By adopting the following policies you have an opportunity to make the school; a more enjoyable and comfortable space for students to spend time in. First of all, I draw you to the introduction of free sanitary products for female students. During high school, female students going through puberty will start the embarrassing and uncomfortable experience of periods. This is a difficult enough time. Sometimes you can even witness female students having to ask friends and sometimes can be embarrassing to do especially when overheard by a boy. By simply making products available in all bathrooms would prove that the school is a welcoming place for those identifying as transgender and helpful as it provides a place for girls to get a sanitary product without feeling embarrassed. Secondly, I want you to focus on the fact that schools are one of the most unhygienic places to be. There is always used chewing gum stuck somewhere and that can be under desks, on the floor and sometimes even under chairs.
People put their hands under the tables and feel it and since the gum has already been in somebody else’s mouth they are full of bacteria which isn’t good for the health of students. Clean and tidy places make people feel calm and less stressed as they know they are in a pure environment. This would make people feel happier about entering school. Next, many students get stressed and hardly anyone knows how to control it. Many people try to deal with it and end up getting even more stressed and feel too overwhelmed to think. By teaching students how to manage their stress will make the school a less stressed place and will also increase the scores on tests. Now, I would like to address that many students suffer from a mental illness. Being diagnosed with a mental illness is very common nowadays and a common one for teenagers is social anxiety where people are scared of talking in front of people especially in large groups where it is silent. By recognising that some students have social anxiety helps them feel calm and less embarrassed which helps with their self-confidence and security. At this time one of the most talked-about topics for students when talking about school is uniform and how it makes them feel. Many students feel uncomfortable when wearing the uniform and feel much better and more relaxed when dressed in their own style. By giving more non-uniform days will make students happier and feel much more satisfied. In conclusion, by adopting these ideas into the school would make the school a much more healthy and happy environment to be apart of. Sincerely, Scarlett Norton A Charter for healthier schools The school will provide free sanitary products to students.
The government recently announced it will provide funding for schools to purchase sanitary products to be provided without cost to students. The provision of sanitary products for female, transgender and none binary students is already common practice in many university student unions, who recognise that periods should not be a barrier or stress factor for students in education. The school will ensure a clean and hygienic environment for students Being in an immaculate work environment helps boost the happiness of teachers and students. Keeping schools clean is a simple way to enhance learning, improve job satisfaction for teachers, reduce illness, and fight allergy symptoms. Levels of cleanliness and hygiene in a building have a positive effect on the mindset of students as an unkempt setting can increase stress levels and therefore can negatively impact concentration[4]. The school will provide will support student mental health through classes in mindfulness and meditation. Supporting mental health with meditation can help boost contentment as it teaches students how to deal with stress and how to use that negative energy to calm yourself down. Research shows that using breathing exercises or meditation before a test reduces stress and in the long-term actually helps you do better on assessments. This benefits everyone involved. The school and its teachers will not single out students with social anxiety to answer questions in the classroom.
Students with social anxiety often avoid or don't participate in classroom activities due to embarrassment and self-consciousness and because they have a strong fear of criticism[6]. Leaving these students alone and not picking on them helps them relax and can even help build up their confidence gradually. This can also help increase their enjoyment as they would feel calm as they would know that they wouldn’t be chosen. The school will allow students to not wear school uniform. Wearing a school uniform can be pure torture for any teenager. Forcing students to wear a school uniform is cruel and can have significant impacts on pupil’s self-esteem. There was even a study at Arizona State University that found out that students from school without a school uniform policy had a higher self-perception than those from schools which forced students to wear uniforms.
