Focus on Education
Research from last year and this has confirmed that additional study and wider reading make a real and material difference to GCSE and A Level results. Another widely-held belief has also been confirmed recently, that eating well makes a difference to academic performance too. This study specifically examined the impact of breakfast on educational outcomes. By tracking some five thousand pupils the University of Cambridge found that the chance of achieving above average test scores were twice as high for those who ate breakfast, compared with those who did not. They also found that an extra hour a day of TV, internet use or computer games links to poorer grades at GCSE. This extra hour a day of screen time saw a fall in results equivalent to two grades overall over the course of a GCSE programme of study.
Today the charity Action for Children has published findings and advice surrounding the issue of screen time for children. Two interesting points their report makes are: “parents struggle to get children off devices such as phones, laptops, tablets and TVs” and “quality time needs to be an interaction which is not about sitting in front of a screen”.
They offer some advice:
- Planning family activities that do not include technology
- Creating a weekly schedule based on the idea of one hour of technology use equalling one hour on other activities
- Recreating favourite childhood games/activities
- Parents turning off their devices at the same time as children having screen-free time
The report states that “technology is an often necessary part of the lives of children and parents alike, but it is important to maintain a balance with other activities and quality family time….strong relationships with parents build resilience in children”.
The above information is important as we move towards the external Examination season – please do support your child as they prepare for their GCSE, AS and or A Level examinations.
