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Health & Wellbeing
On this page you’ll find information and guidance on various topics of health and well-being. From advice on how to pack a healthier lunch, to information on puberty and bodily changes. we will provide guidance on how best to protect your child against the sun, as well as great ways to keep active.
PACKING YOUR CHILD’S LUNCH
Healthy eating can often be difficult to maintain, we understand that children can be picky eaters and it is very easy to fall into unhealthy eating habits. If you struggle for inspiration when packing your child’s lunch, or you’re not sure what sure what is appropriate to include in their lunchbox; Below is a link to guidance on how to pack a healthy lunch, as well as a diagram to show what a balanced diet should consist of.
KEEPING ACTIVE
Keeping active outside of school is one of the most impactful things your child can do for their physical and mental well-being. At school we have an excellent P.E. curriculum and we offer various extra-curricular sporting clubs. Understandably not all children are ‘sporty’ however, it is very beneficial to keep active outside of school, be it going for walks/jogging, roller-skating or bike riding.
Remember, any exercise is good exercise!
HAVING FUN IN THE SUN
During the winter months it can be very easy to forget how strong the summer sun can get. Here at cherry tree we encourage every child to come to school with sunscreen readily applied, a hat on and a full, refillable water bottle. Where possible we encourage parents to teach children how to apply their own sunscreen; so that it can re-applied throughout the day. A sunscreen of at least 30SPF and a UVA of four or five, should be applied on any day where the UV index is 3 or above. When choosing a sunscreen, make sure to patch test your child’s skin just in case they have an allergic reaction – if they do, you may need to find a hypoallergenic alternative.
As a school, we take sun safety very seriously, ensuring that children are not outside for prelonged periods of high UV/temperature and always provide an area indoors to shelter from the sun. Children are actively encouraged to drink plenty of water and to refil their bottles throughout the day.
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CHILD GETS SUNBURN?
If your child has sunburn it is very important to follow these steps:
• Get them out of the sun as soon as possible.
• Cool their skin by giving them a cool bath or shower, or putting cold flannels on the affected area.
• Use an after-sun lotion containing aloe vera.
• Give them plenty of cool fluids to drink.
• Give them children’s paracetamol or ibuprofen for the pain.
TALKING ABOUT PUBERTY
Starting in year 4 our children begin to learn the topic of ‘Growing and changing’, which addresses a wide range of topics about the human body, one of which is puberty. This of course, is an extremely important but also delicate subject. The information is introduced to the children gradually throughout KS2 as they become more mature, and as the information becomes more and more relevant; for example, the subject of menstruation is introduced to the girls in year 4, as they may happen to start their menstrual cycle around this time. Below are a couple of powerpoint presentations, these are provided by the school nurse from the Bridgewater community healthcare trust and are used by our teachers during PSHE lessons. Both of the powerpoints provided on this page are used in the year 4 lessons; the first is is focused around puberty and the social & bodily changes that go along with it. The second presentation looks specifically at periods and the menstrual cycle, to educate girls on what to expect, as well as changes that will occur emotionally & physically.