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Spring Has Sprung!
We’re ending the term with a jam-packed edition of the Ribston Roar — including some fantastic updates showcasing our students' achievements. From success in the Science Olympiad to outstanding performances in sport, dance, drama, and design, our students continue to impress me.
Whether it’s walking the red carpet in London, soaring with the British Gliding Association, or attending the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, our students are embracing opportunities that expand their horizons. These experiences highlight the strength of our curriculum and our commitment to fostering academic excellence, creativity, character, and shared ambition.
Gliders
At the end of February, a group of Year 9 students took part in an exciting experience with Go Gliding and the British Gliding Association. This is our second year participating, and all 13 students made such a positive impression that they’ve been invited back for actual flights. One lucky student could even win a £500 bursary to support their journey towards flying solo. I understand the focus in the simulator was outstanding. Our students were fantastic ambassadors for Ribston!
Auschwitz Trip
In March, four of our Year 12 students took part in the Lessons From Auschwitz programme, visiting the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial in Poland. They were a credit to Ribston — and you can read more about their experience below.
Tabitha Shines at Junk Kouture
In early March, Year 13’s Tabitha Riley won the prestigious ‘Ready to Wear Award’ at the Junk Kouture World Finals. This achievement has opened up exciting new opportunities for Tabitha, including mentorship from industry professionals. Recently, she walked the red carpet in London for a film premiere — an unforgettable experience! We are so proud of Tabitha and look forward to following her future success.
Junk Kouture 2025-2026 is launching soon at Ribston, and we wish the best of luck to all students entering this year!
New Head Student Team
I'm pleased to announce that Poppy McGuire has been elected as Head Student for 2025-2026, leading a great team:
- Elsa Jorgensen – Deputy Head Student (Student Voice)
- Rachel Sinclair – Deputy Head Student (Houses & Societies)
- Patricia Padilla – Deputy Head Student (Charities)
The new team will officially take over in May, as our current Head Student Team begin their exams. A huge thank you to the outgoing team for being such great role models and leaders over this last year. I've really enjoyed working with them and look forward to seeing how the new team will build on their legacy.
Caterlink’s Successful Second Week
As we wrap up our second week with new catering company Caterlink, we’re pleased with the positive feedback from both students and staff. The quality and variety of food options have been well-received. Thank you for your patience as we transitioned payments to Caterlink. Please continue to use Arbor for your payments. Menus and prices can be found on our website.
Roar Like Ribston
Last Friday, we collected our Little Lion for the Lions at Large Trail which will be around Gloucester this summer. Congratulations to Year 9 artists Rosa, Sophie, Eva, and Sofia whose designs will soon bring our Ribston Lion to life. Work on decorating it will begin after Easter, and we can't wait to see their creativity skills in action.
You can support the initiative by visiting our live JustGiving page
Coming Up…
Rescheduled Admissions Information Morning
Due to roadworks outside the school, our Admissions Information Morning for Year 5 families has been rescheduled to Monday, 28th April (the first day after half-term). Year 7 students will assist with tours for prospective parents.
Cathedral Service
Our Annual Cathedral Service will take place on Tuesday 29th April. This is a special event bringing the school community together to celebrate and reflect, with a focus on Year 13 students as they prepare for their next steps. Please remember to register using the link in the email you’ve been sent.
Hopefully the sun keeps shining for the Easter break, and I look forward to welcoming students back on Monday 28th April.
Best Wishes
Mr. Alec Waters
Headteacher
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Science Olympiad Results
This year 11 Physicist took part in British Physics Olympiad Intermediate Online challenge. The British Physics Olympiad Challenges are well-respected tests. They encourage participants to approach problems with an open mind, taking the principles of Physics and applying their learning to the real world.
Alongside over 5,194 pupils from 173 schools, our Year 11 physicists tackled the online challenge with enthusiasm, building their confidence, understanding and problem-solving prowess. Their results were announced this term and were excellent, with 7 pupils - Rosel, Natalie, Annie, Tilly, Hannah, Elyssa and Husna awarded Gold, 36 students achieved Silver, 63 students achieved Bronze and 11 students were commended. Congratulations to them all.
Twelve A-Level Physics students took part in the Senior Physics Challenge Competition from the British Physics Olympiad. This competition is a traditional problem-based set of questions and designed for all those who like to engage in problem-solving questions and developing those skills.
Vienna, Georgie and Amy achieved Silver, Aleena, Harriet, Violet, Vanessa, Aaqil and Amelia achieved Bronze.
