How to stay well

It is important to make sure you look after your physical and mental health.

To avoid any unnecessary aches and pains, you should make sure you have a sensible place set up to learn from.  If possible, you should sit at a table or desk, ensuring your back is supported, rather than laying on your bed or the sofa.  If you think you are missing any important equipment or a suitable space to work, make sure you speak to your class teacher before you start learning from home.

If you ever feel unwell or unable to complete the work set, you should tell your parents and make sure you let your class teacher know as soon as possible, ideally before the start of the school day.

You must ensure you also look after your wellbeing while you are at home.  To make sure you are staying mentally well, try some of these ideas:

• Get into a routine - you could make sure you wake up and go to bed at the same time each day
• Talk regularly with your friends or extended family
• Stay active - try getting out for a walk every day with your family
• Eat normally - make sure you have three meals a day at regular times
• Try practising breathing techniques - the charity Mind has lots of helpful information here: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/relaxation/relaxation-exercises/
• Make sure you get some rest
• Keep your room tidy to make sure you feel relaxed
• Read more often
• Talk to someone if you have any worries or concerns - you can also find a whole list of places that can help if you don't want to speak to your family here: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/for-children-and-young-people/useful-contacts/

 

Staying safe online

If you are spending all day at home, you will likely be spending more time online.  Whilst there are many positive aspects of using the internet, such as keeping in contact with those you can't see and staying entertained, you must also remember to use it sensibly.

While you are spending more time at home, you should consider the ways you can stay safe and maintain a healthy relationship with the internet by doing the following:

• Having tech-free mealtimes
• Not keeping your phone or tablet in your bedroom
• If you are contacting anyone by phone or video, make sure you do it in a family space
• Making sure you know how to report anything on the apps you use - most of the popular apps have a reporting function.  If you need help with this, please ask your parents
• If you need to report something that you've seen online, ensuring you use Child Exploitation and Online Protection command (CEOP) (https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/)  and the UK Safer Internet Centre (https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/our-helplines)
• Telling your parents if you are worried about anything you have seen online

 

What to do if you are worried

There may be times when you're feeling worried or concerned about something.  You should always tell someone if you feel this way - even if it doesn't seem like an important thing.  There are lots of different people you can talk to whilst you're at home, including:

• Parents, carers or someone else in your family
• Teachers or members of school staff

We will stay in touch with you whilst you are learning from home.  If there's something that's worrying you, or you want to talk to a specific member of staff who you feel more comfortable with, you can discuss this on the phone call - remember, every worry is relevant, whether it is big or small.