AMBITION

C A D E M I

WELCOME

We are delighted to showcase in this new magazine the work of our Academic Scholars Ambition has been created by the Academic Scholars to share their interests, research and passions. You will see that the Scholars have researched diligently to share interesting debate or fact which is presented to excite and interest us all. As the first of our magazines, we hope that these articles give you a taste of the exciting discussions to come, and we look forward to seeing the Scholars embrace this work further next year. A huge thank you to all the Academic Scholars for sharing their interests and for igniting passions in other areas.

Happy Reading!

Joanne Croft Deputy Head Academic

TABLE OF CONTENTS

HEALTH

P 3 - 16

Evolution of treatment for Type 1 diabetes

Amaya Rovati - Year 11

How sports and exercise affect our mental and physical health

Natalija Weir - Year 8

Why is the heart unique?

Rashi Vaid - Year 7

Are the arts getting in the way of health?

Chloe Johar - Year 9

DISCUSSION & DEBATE

P 17 - 46

Joan of Arc

Sofia Samani - Year 11

Do aliens really exist?

Simran Michhiana - Year 9

should the XL bully be banned?

Shaan Bath - Year 8

Does veganism help the environment?

Deeya Cheema - Year 9

Equality

Jasleen Tucker - Year 10

What motivated people to do bad things?

Olivia Kotecha - Year 10

How disabilities affect people’s lives? (and a little bit about them)

Diyanna Panher - Year 8

Sunak abolishes A Levels

Ruhani Johal - Year 7

America’s history with book banning

Salma Azhar - Year 9

Law And the Justice System

Should The Death Penalty Exist?

Anaya Sandhu & Nuha Hussain - Year 10

Did Michelle Obama have a greater influence than her husband, the former president of the USA?

Simran Rihal - Year 11

When did Invasive Grey squirrels become such an issue in the UK?

Emilia Wallwork - Year 8

HUMANITIES

P 47 - 63

How has covid affected south African tourism?

Cayelin Bornman - Year 8

Why is London a popular destination?

Ruby Rush - Year 10

What are Penguins and why do we need them?

Amrit Michhiana - Year 8

The Vaquita

Eilleah Karim - Year 8

Should anyone be blamed for the sinking of the Titanic incident?

Isabel Barretto - Year 7

Anne Frank Simar Bola - Year 10

How did the fall of Grenfell Tower affect social housing?

Imogen Aldridge - Year 10

Is it worth living in London in 2023?

Isabel Moss - Year 10

SPORT

P 64 - 70

Why is Pilates good for the mind and body?

Daisy Thomson - Year 12

Martial Arts

Zahra Patel - Year 11

What are the underlying biological and environmental factors contributing to the development of Schizophrenia?

Sophia Siddique - Year 12

STEM

P 70 - 78

What happens to our body if we do not get enough exercise?

Hania Mageed - Year 10

What did philosophers believe the solar system was before technology? How does it compare to how we see it now?

Anya Nadeem - Year 10

Difference of neurotypical and neurodivergent students

Ayaana Deshmukh - Year 7

HEALTH

EVOLUTION OF TREATMENT FOR TYPE 1 DIABETES AMAYA ROVATI - YEAR 11

What is type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition where the pancreas fails to produce or provide enough insulin (the hormone which controls the bodies blood glucose concentration) to the body Due to this, the body cannot naturally regulate its blood glucose levels meaning you are more susceptible to ketosis (having too many ketones in the urine), which resultantly leads to seizures and in most cases falling into a coma

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes can include: increased thirst, frequent urination, hunger, sudden weight loss, weakness and noticeable mood changes People from the ages 4-7 and 10-14 are at the highest risks of getting this lifelong disease.

As well as this, living with type 1 diabetes also puts you at a higher risk of getting life threatening conditions, such as, Atherosclerosis – this disease effects both you microvascular (eyes, nerves, kidneys) and macrovascular (heart, brain, blood vessels) systems Whilst also making the diabetic prone to strokes, heart disease, blindness, and a cholesterol build up in vessels.

The cause of Type 1 diabetes is currently unknown; however, it is a very common belief amongst doctors and scientists that it is a result of an autoimmune destruction of pancreatic islet cells (islet cells produce insulin.)

Currently, it is estimated that around 9 million people globally live with this disease. Whilst many of them are from a lower/middle socioeconomic background, and therefore struggle to fund the purchase of artificial insulin, which is vital for a diabetic to live.

Discovery & early treatments:

There have been recordings of diseases which present as what we know now as diabetes, which date back to over 3000 years ago, in ancient Egypt, India and China However, diabetes was only recognised in the 18th century, although those who were diagnosed with it died within weeks, or if lucky, months of their diagnosis

In 1889, scientists Joseph Von Merring and Oskar Minkowski, decided to dissect a healthy dog's pancreas This resulted in the dog developing fatal diabetes and dying shortly after the dissection took place. This discovery helped many scientists to understand the link between the pancreas and its role in maintaining stable blood glucose levels

This led to scientists Fredrick Banting and Charles Best extracting the pancreatic islet cells from a healthy dog and transplanting them into a dog with diabetes, during the year 1921 The result of the transplant was the dog's diabetes being reversed and marked the discovery of the hormone insulin.

