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Sunday July 30th, 2023
In this issue, with the summer break in full swing, we are looking at the importance of reading and exercise. Despite the current TikTok trend for ‘bed rotting’, we’ll go against the trend and look into how these two activities can be a much better way to unwind and re-set!
Childhood reading for fun has been linked to improved academic achievement during adolescence, as well as having multiple other benefits.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have found that just the ‘right’ amount of reading each week can boost children’s cognitive ability, improve their mental health, and even lead to a larger brain.
Published in the journal Psychological Medicine, their study of more than 10,000 children in the US suggested the optimal amount of reading was 12 hours a week.
The team analysed data collected via interviews, cognitive tests, mental and behavioural assessments and brain scans. Then they compared information on children who read for pleasure before they turned nine – which was just over half the participants in the trial – with those who started reading for pleasure later, or not at all.
Their findings suggest those who started reading for fun at a young age had superior brain structure and function by the time they reached their teens. This cohort also secured higher grades, albeit just a quarter of a grade more on average.
Reading has long been known to “stimulate social skills, creative thinking and other forms of cognition in young children”, as co-lead author Prof Barbara Sahakian explained. This latest research reiterates those corollaries, with teens who began reading for fun at a young age not only performing better in various cognitive tests, but also displaying better mental wellbeing.
Children with more years of reading for fun under their belts showed fewer signs of stress and depression, and fewer behavioural problems such as aggression and rule-breaking. Brain scans showed larger total brain areas and volumes in the early readers, as well as differences in brain regions relating to improved mental health, behaviour and attention.
Contact us for book list ideas, or check out children’s literature awards for ideas to inspire younger readers.
Interestingly, the group who had begun reading for fun at a young age tended to spend less time on screens and more time sleeping than their counterparts who read for pleasure less or not at all when young. That’s the perfect segway into our next hot topic…
“Bed rotting is essentially just lying in bed and doing whatever you want – eating, scrolling, reading, daydreaming… for as long as you see fit,” explains Metro journalist Ella Glover. The idea is that it gives you time to recharge, relax and re-set, without feeling under pressure to DO SOMETHING. Duvet days have long been lauded as important elements of self-care, but it all comes back to moderation. The likely reason that the reading researchers recommended 12 hours as the optimal amount is probably because being sedentary for much more than that starts to outweigh the benefits that reading brings. Part of the attraction of ‘bed rotting’ is that it rejects the view that inactivity equals laziness and subverts society’s expectations. Allowing ourselves to do nothing and not feel guilty about it is undoubtedly a healthy skill to practise, but probably not one we should over-indulge in. In summary, a little bit of bed rotting is probably fine. But if the desire to do nothing persists – then perhaps practising yoga would be a better solution? All joking aside, yoga is actually a brilliant practise to improve concentration, flexibility and all-round self-care – suitable for all ages and abilities.
Doctoral student and associate lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University Megan Dixon flags the dip in leisure reading for pupils leaving primary school and starting their secondary education. She’s part of a team looking at harnessing the power of peer pressure as a force for good, given that reading for pleasure “is essential to supporting reading proficiency”. In our June 2021 blog, we looked at the BookTok subcommunity on TikTok, where creators make videos reviewing, discussing, and joking about the books they read. There’s a range of genres, but a big focus on young adult fiction. So, if your pre-teen is spending what you deem too much time on TikTok, encourage them to follow #BookTok.
We’ve explored before how being at the top of your game in the sporting arena can also nurture many of the life skills you need to succeed academically and beyond. In May 2019, we looked at the Oxford – Cambridge boat race as an example. And last year, German researchers (at the Technical University of Munich) found that physically fit primary school pupils can concentrate better and are more likely to make it into higher-level secondary schools.
And the beauty of playing a sport at a UK independent school is that you don’t have to be a world-beater to get a great deal from the quality coaching and facilities. Sport is billed not just as an extra-curricular option, but a means of building confidence, team-work, networks and resilience that contribute to an overall work ethic, self-discipline and support system that can help set students up for success.
