Good Practice Case Study

Wheatfields Infants & Nursery School

School No: 464

Healthy Computing

The school is promoting good posture and teaching children to set themselves up properly at computers from an early age, by providing guidance/coaching and a toolkit of “I can” statements on “healthy computing” as part of their everyday school life.

The classroom is the workplace for children and in many UK classrooms the computer set-up for children would have been considered “illegal” if it were an adult workplace.  The school has revamped its computer workstations at low cost so that they now fit the children.

Senior Physiotherapists in the UK consider that a very serious escalation in adult workdays lost through musculoskeletal disorders, particularly back pain and other upper limb injuries, is “an epidemic waiting to happen”.

Project

Staff and a small group of parents at Wheatfields Infants and Nursery School were concerned about the set-up of the computer work stations in each of the classrooms, and how children were using them, in the light of1992/2002 adult workplace legislation. 

The group worked together with ergonomists from FIRA (Furniture Industry Research Association) to identify low cost ways of improving computer set-up for children aged 3-7. They also developed a simple coaching approach that enabled staff and children to establish healthy computing habits and understanding.

During the project another parent who is a furniture designer made a low cost step stool that helped to resolve some of the height issues with the computer set-up within the school. 

Description of Activities

Advice was gathered from FIRA’s senior ergonomist, Levent Caglar, and a group of parents including a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, a furniture designer, and a parent who had suffered from Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) for 15 years.

Workstations and daily practice at computers were altered in the light of their advice and members of the group worked with the head teacher and staff to establish positive “I can ...” statements to use as a basis for the coaching approach with the children.

Management & Logistics

The advisory group and staff considered many different components of computer set-up, researched on-line, visited national exhibitions, and engaged in dialogue with manufacturers and education suppliers. 

They considered:

• Workstations – differing heights,  adjustability
• Mice – size, position and guidelines
• Keyboards – size of keys, upper/lower case, position on workstation
• Standing/sitting – for different age children
• Low cost solutions
• Trialling ergonomic furniture – workstations and adjustable stools
• Working with partners who have expertise in particular fields (see below)
• Increasing adult understanding of the basics of good ergonomic computer set-up

Partnerships

• FIRA (Furniture Industry Research Association) based in Stevenage
• Physiotherapist
• Occupational Therapist
• Parent with RSI
• Furniture designer

General Benefits of Activities

Children leaving the Infants School understand the need for appropriate set-up and good posture at computer workstations both at home and at school. Children are able to put this into practice in school.
Children have a basic toolkit of understanding that, if reinforced throughout their school career, will equip them for life and help to prevent the onset of RSI,  other upper limb injuries and back pain.  Advice and coaching early in life should reduce the cost of lost workdays to the economy and costs to the NHS by preventing potential future pain and injury.

Key challenges and how these were overcome

1. To find low cost solutions to current problems
   • overcome by working with 4 parents with specialist knowledge and expertise
   • creative solutions arising from staff discussions.
2. To develop whole school understanding of the issues
   • regular short in-school training sessions for staff
   • coaching slots on INSET days
   • information for governors.
3. To get wording correct for the “I can statements” for children
   • working party of class teachers from each year group met regularly to discuss ideas, trial them, feedback and evaluate, and continuously improve until final version was agreed throughout the 3-7 age range.
4. To get the message and understanding of the principles across to parents (creating a ripple effect)
   • so they can reinforce the messages and good practice at home
   • briefings at Healthy Schools evenings,
   • presentations  at meetings for new parents.

3 Tips

1. Ensure whole school “buy in” /awareness/understanding.
2. Work with the class teachers to agree own version of “I can” statements and establish good daily practice.
3. Be patient! Keep reiterating the message.

Next Steps

1. Further embedding healthy computing into the classroom culture by developing simple, low cost play and teaching materials that reinforce the concepts and the “I can...” approach.
2. Working with linked Junior school and other interested schools to raise awareness and stimulate improvements in their computer set-up that are underpinned by coaching in healthy computing.  
3. Researching potential eyestrain issues for children associated with screen use and introducing concepts of “eye breaks” which may contribute to preventing sight issues associated with significant use of screens for uninterrupted periods.
4. Developing a coaching programme for Healthy Writing and Healthy Sitting.

Future vision

Our vision is that in the future all children in the education system will benefit from a good ergonomic approach.

In particular we would like to see every child/young person in the UK:

• Understanding the importance of healthy posture and good ergonomic set-up for reading, writing, sitting and computing.
• Equipped with the essential life skills and equipment to put this understanding into practice in the educational environment, and at home where possible.
• Ultimately, maintaining excellent musculoskeletal health in the workplace as a result of good habits and understanding that were learned, and consistently reinforced, throughout the educational system.

OUTCOMES

Impact of project

This small scale project has begun to have an impact on the children in the school as well as to move us further towards our vision.

In addition there are very clear links with the Every Child Matters outcomes:

Be Healthy and Stay Safe
This project is significant to the long-term health and well-being of whole school community (staff, pupils, parents and governors) through teaching about good posture and how to avoid potential injuries.

Enjoy and Achieve
Impact on learning – children are able to focus on their learning without distraction of discomfort or pain when using computers in school.

Making a positive contribution/ achieve economic wellbeing

• The toolkit and coaching programme enable the whole school community to adopt best practice and to equip the children with these essential life skills
• The longer term impact should be to improve the effectiveness of the future workforce by reducing the number of workdays lost to the economy through upper limb disorders, back pain etc, and thus to reduce related costs to the NHS.