With the work of two other scientists, James Coplin and John Macleod, Banting and Best were able to purify insulin, which they extracted from the islet cells of cows This groundbreaking investigation led to the first ever treatment of diabetes.

After developing this further, in 1922, 14-year-old Leonard Thompson was the first person to ever receive an injection of insulin, to treat diabetes This injection meant Thompson lived for another 13 years but unfortunately died of pneumonia aged 27.

The insulin injection was a huge stepping stone in the development of diabetes and meant that the hundreds and thousands of children who were dying a painful death just weeks after being diagnosed with diabetes, these children could now live healthy and prolonged lives

Finally, by the year 1936, Sir Harold Himsworth was able to distinguish the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, meaning the right treatments could be applied for each Type 1 is insulin deficiency, where you would need to be injected with artificial insulin, whereas type 2 is insulin resistance and change in diet and exercise was the recommended treatment.

Modern treatments:

People living with type 1 diabetes and some with type 2 need to use insulin daily, continued to use injectable animal-based insulin for many years. However, there have been major advances in treatment, such as insulin analogues and the way in which insulin is delivered. Making the treatments for diabetes easier and more effective.

Analogue insulin:

In 1978, scientists created analogue insulin, analogue insulin is created in the laboratory by growing insulin proteins with E-coli bacteria. This allows the insulin to be used by the body either more rapidly or more uniformly, compared to regular human insulin There are two main forms of analogue insulin. Short-active, and long active, as well as premixed combinations

In 1996, Lispro, the first short-active insulin appeared on the market Lispro begins to work within 15 minutes of being injected and lasts for 2 – 4 hours. Many other insulin analogues such as Novo rapid, preform the same functions

Long active insulin, such as insulin Glargine (more commonly known as Lantus), takes longer to absorb and remains active for up to 24 hours.

People who use insulin tend to combine both long active and short active insulin. Long active to work throughout the day and maintain steady blood glucose levels, while using short active with meals to ensure the right dosage of insulin and prevent spikes in blood glucose levels

Blood glucose monitoring:

In the 1980s, the first blood glucose monitors were introduced for home usage. This was highly beneficial as it provided an accurate way to monitor blood glucose levels, meaning the diabetic could determine how much insulin they required and see how well their treatments were working

In 2017, Freestyle Libre blood glucose monitoring patches came out This significantly revolutionised blood glucose control as it meant diabetics can measure their glucose levels without having to prick their finger and extract blood, whilst also making monitoring more accurate as you get reading throughout the day and the machine shows you patterns with your blood glucose levels.

Insulin delivery:

In 1986, insulin pens became available The prefilled syringes, which came with specific measurements, made it both safer and much more convenient for people to administer the needed dosage of insulin

As well as this, the 1990s saw many new inventions, for example the external insulin pump. Insulin pumps are small electronic devices that releases the regular insulin your body needs throughout the day and night Eliminating the need for insulin injections If used correctly the pumps can provide:

Better results

More flexibility

Easier treatment

Future possibilities:

Scientists are looking into various methods to further improve the treatment of diabetes and hopefully eliminate it in the future Some methods which are being tested involve islet cell transplantation and immunotherapy

Immunotherapy:

Immunotherapies are new treatments that re-programme your immune system in order to prevent it from attacking and destroying your bodies insulin producing cells. This treatment is being looked into within clinical trials, in the hope of stopping type 1 diabetes from developing further, as well as potentially preventing the condition entirely. Pancreatic Islet cell transplantation:

Pancreatic islet cell transplantation is an experimental treatment for those with type 1 diabetes. It involves doctors harvesting islets with healthy beta cells from the pancreas of a deceased organ donor and injecting them into the person with type 1 diabetes with these cells. The islets would then begin to release insulin in the recipient's body. Researchers hope that the development of islet cell transplantation can:

Improve blood glucose levels

Prevent conditions which emerge because of type 1 diabetes from occurring

Remove the need of insulin injections (artificial insulin)

Glossary:

Over 9 million people living with type 1 diabetes - Health Action International (haiweb org)

History of diabetes: early science, early treatment, insulin (medicalnewstoday com)

The Past 200 Years in Diabetes | NEJM

Analogue Insulin - Types of Analogue Insulin, Production & Cost (diabetes co uk)

Pancreatic Islet Transplantation - NIDDK (nih gov)

Diabetes research | Immunotherapy | Diabetes UK

Insulin Pumps: What Is It & Types (clevelandclinic.org)

Freestyle Libre Glucose Monitoring System - PMC (nih gov)

HOW SPORTS AND EXERCISE AFFECT OUR MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH

NATALIJA WEIR - YEAR 8

It is known that sports and exercise play a crucial role for our mental and physical health Taking part in physical activities has shown to reduce stress, enhance moods and overall improve fitness and wellbeing In addition, it can also be a great way to socialise and meet new people.

