Welcome Page:- Pages 2

and governors. In most cases the survey feedback was positive and we were pleased (for instance) about just how many within our community would recommend the school to others. As always however, there were things within all the surveys that we will want to work on. Cherwell will remain a “restless school” determined to improve and surveys of this type help us on our journey. I will write to you more fully about the survey results in September and give some details about the actions we are taking as a result. For the first time since 2019 our students have sat their GCSE and A Level exams as intended this term. It really was remarkable and a tribute to all of them to witness how well they coped. We wish them all the very best for their results in August and the school will be open both to issue their results but also to provide advice and guidance on next steps for any who need it. We do have a number of both teaching and support staff who are leaving us at the end of term. It is always tough to see colleagues who have given so much to our school moving on. I know you would want to join me in wishing them well. We are very fortunate to have some wonderful new colleagues joining us in September As always, the final word does need to go to our students. They have continued to inspire and impress us all throughout the year both in terms of their work inside the classroom and what they offer beyond it. The newsletter is a tribute to their talents and endeavours. We sincerely hope you enjoy it. Do have a peaceful and enjoyable Summer break

Chris Price Headteacher

Friends Don’t Lie - Mike Wheeler, Stranger Things

By Matt Barnard, School Counsellor

Eleven, Vecna, the Mindflayer, Demogorgon and Eggos. If this all sounds like gobbledygook, then you’ve been missing out on the sensational series, ‘Stranger Things’. It’s a show that provides much interest for those that are psychologically curious, and presumably that’s one of the many reasons why it’s so popular. Sigmund Freud would have been a fan too, especially of the Upside-Down World, which has much in common with his theory of the unconscious, where repressed memories can reappear and hijack our conscious minds if we are not aware! However, I’ve personally found witnessing the compassion, acceptance and the characters' overriding commitment to make reparation when they experience a difficulty in their friendships, both fascinating and heart-warming. They are incredibly loyal, and most importantly they accept and resolve their differences. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a friendship group like that? In the counselling service we are hearing from many students describing themselves as feeling socially anxious, and struggling to know how to make small talk or keep a conversation going. This then leads to experiencing periods of ‘over thinking’ just when they are trying to switch off and go to sleep, which is often a preoccupation with social interactions. I think it’s fair to assume that we can point the finger of blame at the pandemic. Young people were cut off from their friendship groups at a period of their development when they were trying to make sense of who they are in relation to others, separate from their parents, and navigate complicated social interactions. This year, the Mental Health Foundation quite rightly focused on loneliness during the mental health awareness week. In a YouGov poll conducted in the November of 2020, 69% of adolescents (13-19) said they felt alone “often” or “sometimes” in the last fortnight. The pandemic cannot solely account for these figures, as shown in this statistic from research in 2018 - 40% of respondents aged 16-24 reported feeling lonely often or very often. I am not entirely sure what is driving loneliness - the timing would suggest that it can’t just be because of the pandemic - is it social media too? Contrary to its name, social media is not all that social. It seems to stop us from connecting with our friends and family, by meeting up with them asking what have you been up to lately?’. Why bother, when you’ve already seen their holiday photos on Instagram! There is less of a need to reach out and connect in person, or even make a phone call. On the subject of time, social media platforms ‘curate’ comments and posts of things you might be interested in as though it’s current for both you and the person that posted. There is no context as to why the person posted, and without context, it’s not possible to empathise with someone who is feeling angry or sad. There is a lack of what neuroscientists call synchronicity between your emotions and that of the other person. ‘Mirror neurons’ in the brain are activated when you see someone hurt themselves, where you can almost feel their pain. This feedback system helps us understand, within a split second, the intentionality and feelings of another at an almost unconscious level. To put it another way, emotions are infectious. The same system is activated when you see people laughing - you find yourself laughing too, but you are not yet in on the joke. This ability gives you a good chance of guessing what’s on someone’s mind. Oh, and it’s important when falling in love too, but less said about that the better, especially for those of you who are romantics! For some of us in our school community, we need to be taught explicitly how to be a good friend and to socialise. It doesn’t come naturally to everyone. A bit like one of the main characters in Stranger Things, Eleven, who was raised largely in social isolation, experienced a lot of trauma in her early years and has been left struggling to know how to interact socially. It shouldn’t be surprising that she finds it hard to trust others and be trusted. Research shows that people like Eleven, have a brain that adapted to manage her unsafe environment, which is not so helpful when she is then in a safe environment, like with Hopper, the Hawkins Police Chief. Thankfully, Eleven soon learns from Mike that "friends don't lie”. Eleven seems to benefit from being told what the rules of friendship are, but of course one rule is not enough to know, and there are what feels like a million exceptions to the rules too. Continued…/