Year 13 Chemists sat the Chemistry Olympiad Paper in January, 16,216 students from 1502 schools sat the exam paper. The Round one paper, set by the UK Chemistry Olympiad, included questions on radioactive decay, epoxides, the iodination of ketones, carbon nanotubes and Raman spectroscopy. This paper makes A-level question papers seem easy in comparison! This gives students confidence that they can attempt any A-level chemistry question and do very well. The Olympiad is known for its challenging, but intriguing questions!
Congratulations to all Year 13 Chemists who took part in the Olympiad and did really well by achieving 2 Gold - Grace and Isabelle, 12 Silver- Myrto, Liana, Sophie Maisey, Della, Bethan, Sienna, Karina, Olivia, Emilia, Saamia, Seren and 3 Bronze- Zynab, Alexander and Harroop.
Well to everyone who took part!
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Chemistry
This term A Level Chemistry students ran an Elite Chemistry Club session with Year 11 students. This session was part one of their Aspirin synthesis from ‘Oil of Wintergreen’, a natural extract from the Wintergreen plant.
 
Structure of ‘Oil of wintergreen’ and Structure of aspirin
They are hydrolysing ‘Oil of Wintergreen’, hydrolysis means ‘breaking up a molecule using water’. They will be starting a ‘base hydrolysis’ using NaOH as the base.
Reaction equation:
Students had to be very careful when handling the chemicals. Oil of Wintergreen causes skin irritation, serious eye irritation and may cause respiratory irritation. Sodium hydroxide causes severe skin burns and eye damage. To mitigate the risks students wore chemical-resistant gloves and splash-proof goggles in one of the state-of-the-art Chemistry Labs that has a built-in, adjustable, ventilation system.
At the end of March, students performed a reflux on their reaction mixture to improve yield.
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Computer Science
Cyber Boot Camp
Over the February half-term, 2 sixth form students took part in a Cyber Bootcamp in Cheltenham run by CyberFirst SouthWest. Over the 5 days, they worked in teams and produced useful websites. Our students helped produce a platform to help people aspiring to get into AI as a career and ‘The Feast Cheltenham’ an AI recipe bank & menu builder for a local food kitchen, used to help plan meals and portion sizes when cooking for large numbers of people.
In the finals !
Mrs Coverdale took a Year 10 team to the Univerity of the West of England to take part in the finals of a cybersecurity competition arranged by the University. Annie, Evie, Sienna and Bea did not win but they enjoyed challenging themselves during the competition, which was mostly sixth form teams and talking to the Cyberwomen who ran the second part of the day.
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Lessons From Auschwitz
This term, four of our Year 12 students – Elsa, Hannah, Imaan and Ruby – took part in Lessons From Auschwitz, a powerful educational and commemorative programme run by the Holocaust Educational Trust.
The programme began with a seminar in Bristol on Sunday 16th March, where we were honoured to hear the testimony of 95-year-old Holocaust survivor, Mala Tribich MBE.er personal story and the Q&A that followed was inspirational, emotive and powerful and we all felt fortunate to have been in her company for the Afternoon.
On Thursday 20th March, we flew to Poland for a one-day visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum. Guided by Polish tour guide Anna, and supported by Rabbi Hackenbroch and Annabel from the Holocaust Educational Trust, we explored the site through the lens of individual stories and testimonies. Rather than focusing solely on the number six million, we were encouraged to consider the people and lives behind the statistics — a powerful and sobering approach.
It was an emotional and reflective day, filled with moments that will stay with us. At sunset, we gathered at Crematorium I for a memorial service, where Elsa was invited to read a moving poem alongside other students. With closing reflections from Rabbi Hackenbroch, we began to consider how we might share what we had learned with the wider school community.
I am incredibly proud of how our students represented Ribston throughout the programme — they were thoughtful, respectful and mature ambassadors for our school. They look forward to sharing their reflections in the coming weeks.
To find out more about the work of the Holocaust Educational Trust, please visit: Holocaust Educational Trust - Latest News
Laura Johnston
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Shaping Futures
Our feeder Primary Schools joined us for a Modern Foreign Languages Day in March. The Year 4 and 5 pupils were treated to French and Spanish lessons which involved writing a storyboard, parachute games and creating a personal ID badge. The day finished with a bang with all 5 schools competing against each other in a quiz and dance off.
After a fantastic themed day, our Shaping Futures pupils remained at school for tuition with their Year 12 mentor.
You can find out more about the Shaping Futures Programme and our work with Local Primary Schools on our Website.