Mental health:

Mental health can be described as our psychological and emotional wellbeing It affects the way we think, feel, and act. It also determines how we handle stress and our emotions Put plainly, it is how we are feeling inside or how we are emotionally Good mental health means that you are positive about yourself, that you can cope with stress, work productively and introduce healthy habits

Sport and exercise play a large role in mental health as they release neurotransmitters such as endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine. The roles these chemicals play are key in regulating moods and reducing feelings of stress and anxiety Moreover, regular exercise is associated with better sleep Quality sleep is crucial for mental health, and lack of sleep can contribute to negative emotions

Taking part in physical activity can help get our minds off things that are bothering us and causing stress It is also a really good way to socialise and meet new people It lowers rates of anxiety and can heighten self-esteem. ‘Studies show that there is approximately a20% to 30%lower risk of depression and dementia for adults participating in daily physical activity.’1 In addition, exercise can act as a distraction from negative thoughts. Focusing on physical activity can provide a break from the negative feelings someone may be experiencing.

Activities such as yoga and tai chi, which combine physical activity with mindfulness, aid a strong mind and body connection Yoga and other mindfulness practices are very popular amongst people as they help develop new brain connections and build brain structures "Yoga can help lower our fight, flight or freeze response by activating our parasympathetic nervous system and lowering negative emotions like depression, anxiety and anger," 2

To support the comments above, this chart which was published by Public Health England (19th of July 2016) clearly shows how physical activity can help stop cognitive decline and reduce depression.

Physical Health:

Physical health is the condition and function of our bodies Exercise is necessary to maintain a good physical health and enable our bodies to function well. This also helps us reduce the risk of diseases and illnesses as it vastly strengthens our immune systems

Doing regular amounts of exercise largely benefits our health “Exercise sends oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently ”3 It also helps reduce the risk of certain cancers, these being colon, breast, uterine and lung cancer Furthermore, it strengthens your heart and improves blood circulation, as well as increased blood flow which raises the oxygen levels in our bodies. Lastly, regular exercise is shown to strengthen children’s bones, slowing down the loss of bone density

Moreover, regular exercise improves stamina and athletic capabilities Activities such as running and swimming (aerobic exercise) ameliorates cardiovascular endurance increasing the body’s capabilities to be able to sustain prolonged exercise

As well as diet, exercise largely controls your weight and prevents obesity “To maintain your weight, the calories you eat and drink must equal the energy you burn.”4

Activities such as swimming also help build muscle and can build large amounts of strength in the arms and legs

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, exercise and physical activities are an incredibly important to sustain good mental and physical health. They are also a good way to socialise In addition, it improves our overall fitness and gives us overall good quality of life It is important that we embrace a balanced approach to exercise.

Bibliography

Harvard Health Publishing, Yoga for Better Mental Health, 2021, https://www health harvard edu/staying-healthy/yoga-for-better-mental-health

Mental Health Foundation How to look after your mental using exercise 2023 Well one woman asked if she could throw her gum away in her interviewer s garbage can I never think it s right to chew gum in front of other people but a lot of times I’ll come in for a meeting chewing gu I’ll forget I’m chewing it Then you don’t want to swallow it because it stays in your system seven years or something, so I’ve asked to throw it away I’ve started to wonder if that’s why didn t get certain movies

Codero Alberto Physical exercise and health 2014 Well one woman asked if she could th her gum away in her interviewer’s garbage can I never think it’s right to chew gum in fron other people, but a lot of times I’ll come in for a meeting chewing gum and I’ll forget I’m chewing it Then you don’t want to swallow it because it stays in your system for seven yea something, so I’ve asked to throw it away I’ve started to wonder if that’s why I didn’t get ce movies

Medline Plus Benefits of exercise 2017 Well one woman asked if she could throw her gum away in her interviewer’s garbage can I never think it’s right to chew gum in front of other people but a lot of times I’ll come in for a meeting chewing gum and I’ll forget I’m chewing it Then you don’t want to swallow it because it stays in your system for seven years or something, so I’ve asked to throw it away I’ve started to wonder if that’s why I didn’t get certain movies

Mayo Clinic Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity 2023 Well one woman asked if s could throw her gum away in her interviewer’s garbage can I never think it’s right to chew g in front of other people, but a lot of times I’ll come in for a meeting chewing gum and I’ll for I’m chewing it Then you don’t want to swallow it because it stays in your system for seven ye or something, so I’ve asked to throw it away I’ve started to wonder if that’s why I didn’t get certain movies

Centres For Disease Control and Prevention About Mental Health 2023 Well one woman asked if she could throw her gum away in her interviewer’s garbage can I never think it’s right to chew gum in front of other people, but a lot of times I’ll come in for a meeting chewing gum and I’ll forget I’m chewing it Then you don’t want to swallow it because it stays in your system for seven years or something, so I’ve asked to throw it away I’ve started to wonder if that’s why I didn’t get certain movies

WHY IS THE HEART UNIQUE?

