Break the Screen Routine Booklet

Breaking the
Screen routine!

“Everything in moderation” was something I heard a fair bit as a boy, no doubt as I
eyed trifle longingly!
Lockdown learning has understandably meant that finding the moderating balance
between independent, screen free study and staring at the laptop has been tricky.
There are no easy answers to this dilemma but it is clear that, just as a younger me
might have felt occasionally queasy from overindulgence, so too many of Blue Coat’s
students (and staff) are a bit sick of the screen.
We have valued your feedback and ideas and, whilst we will be online for a little while
longer, we too recognise that a change, even for just a day, can be hugely energising.
‘Breaking the Screen Routine’ aims to do just that and will, I hope, enable ‘refresh’ to
be pressed, fun to be had, and great learning to continue.
Mr Pete Thomas
Headmaster

The online world is an incredible innovation. It has
enabled us to do amazing things during these difficult
times that just would not have been possible even a
decade ago. From Zoom parties, to grandparents reading
bedtime stories via Facetime, from Teams lessons to
online gaming, so few of the things that have kept us
together as communities would be possible without
modern technology. But, can we lose sight of the value of
the people and physical world around us? Should we be
worried about ever encroaching screen time in our daily lives?
This day is about embracing everything that can be done without using a smart device,
about resetting yourself to a pace of life and way of thinking that you may just find
brings you benefits as we move forward together through this difficult time.
We have split the day up into three sections that mirror your life at Blue Coat,
Academic, Pastoral and Co-curricular. There are a variety of challenges for each
section, and we would like you to complete at least one from each.
The form at the back of this booklet is designed to be printed so that you can use it as
a checklist for the day and be signed off with your parents. Please upload a photo of
your completed form for your tutor the morning after.
For people who have grown up alongside the digital world this day may seem a little
unsettling to start with, but I urge you to embrace it. Try something new, reignite an
old passion, make someone else's day, but most of all give yourself a break. Turn teams
off, give your phone to your parents and have a day that makes you a little bit happier!
Mr R Tidbury
Deputy Head (Academic)

Academic - Page 5

There are so many things that you can do to develop your academic skills without resorting
to Googling the answer or watching a ‘how to’ on YouTube. Please pick as many tasks as
you can from this section, but don’t just stick to what you know. Try to push yourself out of
your comfort zone. If you are a scientist at heart, try something literary or creative. If you
are an artist, can you turn your sense of the aesthetic to an engineering problem?

Pastoral - Page 6

This whole day is all about looking after yourself but there are specific things that you
can do to look after the wellbeing of yourself, as well as those around you, today and
over the coming weeks. Please consider not just what you know makes you feel that
little bit better, but what you haven’t tried before. You might just find something that
makes every day a bit more special.

Co-curricular - Page 7

Some of the things that stay with the longest after we have left school far behind us
are those activities we do outside the classroom. From the stage to the concert hall,
from the rugby pitch to the debating chamber, we can all find our niche and that thing
that makes us feel part of a community. Whilst you should most definitely spend some
of the day doing your favourite hobby please try something new, or something that
you had left behind many years ago. Most importantly do something for someone
else. A sense of service is integral to RBC so please make sure that one of the things
you do in this day is for a vulnerable neighbour, or your local community.

Academic

1. Read a chapter of a book: Be it an old favourite or something you have always
wanted to read, lose yourself in another world and the beauty of the written word
2. Build a model of something you are learning about in the curriculum: Are
you learning about the Roman Colosseum or the structure of the cell? Can you really get
to grips with the concept by building a 3D model out of everyday items around you?
3. Bake a cake: Are you a chemist at heart but have a hidden creative streak? Bake a
cake and decorate it to represent something you are studying. It could be a traditional cake
from a country you have looked at in Geography, Modern Foreign Languages or even
a period of History. If there is any left the next day, please share photos with your tutor
group in the morning to make their mouths water.
4. Do something Green: Make a bug hotel to increase the biodiversity in your garden
next year or propagate some seedlings in a warm area of your house, ready to plant in
the spring. What about making a bird feeder with pinecones and suet/melted lard and wild
seeds/nuts? Every little helps when it comes to looking after the planet around us!
5. Create a piece of art: Try working in a medium you haven’t had the opportunity to
play with before or one you haven’t used since you were a child. What about a sculpture
from air dry clay or an elaborate potato print? If possible, consider taking inspiration from
what is around you. A portrait of a family member or a landscape of a nearby view will
always be a special thing to treasure. You could even create a Mandala for mindfulness.
6. Write or Learn a song or poem: It could be recited, sung or played on an
instrument, modern or a classic. If you really want to challenge yourself it could be in a
foreign language that you are studying.

