Mrs Lang (Head of PSHE)
Pictured - Nicola Morgan author best known as The Teenage Brain Woman.
On Wednesday 24th March, Year 9 took part in a PSHE morning to help them understand the amazing changes their brains are undergoing that will continue until early adulthood, and what this means for their moods, emotions, self-esteem and friendships in the meantime. The PSHE Department is committed to supporting the student’s emotional wellbeing, so we were really pleased we were able to adapt the planned session for remote delivery.
As part of the session, the students were remotely 'visited' but Nicola Morgan, the author best known as The Teenage Brain Woman. She spoke about the science behind teenage brain development in an informed and accessible way, offering practical tips and support for how to cope with some of the trickier aspects of adolescence such as self-esteem and friendships.
The students asked really interesting and thought-provoking questions, such as 'Are humans the only species that experiences peer pressure?' and 'Why does my brain make me feel sad, when I don't want to be sad?'. Nicola was able to offer insightful and helpful answers that helped the girls understand that their sometimes-difficult experiences are normal and temporary. One advantage of having run this session remotely was that as the students asked their questions using the group chat, meaning teachers were able to identify any questions that we didn't have time to address during the session, and Nicola has kindly agreed to write a blog for us to answer these questions too.
Caitlin Peppiatt said: “It was really informative and eye- opening. It was nice that Nicola talked about other topics that relate to the teenage brain like peer pressure and body image because it makes people rethink about how they talk and act around others.”
The students have also been offered the chance to purchase signed copies of Ms Morgan's books at a reduced price. Parents are reminded that the order form was emailed last week and needs to be completed by Monday 8th March.