RASHI

VAID

- YEAR 7

Parts:

Aorta

· Pulmonary Artery

Left Atrium

· Mitral Valve

Aortic Valve

· Left Ventricle

Right Ventricle

· Inferior Vena Cava

Tricuspid Valve

· Pulmonary Valve

Right Atrium

· Pulmonary Vein

Superior Vena Cava

Beats & Weight:

Random Facts:

The heart is joined with blood vessels to make the cardiovascular system

· Blood is bumped through the valves into the ventricles

The valves act like gates, keeping the blood moving in the right direction

· The sound is made by the four valves closing

A beating heart works like squeezing a tennis ball tightly

· A French Physician Rene Laennec invented the stethoscope

Atrium is Latin for Entrance Hall

· Ventricle is Latin for Little Belly

The Heart can still beat when disconnected from a body if it has oxygen

· The first open heart surgery occurred in 1893

The youngest person to receive heart surgery was only a minute old

· Heart disease is the number 1 cause of death in America

Your Aorta is as large as a garden hose

· A heart works twice as hard as the leg muscles of a sprinter

On average, an adult’s resting heart rate is 60 – 100 beats per minute (BPM) Your heart weighs between 7 and 15 ounces (200 and 425 grams) Your heart pumps about 5 litres of blood continuously. A female heart weighs less than a male heart. Your heart pumps about 4 tablespoons of blood each beat

Locations:

Your heart is in your chest, and it sits slightly to the left. The heart is well protected by the rib cage Your heart has 4 valves: Aortic(Left), Mitral(Left), Pulmonary(Right), Tricuspid(Right).Aside from that your heart also has four chambers: Two upper and Two lower

The upper Chambers are the left and right atrium whereas the lower chambers are the left and right ventricle

Sources:

Hruik org

NHS Inform

· Pharmeasy

Sunway Medical

Healthline

· Alpine Cardiology

Live Science

British Heart Foundation

ARE THE ARTS GETTING IN THE WAY OF HEALTH?

CHLOE JOHAR - YEAR 9

The health and well-being of my fans, my fellow performers, and crew have to and always will come first’ This is what Taylor Swift said when temperatures got extremely hot in Rio De Janeiro The heat index with temperature and humidity reached a whopping 59 31 degrees Celsius! This is scorching hot - in fact, 1000+2 people needed medical support due to the searing temperatures Fans were vomiting, fainting, and getting very badly sunburnt. Tragically, due to the extreme heat, one fan sadly passed away.

23-year-old, Ana Clara Benevides disastrously passed away on the opening night of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour in Brazil She was extremely excited to go, and her father said, ‘She left home to fulfill her dream and she came back dead’. Ana fainted during Taylor’s Cruel Summer (the second song on her setlist) She fainted in the front row of the show She was resuscitated at the stadium for 40 minutes and the medical staff decided that she would have to be sent to a hospital Tragically, on the way she suffered from a cardiac arrest, and passed away later that evening. However, Ana was already feeling unwell before she went to the concert

But how did this catastrophic event happen and why? Could it have been prevented? Could the organisers, Time for Fun, have done anything to stop this from happening? The main reason why everybody was so hot was because they were not allowed to bring water into the stadium. Fans were told to drink all of their water before the concert. People attending the concert assumed that there would be free water for everyone because of the extreme heatwave but they were wrong. If they wanted water, they would have to pay $2 for only 200ml of water! This got so bad that fans were chanting to Taylor Swift ‘We need water!!!’ Taylor had to stop her show and ask her staff to give out water Taylor prioritized her fans’ health over her concert However, it was the duty of the organisers to have this under control as Taylor should have been focusing on her art The situation became so severe that at one point Taylor threw a bottle of water out to her fans during her performance of ‘All too Well’ She said, ‘When someone needs water, and it is this hot they need it’ Thankfully, on the second night, fans were given water; but this was limited only to the front rows Therefore, everyone else in the stadium had no access to water.

Why were fans not allowed to bring water into the stadium? A water shortage meant that the stadium put in place this rule because the organisers were worried that the stadium would run out of water Considering the profit from the South American tour being 4 1 billion US dollars, many believe that Time for Fun should have used their money wisely, the team could have easily spared some money for water that could be given for free to anyone attending the concert. Conversely, the staff at the concert could have given the water for free to the people who needed it most For example, there were many medically trained staff at the venue. They should be able to tell when and if someone is about to faint I believe that it is upsetting that people were not able to get water as water is a necessity to human survival. If this continues at concerts, arts could very easily come into the way of our health

Why was the stadium so hot? Temperatures became so extreme because Time for Fun blocked everything that they could by putting up fences or barriers. For example, they blocked air vents so people outside the stadium could not hear the music As a result, there was no air circulation. Not only this, but the organisation also blocked all emergency exits so that people who didn’t have tickets couldn’t see the show Fans were practically trapped in a stadium that was suffocatingly hot with temperatures of 59 degrees Celsius Lessons should have been learnt from the Manchester bombing of an Arianna Grande concert in 2017 – was blocking off all exits a smart or well-thought-out idea? Many do not understand why Time For Fun blocked off all of the air vents The real question is: at what point should the staff stop worrying about other people who might be able to hear or see the concert? This has been an ongoing topic of conversation since the incident happened

Furthermore, the staff covered the stadium in metal This made the stadium so much hotter because metal has a very high heat uptake (meaning it can get very hot). Not only this but people were getting 2nd degree burns from the heat in the metal. Not only this, but during the daylight hours of the tour the burns people got kept on getting worse because of the extra heat in the sun. There was one case where a woman went to the medical staff on-site and they took her to the medical office People were suffering from heatstroke there and the doctor refused to notify her that she was burnt Later, the woman went back to the medical office and the woman working at the front refused to let her back in This was because there were already too many fans in the medical tent and the lady had seen the doctor once and she didn’t need to see him again.