Marylebone CC recently announced that Lord’s will keep hosting its “historic fixtures” between Eton College and Harrow School and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge for at least another five years. Although cricket is one of the oldest and longest-standing sports played competitively at the UK’s independent schools, the list has grown over the years to include a huge range of sports beyond the original few offered. Now many independent schools boast state-of-the-art sports facilities, top-level coaching and sports scholarships.
Whether you already excel in – or fancy trying your hand at – anything from gymnastics, to water polo, to rowing, martial arts, golf, sailing or outdoor pursuits – get in touch to find out which school is best placed to suit your sporting aspirations.
In the meantime, here are some examples from our past blogs…
Students all play a core sport each term (for boys, it’s football in the autumn term, hockey in spring and cricket in the summer – girls play hockey, lacrosse, football and netball in winter and tennis and athletics in the summer). Non-core sports are on offer too, and include: badminton, basketball, climbing, cross country, fencing, fives, golf, racquets, rugby union, shooting, squash, swimming, tennis and waterpolo. In the sixth form, students can access the school gym and attend classes such as spinning and yoga.
Charterhouse has excellent sports facilities across its 250 acres and its teams play around 45 fixtures a month home and away against schools such as Portsmouth Grammar, Abingdon, Hampton, Eton, Westminster, Sunningdale, Cranleigh, Radley, Wellington and Harrow.
Sports are a key part of Marlborough life and the list and facilities are impressive. Although there’s a focus on key sports (rugby, hockey and cricket for boys; hockey, netball and tennis for girls), the hydraulic bottom to the 25-metre pool, enabling a wide range of water-based sports from diving and sub aqua to canoeing and water polo, gives you a flavour for the diversity of the sporting offer.
Radley offers a huge range of sports, including rugby, hockey, cricket, football, golf, racquet sports (tennis, squash and badminton), athletics and cross country, fencing, fives, basketball and water sports such as rowing, swimming, diving, water polo and sailing. (Radley has a 3.5-metre diving pit next to its 25-metre pool and a state-of-the-art rowing tank too). With up to half a dozen different sports featuring in a typical day’s fixtures against schools including Eton, Harrow and Uppingham, Radley ensures pupils’ competitive hunger is well nourished on a regular basis.
A Countryside Centre was constructed in 2006 where boys can gain practical, hands-on experience of animal husbandry with the school’s beagle pack, cattle, sheep, pigs, ducks, pheasants and chickens and experience country pursuits such as hunting, ferreting, pest control and clay pigeon shooting. Radley also offers one-off and ongoing ‘adventurous activities’ for adrenalin junkies, including climbing trips, cycling and running relays, go-karting and wakeboarding.
Winchester has a diverse sports offering from cricket, to fencing, to fives (similar to squash but played with gloved hands instead of racquets), football, rowing, golf, martial arts (aikido, judo, karate) and the school’s very own ‘Winkies’ (spring term only) which shares some of the rules of rugby but involves less running with the ball and consequently fewer tackles.
Teams compete in fixtures against other schools such as Abingdon, Eton, Harrow, Radley, Charterhouse, Marlborough and Westminster, as well as regional and national competitions, regattas and championships. Sports scholarships are available in cricket and football and talented golfers can apply for a golf bursary.
So, there you have it. More evidence that reading and sport are better for you than bed rotting!
Enjoy the start of your summer. We’ll be back in touch during August, but please don’t hesitate to contact us should you have any questions in the meantime.
“ Regency Education helped all three of our boys get into a wonderful school where they now thrive. ”
“ REGENCY EDUCATION WAS ABLE TO HELP US WITH EVERY STEP OF THE SCHOOL APPLICATION PROCESS ENSURING THE EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS OF OUR CHILDREN. AN INVALUABLE SERVICE. ”
“ REGENCY EDUCATION WAS ABLE TO HELP US WITH EVERY STEP OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS ENSURING THE EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS OF OUR CHILDREN - AN INVALUABLE SERVICE. ”