Pastoral

1. Spend the day doing everything with your non-dominant hand/foot: Putting
your socks on 'wrong foot first' or eating dinner with the fork in your other hand; opening
doors with the other hand/writing a shopping list with your other hand/brushing your
teeth/throwing a cricket ball with the wrong hand, or do keep ups with your non-dominant
foot. Making life a little bit harder for a short period can make you appreciate how brilliant
you are at the things you do, and feel real empathy for those that have a daily struggle to
do the things that come naturally for most.
2. Call a relative or an old friend to have a chat: Use a landline, even type the
number in if you can, show someone this wasn’t a whim and you wanted to take the time
to call them. Call someone you haven’t spoken to in a while. Focussing on their voice,
on the words they are saying, really being there to listen, and to share your thoughts, can
mean a huge amount to someone who is alone right now.
3. Make a memory book from lockdown to read in the future: Taking time
to reflect on where you are now, and preserving those thoughts for posterity, not only
focuses you on some of the positives right now, but also means that at a later date you can
look back and see how far you have come.
4. Play a board/card game with some of your family: Sitting down with family, no
technological distractions, and playing a game is the perfect time for conversation to flow.
You will be amazed what you can find out about from your parents or siblings. Remember
that your parents had a whole life before you were even around, ask them about it! What
would their one piece of advice to you be? What is their proudest memory?
5. Cook a meal for the family: Nothing shows you care quite like putting a home
cooked meal on the table. Whether it’s a family favourite or a new culinary triumph (or in
my case more often a disaster) taking the time to make something, and to eat it all together
doesn’t just fill the belly, it nourishes the soul.

Co-Curricular

1. Do an hour of exercise: This could be a walk in your local area or a high intensity training
session for your sport of choice. Whatever it is, do it outside, get some fresh air and hopefully a
small amount of vitamin D if the sun peaks out. Remember there is no such thing as bad weather
just inappropriate clothing. Do a mindfulness exercise?
2. Learn a monologue: Pick a piece from your favourite author or someone you are studying
in English. Could you even create a costume from things in your house and do a dramatic rendi-
tion for your family. Being able to deliver a confident speech is one of the most important ‘soft’
skills that will serve you well in years to come.
3. Do an act of service: You could do a vulnerable neighbours shopping for them or offer to
a job in their garden that they can’t manage right now. Make sure you follow the lockdown guid-
ance but even a small generous act can go a long way for someone less fortunate than yourself.
4. Do a chore around the house: We have no idea how much our parents do for us until
we become parents ourselves. Whilst this is an inescapable fact of life, you can make them feel
appreciate by doing a chore you don’t normally do around the house. You will also be surprised
at what good exercise a vigorous vacuuming can be!
5. Set a realistic two-week target for each person in the family and make a chart
to reward their progress:
Talk to each member of your household and find out what their personal target could be. Then
break it down into manageable chunks, create a progress chart to put up on the wall with mile-
stones along the way. Think about rewards at every stage and the success criteria at the end.
6. Do a mindfulness exercise:
Taking time to look after your mind is as important as looking after your body. Try to take some
time at regular intervals throughout the day to do some mindfulness exercises. You could use
some breathing techniques, have a go at the name game, or make a commitment to have some
gratitude before bed every day.

Break the Screen Routine completion form

For each section please complete at least one challenge. If none of them appeal, or you can think
of a better option for you, then there is a space to add your own challenge underneath. Tick the
ones that you have completed and have a member of your household sign the form to confirm your
successful day!

Pupil Name:

Academic Co-curricular

Read a chapter [] An hour of Exercise [ ]
Build a model [] Learn a monologue []
Bake a cake [] An act of service []
Do something green [] Do a household chore []
Create a piece of art [] Make a family progress chart []
Write or Learn a song or poem [] Do a mindfulness exercise []
Individual challenge [] Individual challenge []

Pastoral []
Be other handed []
Call a relative []
Make a memory book []
Play a family game []
Cook a meal []
Individual challenge

I confirm that has completed the above challenges.
Signed