The woman at the front than went onto say that her conditions were not as bad as other people in the tent The lady (who was burnt) called the behavior ‘absurd’

The reason why metal floors were put up in the first place is still unknown but most likely it was to add to the atmosphere of the sets

There was even real fire going off during to show This was to make the set different from any other concerts fans had seen before According to Lucas Benica (someone who attended the concert) posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) adding the fire made everything 10 times hotter! Taylor Swift herself even asked her staff to tweak the script due to the extreme temperatures but the staff refused to change it. This is severely worrying as the show’s performer was not allowed to interfere with the script The staff didn’t want to change the script because they didn't want to change the show at the last minute as this would have

made the performance disorganised. The organisers prioritized art over health

Even Taylor Swift herself was struggling. From pictures and videos, it is clear that she was sweating through all of her clothes. However, she kept going for her fans. Many are debating whether this was a clever choice or not There is even a video where Taylor Swift was breathing rapidly after singing her song ‘Bejeweled’ towards the end of the concert When people do this, it is a sign that they are overheating. People breathe rapidly to regulate their body temperature back to normal. Fortunately, nothing happened to her, but this must have been terrifying for an artist on stage in front of hundreds of thousands of people.4

Once Taylor herself found out about the death of Ana due to the temperature she decided to postpone her Saturday show to Monday This was only decided 2 hours before she went onto the stage She posted on her Instagram a handwritten note and she explained that the safety and wellbeing of her fans and crew will always come first It was very beneficial that Taylor did postpone the concert because it was even hotter on Saturday, and it wouldn’t have been safe to attend In this case she prioritised her fans, crew, backing dancers and her health over her art

What did Taylor do about the death of her fan?

She posted an Instagram post which read:

‘I can’t believe I am writing these words, but it is with a shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show. I can’t even tell you how devastated I am. There’s too little information I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young

I’m not going to be able to speak about this on stage because I feel overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it I want to say now I feel their loss deeply and my broken heart goes to her family and friends This is the last thing I ever thought would have happened when taking the show to Brazil ’

She also included "Bigger than the Whole Sky" to her Monday set list, mostly as the song is about losing someone you love When Taylor Swift sang the song live, she appeared quite emotional.

The Brazilian government also changed some laws to prevent this incident from happening again They have now allowed water to be taken into concerts if the weather is as extreme as it was. However, this only happened because hundreds of petitions were being shared through social media This therefore made them do something because thousands had signed the petitions. 5

In my opinion, I think arts are getting in the way of health and I think it is time for that to change. I understand the reasons why Time for Fun blocked off air vents and doors. However, I think this was really awful for anyone who was at the concert This is very unfair to Taylor Swift because it is not her fault that there was not enough water going around and she did everything in her power to help the situation I understand that the arts are important because they enhance mental and emotional well-being

However, the cost of a young person's life to send a message to the music industry is going too far I think that Time For Fun should have thought about the weather conditions before they decided to include fire in their show. They should have also listened to the artist as it is their concert and they are the ones who the fans have come to see. They should be able to adapt the script so that they can feel comfortable performing

Hopefully, Ana’s life was not lost in vain, and the music industry will learn from this tragic incident One option could be to install water fountains that are free to use and vending machines selling water Another option is to have vendors walking around selling water This would make everyone ’ s concert experience so much more relaxed and enjoyable, and allow artists to focus on art

REFERENCES:

https://www reuters com/world/americas/organisers-taylorswifts-rio-shows-say-they-could-have-taken-alternative-actions2023-11-

23/#:~:text=The%20heat%20index%2C%20which%20combines, Celsius%20(139 5)%20on%20Saturday

https://www youtube com/watch?v=SZnqjWNSUaM

https://www youtube com/watch?v=IBz9IIv81jI

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318210#: :text=Fev er%20or%20overheating,Share%20on%20Pinterest&text=When%20the%20body%20be comes%20too,bring%20their%20body%20temperature%20do wn.

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/organisers-taylorswifts-rio-shows-say-they-could-have-taken-alternative-actions2023-11-

23/#:~:text=The%20extreme%20conditions%20led%20the%20f ederal%20government%20to%20order%20T4F,all%20concerts %20from%20now%20on

JOAN OF ARC SOFIA SAMANI - YEAR 11

Do YOU know who Joan of Arc is?

For centuries, Joan of Arc has confused historians and religious believers alike. This is because since the age of 13, Joan had been sent messages from God Voices, visions and vivid dreams. And, these messages informed her on how to lead France to victory and defeat the English But even though it has been around six hundred years since Joan of Arc was alive, I believe that she is still as fascinating as she was centuries ago…

If you ’ re unfamiliar with Saint Joan of Arc (sometimes known as ‘Jeanne D’arc’, ‘Ionna de Arc’, ‘maid of Orleans’), she is a patron saint of France who was indispensable in the 100years ’ war For she won the siege of Orleans, and helped King Charles VII of France get coronated In fact, she irrevocably changed the world as we know it, for example, challenged gender norms by wearing men ’ s clothing and leading armies into victory However, she was accused of being a heretic and was burnt at the stake in 1431, at only 19 years of age And until she died, she continuously claimed to have been led by the voices of divine beings.

