This week, I visited The Downs Preparatory School, just south of Bristol, as part of the IAPS (Independent Association of Prep Schools) South West District meeting. The focus was on Early Years and Mrs Glanvill accompanied me. The Downs is very similar to St Peter’s; a 3-13 prep school set in a beautiful country house, sending children on to both day and boarding schools in the South West. We discussed trends that we have noticed in children following the pandemic,
as well as support that can be put in place at home and at school.
With many parents continuing to work from home at some point during the week, some children are displaying behaviours which result from competing for parental attention with laptops, mobile phones and online meetings. The results of very young children being on an iPad / tablet for too long are also starting to be seen; addiction to the dopamine hit and problems with language development.
One example was given of a British child going to school speaking in an American accent after copying language spoken on the iPad, where they spent the majority of their time, rather than listening to their parents speaking. Another parent trialled how long her 3-year-old would be on an iPad before coming off without prompting and they were on it for 11 hours!
I enjoyed watching the girls play football on Wednesday. What a great afternoon they had, with many goals scored and tremendous joy experienced, both for the children and for the staff. Thank you to all involved.
We welcomed the Royal Marines Charity to assembly today and we now have a date for our sponsored skydive! Eek! Mrs Hughes and Mrs Evans are my partners in crime for this adventure and the three of us will jump out of a plane at the end of the Summer Term. More information will follow on how you can sponsor us!
Enjoy the weekend ahead.
Charlotte Johnston
Head
