Hello Freemen's Podcast

"Conversations about school, home and everything else in between."

Paul Bridges, Deputy Head Academic and Sophie Blair, Head of Upper School, are joined by teachers, experts and students to talk about topics that matter to you.

Episode 4 - Wellbeing and Mattering

The topic in the latest podcast is Wellbeing and Mattering and we discuss the work of Dr Hazel Harrison with Freemen's and beyond.

The first half of the episode we outline what the school is doing to support wellbeing and what the research suggests parents might like to consider and we also hear from some of our marvellous students.

The second half we look at the importance of mattering and its links to good wellbeing. 

Episode 3 - Making subject choices

The topic this time is Making Choices  and the aim is to help parents and students learn more about how to make the best choices as they navigate through GCSE, A Level, University options and into their careers. 

There is detail on what support there is at Freemen's and the episode is packed with expert analysis including advice from the Head of Sixth Form Mrs Stewart, Megan Haine (an alumni of Freemen's now at Loughborough University) and Irrum Magre, a career consultant and former student advisor at Kings College University. We also sought advice from the Freemen's students themselves, who had plenty to offer about how to ensure those who follow in their footsteps choose their options well. 

Resources which are referenced include: 

• • The National Careers Service - Careers advice - job profiles, information and resources | National Careers Service
  • UCAS - UCAS | At the heart of connecting people to higher education
  • Freemen's Future Pathways department - Future Pathways (Careers) | City of London Freemens School
  • Unifrog - Unifrog - The universal destinations platform.
  • Morrisby - Careers Advice & Guidance Online Platform - Morrisby
  • Extended Project Qualification - AQA | Projects | Project qualifications | Level 3 Extended Project Qualification
  • Informed Choices | Informed Choices

Episode 2 - Sleep

In this episode, Paul and Sophie discuss sleep and its impact on young people and their education. We discuss the science of sleep with Miss Vinall, Freemen's' Head of Psychology and you can hear the results of the sleep survey that students in U2 to U6 completed, which gives a fantastic insight into how much students think they need and how much they get. We also talk about links to mental health, academic and sporting success and how much sleep you really need at different ages. 

Further resources

• Matt Walker: Sleep is your superpower | TED Talk 
• Myth vs reality – how to get a good night’s sleep in 2023 - The Sleep Charity 
• Using mobile phones during the night affects our school work, teenagers say | Tes Magazine 
• Bentley Church of England and Copdock Community 
• TeenSleephub charity 
• Screenager 

Episode 1 - Social Media

In this episode, Paul and Sophie discuss the impact on young people and their mental health as well as the rise of cyber bullying and online safety. They offer advice to parents and carers on how to best navigate through the ever-growing world of social media.

Further resources:

• Social media use and adolescent sleep patterns: cross-sectional findings from the UK millennium cohort study (2019)

• Reducing social media use significantly improves body image in teens, young adults (2023) 

• Windows of developmental sensitivity to social media (2022)

• Freemen's Online Safety Newsletter - Screen Time Controls

The Hello Freemen's Podcast team