And in this article, I am not striving to answer the question of was she lying? But instead, question her sanity and mental health. Because she lived at a time when even the most intelligent of scholars did not understand that everyone ’ s brains function in different and unique ways.

Due to the internet being the meandering muse of mankind, I have been able to access many different websites and articles written by many different authors explaining what they believe, and their conclusions, about Joan of Arc. And, although academic writing about her is informative – I very much enjoyed reading chat forums created by everyday people around the world, to see what everybody else thinks about her and her extraordinarily short life For example, many people believe that her visions were delusions or even dreams. And an extract from someone ’ s comment states that ‘their [scholars’] hypotheses range from mental illness to childhood malnutrition to normal dreams interpreted through her simple and poorly educated but fervent devotion to the Catholic Church ’ This comment generated many replies, and after first reading this, I wondered what the Catholic Church thought of Joan of Arc’s self-proclaimed visions –after all, she was a devoted member of the Church Well, in 1920 – Joan of Arc was canonized as a saint by Pope Benedict XV. And every year, she continues to be celebrated on her Feast Day, May 30th, and her brave, bold story is still taught to many young children today.

And, many other non-religious people also believe that she was not mentally ill and knew what she was doing all along. Mark Twain, a famous American novelist known for books like ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’, declared that Joan of Arc is “easily and by far the most extraordinary person the human race has ever produced". And, he was no religious believer himself.

There are many reasons as to why people, like Twain, thought that. Perhaps it is because the long-held belief of Joan of Arc being schizophrenic is said to be now be ruled out completely As a definition of schizophrenia is “disorder that affects a person's ability to think, feel, and behave clearly, and hallucination is a perception of having seen, heard, touched, tasted, or smelled something that wasn't actually there” And, since Joan of Arc was still able to behave and think clearly while having or after having these visions It can be seen as highly unlikely that she had schizophrenia.

However, it could be said that she in fact had epilepsy, many sources like, The American Journal of Psychiatry, state that Joan could have been afflicted with temporal lobe tuberculoma from bovine tuberculosis (which was common at the time) And in fact, objects like church bells actually triggered her visions and voices she heard (As she grew up next to a church which she attended regularly)

“CONCLUSION”

In conclusion, the question of whether Joan of Arc was really mentally ill remains a subject predominantly of scholarly debate Due to it involving an examination of historical records, cultural context and obviously, the evolving understanding of mental health. Additionally, the lack of reliable primary historical records and sources adds a thick layer of complexity and makes it somewhat impossible to create a definitive answer on what really went on in Joan of Arc’s remarkable mind.

And although some accounts consider the visions, voices and vivid dreams to be a manifestation of mental distress, it could also be said by others that perhaps it was due to the religious fervour and spiritual climate of Joan’s time Her visions, instead of being indicative of mental illness might be seen as a product of her devout faith and turbulent political landscape of the 100 years ’ war

So, by studying Joan of Arc it allows us to see the complexities of life in 15th century France and how religion defined people’s lives in this era Ultimately, the debate surrounding Joan of Arc’s mental health serves as a reminder of the intricate interplay between history, culture and our evolving understanding of the human mind

Bibliogrpahy

https://www jeanne-darc info/biography/visions/

https://www britannica com/biography/Saint-Joan-of-Arc

https://www quora com/How-do-scholars-know-that-Joan-Of-Arc-s-visions-were-delusions-Do-they-have-proof-or-is-it-just-a-theory

https://www livescience com/55597-joan-of-arc-voices-epilepsy html https://www quora com/Was-Joan-of-Arcschizophrenic#: :text=People%20of%20her%20era%20were,loyalty%20of%20seasoned%2C%20fighting%20men

https://www history com/news/7-surprising-facts-about-joan-of-arc

https://culturalheritagethroughimage omeka net/items/show/120

https://ajp psychiatryonline org/doi/10 1176/appi ajp 2017 17080948 Foote-Smith E, Bayne L:Joan of Arc Epilepsia1991; 32:810–815Crossref Medline Google Scholar

d Orsi G, Tinuper P:“I heard voices : from semiology, a historical review, and a new hypothesis on the presumed epilepsy of Joan of Arc Epilepsy Behav2006; 9:152–157Crossref,Medline,Google Scholar

d’Orsi G Tinuper P:The “voices” of Joan of Arc and epilepsy with auditory features(letter) Epilepsy Behav2016; 61:281Crossref Medline Google Scholar

https://www thecollector com/what-is-joan-of-arc-best-known-for-6-facts/ https://kids nationalgeographic com/history/article/joan-ofarc

DO ALIENS REALLY EXIST? SIMRAN MICHHIANA - YEAR 9

‘Ask the person next to you the question, “Do you believe in aliens?”

What do they say? Most of us today are convinced that extraterrestrial life (aliens) does not exist It makes sense: the universe is around 13.7 billion years old, so why haven’t we discovered anything by now? Well, if the person you asked does not believe aliens exist - if you do not believe aliens exist – then what if I told you that they might? What if the military and government are hiding unexplainable, real-life experiences with aliens from the public?