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Psychology
Year 10 Psychology students have been exploring mental health by creating detailed posters and info sheets on various mental health illnesses. This project ties into their study of psychological problems, helping them develop a deeper understanding of key issues. Their creativity and insight have been fantastic—well done to all involved!
Meanwhile, our Year 12 Psychology students took on a unique challenge as part of their Attachment topic—caring for an "egg baby" for two weeks. The task encouraged them to consider the responsibilities of caregiving and attachment theory in a hands-on way. Impressively, many eggs survived the full two weeks!
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Ski Trip
By Lucy, Year 9
On Sunday 9th March, over 40 excitable Year 9 students made their way to Heathrow Airport. We were on our way to La Molina in Spain for a week of skiing!
While most schools endure two days on a cramped coach, Mrs Hay made sure Ribston travelled in style (a British Airways flight and a packet of digestives) and by Sunday evening, we were already enjoying our first night in the hotel. The views from our balconies looked amazing, and we were eager to get out in the snow.
Skiing was new to many of us…including me! With morning and afternoon ski school, we were soon exploring different slopes and gaining confidence. To keep morale high, Mrs Hay gave out princess and lion hats. I think the princess hat suited Mr Lawless more than me!
Of course, there was a lot of falling over – again Mr Lawless was keen to show how this was done, but it became less as the days went on.
Evenings were great fun with everything from bowling to karaoke! There was plenty of food to choose from for our evening buffet and the baguettes were particularly tasty.
It was an incredible trip and something I will remember for a very long time. Thank you to all the staff who made it possible.
By Rosa, Year 9
Last week, we had the incredible opportunity to go on the 2025 ski trip to the Pyrenees mountains in Spain. Everyone had an amazing time, and we were asked to write a short article on everything we got up to.
After a long day of travel, we arrived at La Molina Hotel and got settled into our hotel rooms. Despite having to share a bathroom between five girls, we liked our room, mainly because of the balcony and view of the mountain.
As for the skiing, we were split into three levels of ability: beginner, intermediate and advanced, all with nice instructors who challenged us and helped us throughout the week to progress. By the end of the week, all three groups were going down red runs and slopes! The conditions on the mountain were a lot better than expected. There was plenty of snow falling almost every night and snow on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during ski school.
A clear highlight was all the evening activities: bowling, quiz and games nights, pizza night and snow shoeing. The funniest thing was the snow shoeing as our group gave up after thirty minutes and decided to slide down the slope on our stomachs instead. Bowling was definitely the teacher’s favourite as they all had a go and everyone got to see Mr Lawless get a very bad score on the punch machine, and games night was the perfect way to wind down after a long day of skiing.
On the whole, we think that the only complaints about the week were being woken up by the teachers early in the morning and the trip not lasting longer!
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Georgia’s Swimming Success
Georgia (Year 10) has been making waves with her recent swimming achievements.
At the Gloucestershire County Championships, she set four personal bests, winning silver in the 100m freestyle and gold in the 50m freestyle - earning the title of 50m freestyle Junior County Champion!
She continued her streak at the High Wycombe Open Meet, competing in seven events against top London clubs. Georgia won all seven races and secured three more personal bests. Incredible work!
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Megan’s Acrogymnastics Success!
Megan (Year 11) placed 2nd out of 30 in the South West Prelims for Acrogymnastics in March, earning her a spot at the Inter-Regionals in Southampton on April 26th. Congratulations, Megan!
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Eliza’s Dance Success
Eliza (Year 7) has achieved incredible success in ballroom dancing! Recently moving up to the Juniors category, she became UK Vice Champion in Ballroom at the historic Winter Gardens—an impressive feat as the youngest in her category. She also reached the Latin semifinals, placing in the top 14, and ranked top 5 in the UK’s Teacher-Student category at Champions of Tomorrow 2025!
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Niamh’s National Dance Success
Niamh (Year 10) competed in the IDTA Nationwide Solo ballroom and Latin dance festival held in Blackpool. Niamh made it through several rounds of some of the highest level National competitive dancing to make it to all four finals she entered. Niamh was delighted to be crowned National Champion in Fylde Waltz and Tango Serida making her IDTA Nationwide Solo Classical Sequence Champion. Niamh was also crowned IDTA National Champion in Butterfly Jive and Vice Champion in Jubilee quickstep.
Niamh dances at Dance illustrated in Longlevens.
