Psychology Department
"Year 12 have recently started their Attachment topic as part of their A Level Psychology, so what better way to get started than become parents themselves. They all suddenly became parents to either an egg or a potato! Their task was to keep their baby safe and interact and from a bond while also recording the ups and downs of parenthood in a photo diary. We had some wonderful examples of interactional synchrony, proximity seeking and reciprocity. We even had twins! The students put in so much effort and really enjoyed introducing their babies to their pets and asking parents to babysit to give them a well-earned rest. It was interesting to see examples of life with a baby during these strange times too - with parents needing to be creative and introducing friends to their babies through Zoom and making sure they were socially distanced on their walks. We loved seeing what they all got up to, and they also have some creative and concrete ways of learning and remembering those attachment terms too.
CCreative Bake Challenge
We may be in lockdown, but that has not stopped our Psychology students keeping themselves busy. This month, students were set the challenge to get their aprons and wooden spoons at the ready, to come up with a bake with a twist. Students were asked to either decorate a cake with a psychology theme, or to bake something tasty and explain why the ingredients they used would be good for brain and general health, so supporting their Biopsychology lessons. The only disappointment here was that the teacher’s did not get to carry out taste testing! Here are some examples of the fabulous work.
Khushboo NavinchandraYr 13 made this lovely coffee and walnut cake
The reason I chose to make this was because coffee is great for brain health, as it promotes stimulation of the central nervous system, making you feel more alert.
Coffee basically blocks the inhibitory neurotransmitter adenosine, which makes you sleepy. Additionally, research has also shown that coffee may enhance short term memory, and in relation to our memory topic, research has shown them that when caffeine tablets were consumed after studying images, the ability to recognise them 24 hours later was strengthened. Walnuts are also great for brain health, and they are linked to cognition. They are rich in a plant based omega 3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid, which can counteract oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain.
Moreover, observational studies in adults have shown that eating walnuts is linked to better brain function such as faster processing speed and better memory. Also, although this wasn’t intentional, this cake has eggs in it, which are great for brain health. They have choline in them which is a micronutrient that helps create the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which helps regulate mood and memory, and studies support this statement.
Phoebe Paulin Yr 12 decorated her beautiful cake to show different sides of the brain
I decorated my Psychology themed cake to represent the left and right halves of the brain using fondant to show the logic, sequencing and analysis of the left brain and creativity, expression, and imagination of the right brain.
Clareece Saysell Yr 12 made use of her Grandma’s record player to demonstrate a visual illusion with her cake
Coffee contains caffeine which acts as a stimulant in the brain causing an 
increase in activity in the central nervous system. It raises chemicals like dopamine, which is linked with pleasure, attention and most importantly... movement! Caffeine also blocks the adenosine molecules ( the stuff that makes us sleepy ) in our brain, making us feel more alert and energetic!
So I thought what better way to show this energy than to place a cake on my grandmas expensive record player and see if I could create the illusion of movement (Just imagine the guy on top of the cake has just had a huge dose of caffeine and is absolutely buzzing from it).
Clareece also made a video which shows the visual illusion work as the record player turns. Thanks should also go to Grandma for this one!
Still on the subject of love, 3S took assembly this morning and it was all about the patron saint of love himself. At lunchtime, the annual pancake race was held which proved to be a very colourful event! The half-term holds a lot of fun this year as Mrs Chong takes another group of enthusiastic skiers to Austria and the sixth form are off to Paris for an exciting week. Bon voyage to all!
Commencing the 1st February 2021 was Children’s Mental Health Week with the exciting theme ‘Express Yourself’. At Ribston we chose to celebrate this important event for the whole month of February, organising a range of virtual activities to get people involved and raise awareness.
Mental wellbeing has always been a central focus at Ribston, and this month has been a great opportunity to remind people of the importance of taking care of themselves and others. The current changes to normal living have naturally made lots of people worried so this has also been a great chance to provide students with resources for seeking support. Ribston’s social media pages are regularly updated with more wellbeing information so don’t forget to stay tuned!
The RED January (Read Every Day) event ran again this year. It encourages students to read for a minimum of 15 minutes outside of their studies every day. The aim of this event is to challenge students to reconnect with a love of reading. Feedback from students has been great to read through - here are some of their thoughts:
Rising star Éire, a former student at Ribston Hall High School, has been supported by Gloucestershire Young Carers for a number of years and often mentions the care and impact the charity has made to her life. Éire believes her fundraising and volunteering efforts for GYC ultimately has helped her in her bid to be accepted into the True Athletic mentoring project with a scholarship. We are all super proud of you Éire and can’t wait to follow your journey to the Olympics. To read the article in BBC sports click here: 