It isn’t just in the past few decades that we began to question the reality of extra-terrestrial life; centuries ago, artists had included images of strange, UFO-type aircrafts. On the right you can see weird, flying objects dating right back to the 1400's Some of them look like the ones in thrilling sci-fi movies, but perhaps this is where the traditional UFO shape originated from. Fast forward to 1990, where an unidentifiable aircraft was witnessed by 143 people in Belgium Reports stated a large, flat triangular shaped object with lights in each corner underneath it.

But this wasn’t the first time: All throughout the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s, triangular UFO reports hailed from the U S and beyond This included Connecticut, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Texas as well as London, Madrid and Czechoslovakia, each one describing a darkcoloured, noiseless mysterious triangle about the size of a football field

Similarly, the infamous ‘tic tac’ UFO conspiracy starts with Kevin Day, a former navy officer who spoke about this scary encounter. In 2004, an unidentifiable object was tracked in the air off Catalina Island Around 40 feet long, this white, seamless ‘tic tac’ like object was reportedly flying at 28,000 feet in the air, at 100 knots. To any pilot, this is immediately unusual, because it is too slow for a normal airplane -it would fall right out of the air In less than a second, the airliner went from 28,000 feet in the air to just above the ocean! Any kind of evidence was taken by top secret officers, and Kevin Day was told never to talk about it. This kind of movement is impossible for any modern aircraft today Most people, including Kevin Day, are convinced that this is a UFO After all, what else could it be ?

Stolen technology

I’m sure you ’ ve heard of Area 51, in Nevada (USA), an incredibly secretive military base that we all associate with any sort of event to do with aliens Well, you ’ re not wrong – all sorts of queer things went on here, the most interesting being the US government trying to reverse and replicate technology that isn’t ours For example, former engineer David Adair spoke out recently about his experience working in Area 51. At the camp, he was shown something way beyond human capabilities It was an engine around the size of a school bus, yet completely smooth; not a single nut, bolt, screw, or any sort of seamline was visible. This weird exhibit was wet and slimy ‘like a frog’s skin’ and actually responded to touch Perhaps this was something recovered from extra-terrestrial spaceships? This is clearly no human work. Some even go as far as saying that humans copied ‘alien’ technology Think about it; we have created more advanced technology in the past 20 years than anything within the past 200.

Adair wasn’t the only one Robert ‘Bob’ Lazar was told to re-engineer 9 mysterious machines presumed to be UFOs, hidden behind Area 51’s doors In 1989, he spoke about a new element that cannot naturally grow on earth because it is "Impossible to synthesize an element that heavy here on Earth The substance has to come from a place where super-heavy elements could have been produced naturally " In 2003, a similar element was created (known as muscovium), however it is unstable and Lazaar claims it wasn’t the one he witnessed. Either way, no-one knows how any form of life could have gotten hold of this Lazar said this element could power alien spacecraft without worrying about gravity, which explains the movement that should be impossible in any aircraft that we explored earlier

Terry Lovelace – Abduction claim

As if we aren’t all shaken enough, this story will just send chills through your bones.

In summer 1977, Terry and his friend decided to spend the weekend hiking at Devil’s den state park, Arkansas What sounded like a peaceful trip soon turned into a nightmare During the night, a giant, triangular aircraft appeared in the sky However, Terry fell unconscious When he awoke, he found himself in immense pain The aircraft was just 30 feet above their heads A dozen or so of what looked like children were walking around the meadow in pairs or threes Terry asked his friend, “What are these little kids doing here at night?"

His friend replied, “These ain’t no kids, Terry – don’t you remember? They took us and they hurt us. ”

Terry took another look at the ‘children’ and realised they weren’t humans at all. Terry’s memories came flooding back: he was screaming on an examination table, but there was no sound. He heard telepathically in his mind: “Why are you screaming? Stop screaming. You know we are going to take you back ”

A few days later in hospital, an x-ray on Terry’s leg shows a small computer chip-like thing, with two small wired leading up to his head. Apparently, it contained 24 pieces of memory, but he only got hold of 6, because the rest were lost How long had it been there? Were these creatures always watching him? How was it there without any sort of scar?

2 businessmen showed up mysteriously and Terry believes they took the rest of the memory film that was supposedly lost.

Of course, none of this is 100% true, but they all seem possible; many involve this strange, triangle aircraft that must be real if mentioned by so many? Clearly, aliens are way more advanced than humans The government don’t even know what is fully going on, but the military seem to, sending top secret officials to take evidence and cover it up Why are they trying to hide all of this from the public? Is it because there is no explanation? Either way, this is all highly interesting, and this article is only a scratch on the surface If you would like to know more, I would recommend a series on Netflix called Top Secret UFO Projects: De-classified.

However, if aliens are real, one thing is clear to me: Whatever they are up to, they seem to know exactly what they are doing

Bibliography

en.wikipedia.org

science howstuffworks com www history com https://www youtube com/watch? v=6l34p qq8 E

https://www youtube com/watch?v=Zmzc4YzDnN0

SHOULD THE XL BULLY BE BANNED?

SHAAN BATH - YEAR 8

What is happening?

