for parents:
Food focus
Thank you to the parents who shared some resources/ ideas to support nutrition at home and in lunch boxes.
Parent's Recipes
Pizza Muffins (makes 12 regular sized or 24 mini)
- 250g cheese (can use dairy free)
- 2 cups self raising flour
- 2 eggs (can use flax eggs by mixing 1tbsp milled flaxseed + 3tbsp water PER egg and leave to thicken for at least 5 minutes)
- 1.5 cups milk (dairy free is fine)
- 0.5 cup chopped ham (or protein of choice)
- Large handful chopped spinach
- Put fan oven to 180c and make up flax eggs if using.
- Sift flour into bowl.
- Whisk eggs.
- Make a well in the flour and add all ingredients, mix until combined.
- Spoon mixture into greased muffin pan and bake until golden, for regular sized muffins this is around 25 minutes.
These can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days or can be frozen and defrosted as required.
Loaded Veggie Muffins:
Tuna and Sweetcorn Muffins (makes 12)
- 90g self raising flour
- 2 eggs (can use flax eggs by using 1tbsp milled flaxseed + 3tbsp water PER egg and leave to thicken for at least 5 minutes)
- 70ml milk (can use dairy free)
- 1 tin tuna (in water, drained)
- 1tsp baking powder
- 200g sweetcorn (can use frozen or tinned)
- 60g grated cheese (can use dairy free)
- Cracked black pepper to taste
- Set fan oven to 180c and make up flax eggs if using.
- Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix together until fully combined.
- Spoon mixture into greased muffin tin and bake until golden and crispy on top, usually around 15-20 minutes.
These can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen and defrosted as required.
In wraparound, we try to promote nutritious snacks:
Many thanks, Mel Capes