On Monday, the school came alive with Look Up Lunchtime. Its purpose is to encourage all students to be present, happy and connected within their school environment, starting by ‘voluntarily’ putting their phones and screens away for one lunchtime.

In order to facilitate this, there were handball courts, circus skills, juggling, totem tennis, grip ball, Just Dance programs, volleyball, dodge ball, skipping ropes, mindful colouring, board games, soccer, Frisbee and hula hooping for the students to engage in ‘unstructured play’ with their peers. What a response we had! With music playing, the school came alive with sounds of laughter, excitement and play. Screens seemed to disappear in the excitement of it all. Everyone found something that they could connect with and there was a sense of synergy between Year Groups and friendship circles so that all barriers and boundaries did not exist.

Physical activity and tactile stimulation activates the parasympathetic system lowering cortisol, adrenalin and anxiety. Nature and ‘green space’ have not only a calming influence on children but also are attention restorative and promotes learning (Rowan, C, 2015 p 3).

There is so much research around the benefits of unstructured play on the emotional health and physical wellbeing of young people. Look Up Lunchtime ignited so many positive behaviours and reactions that it became truly evident that despite the pressures placed on young people today, they are all still children at heart.

Mrs Kate Barbat, Year 9 Coordinator