Summer 2 2025

Why is sleep important?

Sleep is crucial for children's physical, mental, and emotional development. It impacts their learning, memory, mood, behaviour, and overall health. A decent night’s sleep will help them to do better at school, allow them to react more quickly to situations, have a more developed memory, learn more effectively and solve problems, plus it will make them less susceptible to colds and other minor ailments, less irritable and better behaved!

Bedtime routine...

A bedtime routine is important in getting a good night’s sleep. A routine helps to support children’s body clocks and aid relaxation. Consistency is key, sometimes sleep patterns may get worse before they get better. It is not uncommon to think that a new routine isn’t working but it’s important to stick to it for at least two weeks in order to see results. A bedtime routine will ideally start one hour before child goes to bed.

Things to include in the bedtime routine.

• Turn off all screens at the start of the routine. They may suppress the body’s production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, and make it more difficult to nod off.

• Consider whether having a light supper time snack, consisting of sleep foods. Sleep foods are 

- Almonds contain magnesium promotes both sleep and muscle relaxation. They also help to keep blood sugar levels stable overnight.

− Bananas are an excellent source of magnesium and potassium. They also contain tryptophan an amino acid that helps us to sleep but don’t forget fruit contains sugar to.

− Dairy, yogurt, milk and cheese contain tryptophan helping us to nod off more easily. Calcium is effective in stress reduction and it’s not true......... cheese  doesn’t give you nightmares!

− Cherries particularly tart cherries have been found in one small study to naturally boost melatonin production.

− Cereal Complex carbohydrate-rich foods increase the availability of  tryptophan in the bloodstream. Avoid sugar-coated cereals though, these

will give your child a sugar rush and wake them up.

− Dim the lights in the hour before bed to encourage the production of melatonin, this will help to promote that sleepy feeling.

− Younger children may enjoy a bedtime box, filled with a selection of activities to carry out during the routine. Hand eye co-ordination activities such as

jigsaws, colouring and threading are great for promoting relaxation. Older children may prefer to read, play a board game or take part in a craft activity.

• A bath 30 minutes before bed can help to promote sleep, the decrease in body temperature after a bath can help us to nod off more easily. This however is not

true for everyone, and some children would prefer a bath in the morning as sometimes they fine baths over stimulating.

• Once in bed sharing a story is a great way to end the day or older children may prefer to read independently.

Bedroom Environment.

The bedroom environment plays an important role in a good night’s sleep. There is a lot to consider including temperature, light and comfort. Tips for a good bedroom

environment include 

− Decorate in neutral colours, bright colours can be over stimulating.

− If the room is too hot or too cold it can disturb sleep, around 18 degrees is ideal.

− Make the bedroom a screen free zone.

− White noise can mask out background noise and may be useful.

• Cover toys with sheets at nighttime so that they don’t provide a distraction. For older children try to discourage them from doing schoolwork on their bed and pack

away schoolbooks at bedtime.

• A dark environment can help with melatonin production making us feel drowsy at the start of the night. Blackout blinds can also help in the summer months to avoid early waking.

• Some youngsters (and adults!) prefer a little light in the room at nighttime. If a dark room is distressing or disorientating, then using a soft glowing night light that can be safely left on all night may be helpful. Those with visual/hearing impairments for example can find total darkness disorientating.

• Consistent conditions throughout the night are important. Avoid products that switch off during the night or turning landing lights off when you go to bed.

• Comfort is important, we all have different needs when it comes to what we prefer and what suits our bodies. The firmness of the mattress and pillows, the texture of the bedding and nightclothes are all important considerations when planning our sleep environments, especially for those youngsters with sensory needs.

• Never use the bedroom or an early bedtime as a sanction for children, sleep should be promoted positively.

If you need any more support around sleep please consider speaking with Rotherham 0-19 service, Early Help or your GP.

Reference; information taken from - https://thesleepcharity.org.uk/information-support/children/

I am always so proud of the children during Friday assemblies:  fantastic attitudes towards their learning and amazing examples of work.

YR Ruby for working hard on independent sentences

Casey for magnificent models in the construction area

Y1 Tommy for trying hard and persevering with clay work

Kayson for excellent effort with writing

Y2 Ollie for fantastic rainforest writing

Kacie for always giving 100% effort

Y3 Leo for amazing contributions in phonics

Alex for always being amazing

Y4 Amber for good progress with her ‘time’ understanding

Harrison for great progress with his ‘time’ understanding - keep practicing! 

Y5 Ava for fantastic quality work produced in all her classes

Jaxon for his terrific attitude towards learning

Y6 William for excellent effort in all subjects and for being an amazing ICT technician 

Poppy for being resilient and amazing all the time.  Great effort in all subjects

WhatsApp - please use the Privacy Settings

I have been made aware of a number of children who a) are using WhatsApp and b) are members of a group called The Biggest Group Chat in the World.

This group has children from across Thorogate School, but also from other schools, whom the children do not know.

I am not aware of any specific issues.  Except that your children being in a group where they do not know the people in it is not a great idea and is a problem waiting to happen.

Clearly, for many, a lecture on WhatsApp and age restrictions seems pointless.

I will suggest that if you are going to give your child access to WhatsApp, you look at using the Privacy Settings.   Many of the children I spoke to today say they have been added by others and their phones are just "blowing up" with messages.

You can use Privacy Settings to stop being added to groups without your consent.  Perhaps use step 6.

To prevent being added to WhatsApp groups without your permission, you can adjust your group privacy settings. This allows you to control who can add you to groups, either by limiting it to your contacts or excluding specific contacts. 

Here's how to do it:

1.  Open WhatsApp: Launch the WhatsApp app on your mobile device. 

Navigate to Settings: On Android, tap the three vertical dots in the top right corner, then select "Settings." On iOS, tap "Settings" on the bottom bar. 

2. Go to Privacy: Within Settings, tap "Account," then "Privacy". 

Access Group Settings: Tap "Groups" to adjust your group privacy settings. 

Choose your preference: Select one of the following options:

3.  Everyone: Anyone who has your number can add you to groups (this is the default setting). 

4.  My Contacts: Only contacts saved in your phone's address book can add you to groups without your approval. If someone who is not a contact tries to add you, they will need to send you a private invite. 

5.  My Contacts Except...: This option allows you to exclude specific contacts from adding you to groups, while still allowing your other contacts to do so. You can choose which contacts to exclude individually. 

6. (Optional) "Nobody" option (Android and some iOS): If available, this option allows you to approve all group invitations before being added, according to Bitdefender. 

7.  (Android only, if "Nobody" not available): If "Nobody" is not an option, you can choose "My Contacts Except..." and select all contacts to effectively block group invites entirely. 

Once you've chosen your preferred setting, group admins who can't add you directly will be prompted to send you a private invitation through a direct chat. You'll then have three days to accept or decline the invite before it expires. 

Please check your children's phones.   Please use the Privacy Settings.  Even the most sensible of children need your guidance.