At Walhampton School pastoral care is an overarching priority. Striving for academic success always goes hand in hand with emotional wellbeing for children at the school. 

In November, we held a whole school Pastoral Day ‘Wired 4 Wellness’ with the theme based around balancing screen time with both play and independence. Technology, screen time and device use is a huge topic of conversation amongst both educators and parents and the day was also inspired by Jonathan Haidt’s book ‘The Anxious Generation’. The day aimed to support pupils in developing a healthier use of technology while restoring childhood play. 

The day started with a whole school morning mile, fostering friendships across the year groups with children aged 2-13 enjoying the fresh air and talking to each other. Whilst pupils were immersed in a variety of activities, parents were also invited to attend a talk with Lorraine Lee, parenting coach, to discuss the use of technology in children’s lives. Involving parents in this important topic of conversation ensures that we build a partnership between school and family life, alongside a community that feels supported. Pupils, parents and staff all engaged in meaningful conversations and debate. At play time, pupils were involved in a huge array of traditional toys and games, restoring a love of childhood play, whilst in their classrooms, new games were also invented.

Walhampton promotes the safe, happy and creative use of technology and, following the pastoral day, we provided parents with a Family Charter to help families start positive conversations about online safety, setting expectations and creating shared boundaries. Mindful that every family will have its own approach, we aim to thoughtfully and honestly highlight the challenges alongside the opportunities that technology brings.

Watch our Pastoral Day video here.