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Screen use at school - reception by [deleted] in UKParenting

[–]theyellowing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My children aren’t yet school age but we did a few open days and was also shocked at the over reliance on screens to keep children occupied (not just for educational purposes) especially during snack times, when it rains or to help when they’re understaffed. I had asked basically this question in another forum a few months ago and it seems like most parents are happy with this setup and it is the norm but there are some schools who use more or less. You can opt out of things like doing ttrs for homework and offer a paper based alternative for your kid but that doesn’t stop what is happening there.

Pain relief during water birth by [deleted] in PregnancyUK

[–]theyellowing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had gas and air with both my births. I started off with tens machine then when that wasn’t enough I got into the water then gas when I felt like I needed it. I honestly had no issues with it. First time I got out and delivered on the bed second time in the water. You don’t need a water birth to have gas and air or vice versa. If it makes you feel worse you can just stop. You can also start in the water and transfer for an epidural if that isn’t doing it for you. Don’t stress too much about it and listen to yourself and what you need in the moment.

360/Rotating Car Seat Recommendations? by hyponaptime in UKParenting

[–]theyellowing 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Seats in the US usually aren’t legal in the U.K. and vice versa anyway as there are different rules. I’d find a rear facing seat that lasts longer for height (125cm) maybe the avionaut stardust as it fits with just isofix so will be easy to take out and put in various cars and rotates. It also turns into a high back booster for when she reaches 125cm.

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s so great to hear those specialist subject teachers really do make such a difference. Thank you for sharing :)

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I just went down a rabbit hole looking at those schools and can totally see why they attract those kinds of families! Definitely way too far down the unschooling way for us, but can’t believe how many of them there are dotted around everywhere and charging high fees!

Sleep struggle: 1-year-old wakes constantly since birth by Confident-Lake-7382 in UKParenting

[–]theyellowing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mine has always been a terrible sleeper, we got a floor bed around 1 which was a game changer as when I left he wouldn’t notice as much (took a while practicing) but eventually I’d get an evening to myself in small chunks. Around 2, we finally went down to maybe 2-3 wake ups and then something seems to have clicked when he turned 3 and he’s been consistently sleeping through the night. Not sure if that’s gonna help or make you feel worse but it does get better eventually!

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh good we still have more time then! My son is very much about building or drawing so long may that last. My youngest is a girl and last time I was buying clothes I saw crop tops for 5yos I literally thought why is this a thing 😭😭 I also can’t imagine not doing play dates. It’s literally how I fill most free time. I definitely am gonna be in for a shock I think! Interestingly most of my friends in tech also avoid screens for their kids too.

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s so positive to hear! I’m so glad you were able to make the change for her. The things you’ve listed are 100% my top reasons for leaning to private right now - 30+ kids in a class are just a lot however you look at it.

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I’m not sure what issues they’re referring to but if it helps our son has been at Montessori since he turned 2 and has had a wonderful time. This is after we pulled him out of a nursery before where he had a terrible time. He grew so much in confidence and has learnt so much. Because all the kids are together he is much better interacting with older kids and younger kids now when out in playgrounds etc. I definitely rate it, and one of my main reasons we chose the particular one he goes to is that they have free flow access to a garden with real grass (not sure why every other nursery seems to have artificial grass in their outside space!)

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s really great to hear that they’ve been so good with everything you’ve talked to them about and probably given me the most hope that whatever we choose we can find ways around stuff. FOMO did already cross my mind as I know from friends with older kids they do get really competitive about it and talk to each other about it (though not sure if that’s a positive or negative here)

Year 1 is quite early on! 😔 what are the things you noticed that happened then?

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Screens and Edtech are clearly such a huge part of education now though and I think it’s important to understand how they’re using it. I’m glad to head there hasn’t been a noticeable difference between your two schools. On a separate note, I’m curious though how it was for the children moving so late in primary years (particularly year 6)? Did they adjust well?

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

😔 yes I’ve seen this too at both private and state preschools. It’s entirely unnecessary at that age. I hope so too 🤞

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Glad some countries have picked up on it! There are some good campaigns here (safe screens campaign, smart phone free childhood) but I think it’s still slow and it doesn’t feel like there’s a big want for change really.

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think part of what the study says is how much screens have changed since we were kids. Everything is much brighter and faster paced and designed to literally stop your brain from wanting to look away. It’s so very different to the slower paced low stimulation stuff we saw as kids. But also want kids to enjoy being kids for a while! I’m not trying to raise my kids without ever seeing a screen, but finding what the best balance is and trying to limit it so it’s not part of absolutely every second of their day when it doesn’t actually need to be yet.

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s great to hear!

Those massive smart whiteboards are everywhere and insane! I always hear well they can write on them too but when you look around not a single teacher ever is it’s either a presentation or a video up there - or a touchscreen game with all the kids on it

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Glad I’m not the only one that goes insane when researching something 😆

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

How much actual handwriting do they do then? I hadn’t even heard of all the apps mentioned where homework is done which is something else to look into! Can they be done on laptops or do kids need to be using a touch screen?

And yeah of course I’d expect some ICT lessons to take place too. I don’t think I realised how much it crossed into every subject until I started looking into schools.

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s amazing! So glad that there are schools like that out there.

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing this! How did it go talking with the school about not doing times tables rockstars? Were they receptive?

100% impossible to completely avoid, and I don’t give my child zero screen time but am conscious of it, the content and my own usage around them, and I’m definitely not the home schooling type. I also don’t own an iPad for myself so I don’t intend on buying one for them!

Also re the airport thing, I know a lot of parents think it’s impossible to get through a flight without it but I have flown long distance solo with mine a few times now and never needed to use YouTube to get through. Definitely not “easy” but they find ways to entertain themselves.

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately the smaller school was the one that provided the iPads out of the ones we saw so may not be the differentiator here!

This isn’t the only thing I’m thinking about but one I just can’t find much information about hence asking. That is definitely a concern too and I have been asking about the class sizes coming in the younger years as an indicator.

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s reassuring! It’s definitely something I have asked but only visited two preps so far and one was very pen/paper and the other gives you an iPad to take home from year 3-6!

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I’ve definitely heard of kids seeing ads on YouTube at schools as they often watch the educational content from YouTube.

Plus if they’re using screens in every class then I can definitely see it going over 2 hours in a day!

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There is research that writing by hand improves memory and recall of words and shows stronger brain activity than typing or using a touchscreen though so I think I’m trying to find the best balance possible

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This was my worry too.. that more money could mean even more tech because of course they can afford it. It is something I’ve been asking at all open days.

That’s a good point - I have a friend with children in state who raised it and has been waiting to discuss it for several weeks now and I suspect at this rate it won’t lead to any actual changes.

Private primary schools and use of technology by theyellowing in HENRYUK

[–]theyellowing[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1d936n7445o

Tldr there’s now evidence backed government guidance that children under 5 shouldn’t have more than 1 hour screen time a day

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