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Evie’s Hockey Success
Evie’s U12 Hockey team, Cheltenham Juniors, won the County tournament today and are heading to the Regionals in April! Well done, team!
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Molly’s Netball Success!
Congratulations to Molly (Year 9), whose U14 Hucclecote team dominated the Regional Play-offs this weekend, remaining unbeaten and earning the title of South West Champions! They now head to Nationals—an incredible achievement. Well done, Molly!
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Poppy’s Roller Skating Success!
Poppy May Southgate (Year 7) made an impressive debut at her first artistic roller skating competition—the GB Skate Artistic Spring Dance Festival. Competing against 12 strong skaters from across the UK, she won a silver medal in the free dance event. A fantastic achievement—well done, Poppy!
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Harriet’s On-Screen Success!
Harriet (Year 7) has been having a very successful year, with a supporting artist role in a film, set for release this year and a small role in a children’s TV show. This month, she has been selected to travel to Belfast to film a pilot game show after successfully navigating several casting calls and interviews! Well done, Harriet!
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Bethan’s Outstanding Achievements
Well done to Bethan in Year 9 who
competed in the England Athletics, U15, Combined Events Championships in Sheffield this term. She got PB’s in the hurdles with 10.90s, 800m with 2m 53s, shot put with 10.03m (new indoor club record), and the pentathlon score of 2359 (PB & indoor club record) to finish 21st.
Bethan also took part in the Sportshall Competitions finishing in joint 1st overall in the U15 girls and then representing Gloucestershire in the regional Sportshall in Paignton. She ran the 4 lap race, did the vertical jump, and threw the shot put.
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02 Apr 2025
2nd April to 16th April 2025 - Gloucestershire Highways has begun essential resurfacing work on the B4072 Stroud Road, starting 2nd April 2025. This is part of a larger investment in the county’s roads. This will result in a temporary road closure that will significantly affect acce...
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20 Mar 2025
Life after Sixth Form can be a daunting thought that is much easier to push to the back of our minds rather than deal with it head-on. So where can we start to make the process easier and less overwhelming, given that it's an inevitable part of our future? In this article, I spoke to some o...
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06 Mar 2025
On Tuesday night we were all very proud to see our talented student, Tabitha Riley, awarded the highly coveted Ready to Wear Award at the 2025 Junk Kouture Festival of Creativity & Circularity in Dublin. Tabitha, a finalist in this year’s event, was celebrated for her eco-friend...
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Congratulations to the Romans who are at the top of the
House Points Leader Board as we end this term
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Spotlight On Safeguarding - Working together to keep our young people safe
 As part of our ongoing efforts to support the safety and well-being of our students,
we have recently subscribed to The Enlightened Practitioner newsletter, which provides information and advice on safeguarding matters. Each month, the newsletter will deliver a "Safeguarding Spotlight", giving parents easy access to advice, updates and the latest information on safeguarding issues that may affect children and young people today.
March Addition: Knife crime, Sexism and Misogyny
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The RHA were delighted to run two new events this term - The London Mountain Film Festival evening and a Year 7 Disco - both of which were hugely successful. We have also received a number of interesting requests from staff for funding, which we are reviewing. More information will be coming out after the Easter break, so keep a look-out for that.
The 50/50 club is still running each month - visit our sum-up page https://ribston-hall-association-1.sumupstore.com/products to purchase an entry for April. This is a great way to raise funds for the school as well as to be in with a chance of winning some money.
Also on the sum-up page is the opportunity to purchase some exclusive RHHS Thank You cards. These beautiful cards were designed by RHHS students and would be welcomed by any recipient!
Our next meeting will be held on 12th May at 5:30pm in the Library, and everyone is warmly welcome to attend.
You can also now find the Ribston Hall Association on Instagram—follow us to stay up to date with all the fantastic ways we support our school!
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 Spring Clean Your Wardrobe: we're looking for Pre-Loved Uniform Donations
We’re happy to accept donations of pre-loved uniforms that students have grown out of. With the new Year 6 families visiting school in early May, we would greatly appreciate any contributions.
If you have items to donate, please drop them off at reception or the main office. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!
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Commemorating Your Time at Ribston Hall.
As Year 11 and Year 13 students approach the end of this part of their academic journey, we’re inviting families to donate a book to the school library in recognition of students’ time at Ribston Hall High School.
While this is traditionally linked to students in exam years, donations from any year group are warmly welcomed. Each book will include a label with the name of the student who donated it—a lovely, lasting addition to the school!
Thank you, and good luck to all our students preparing for their upcoming exams!
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