Recently in the UK there have been several dog attacks which police believe to have allegedly been caused by the XL Bully dog breed What is an XL bully you may ask? An American Bully XL, also known as an XL Bully, is the largest of the American Bully types. They are not a registered breed with the Kennel Club in the UK and are a type of dog that has been bred from several different dog breeds These dogs are not inherently aggressive. Just like every other dog their temperament is influenced by numerous factors like genetics, upbringing, and training The XL Bully breed are often protective, but are also known for their loyalty and affection

History behind the breed :

Originating from the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier, the American XL Bully has evolved over time. Selective breeding has given rise to this unique breed, which, while reminiscent of its ancestors, is distinct in size and appearance This dog breed became extremely popular from 2020 and onwards especially during lockdown. American bullies first arrived in the United Kingdom in 2014 or 2015 and increased in popularity during the COVID lockdown of 2020-2021 As the breed is not a registered breed with the UK Kennel Club, it is unknown how many dogs or breeders there are currently in the UK.

What is the government doing ?

The government has recently added the XL American Bulldog to the list of banned dog breeds in the UK This means that anyone in the UK that owns an XL Bully will have to either give their dogs in to be put down or apply for their dogs to be registered The government has said ‘ if you choose not to keep your XL Bully dog, you should take it to be euthanised at a registered vet practice by 31 January 2024 ’ If owners do choose to do this, they will receive £200 compensation Those who choose not to give their dogs in will have to apply for a certificate of exemption To get a certificate of exemption you will have to have a third-party public liability insurance, get your dog neutered and pay £92.40 for each dog you would like to keep If you were to get a certificate of exemption, you would also have to have your dog on a lead and always muzzled in public, neutered, microchipped and in a secure place where it cannot escape These are the government’s terms and conditions

Should they be banned?

Should the Xl Bully breed be banned, well there two si topic just like every other topic On one hand there hav several attacks across the UK but there are also thousa Bullies who haven’t harmed a soul and are being punis the actions of other dogs and their irresponsible owne opinion I do not think that this breed should be banne there have been attacks around the UK but really any d capable of this. Secondly, recently in parliament one o had admitted to using AI to create reports of fake XL B attacks Another reason for why they shouldn’t be bann because not every XL Bully has got a killing temperament, and this ban is injustice to those dogs who are well trained. If I was in a position of power and I had to make a decision for both parties of this argument, I would introduce a law about responsible dog ownership This would apply to all dog owners across the UK In addition to this law, I would include some rules/ restrictions for the public to obey if they own a dog or any other pet. These would be to train your pet correctly, to have appropriate shelter that is secure so pets cannot escape, ensure food and water for pets, and that pets are cared for correctly I would also strongly encourage dog owners to register their dogs with a kennel and ensure they are micro – chipped. If owners of dogs or XL Bullies cannot abide to certain restrictions to keep the public, their dogs, and themselves safe, then they should rehome their dogs I think this would be a suitable solution as it caters to both parties needs and it does not lea the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of dogs across the U Xl Bullies are like any other dog They have families and they have a life With this ban coming into place, we are allowing government to restrict their lives or execute these innocent d because the few have ruined it for the many. Some of these will be given away and be led to death Any dog is capable o killing, but these dogs are being punished for it I do not thin this really the best solution to this dilemma Not only are ma dogs going to be stripped from their families and killed, this affect hundreds of thousands of owners and families by leavi blank space in their lives Is our society going to sit back and watch this happen right before our eyes?

WHAT I THINK THEY SHOULD DO:

DOES VEGANISM HELP THE ENVIRONMENT?

DEEYA CHEEMA - YEAR 9

Veganism is a way of living that stays away from anything that comes from animals, including leather, dairy, eggs, and honey, as well as anything that has been tested on animals Vegans have a strict plant-based diet that claims to be helping the environment, however, how true is this? Does veganism really help or is it more damaging to the environment and our health?

The environment plays a crucial part for many An all-time high of 700,000 people participated in Veganuary (an annual challenge to learn about veganism) this year, with environmental concerns, which is among the top three motivators How large of an influence, though, can you have in a few weeks? According to the charity that runs Veganuary, the 350,000 participants who refrained from animal products in 2020's event might have prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the removal of 160,000 cars off the road So, consider the perks of a vegan world

The UN estimates that 11 2% of greenhouse gas emissions caused by mankind come from meat and dairy products (farmed livestock) However, if everyone became vegan, scientists predict that within 15 years, the world's emissions related to food might decrease by 68%, thus reducing global warming, a major issue Yet, whilst this all sounds great there are still vegan foods which aren’t great for the planet either.

We’ve all heard about the alternative version of regular milk, such as almond, soy and oat milk, which all are plant-based Did you know that it takes 74 litres of water to make a glass of almond milk? That’s more than a typical shower! Rice milk needs 54 litres of water for every glass, making it extremely "hydrated " While still low as compared to dairy milk, these figures are far higher than those of soy or oat milks. The plant-based milk substitutes, though favoured by some customers, are not a nutritional equal

Soy plays a huge role in a vegan diet Soya beans are versatile and rich in vitamins Tofu, wheat, plant-based sausages, meatless burgers, and many more foods include them According to the WWF, "from the US to the Amazon, forests, grasslands, and wetlands are being ploughed up to make room for more soy production " Soy is the second-largest agricultural cause of deforestation globally, behind beef Also, Soy production generates greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Additionally, water quality has been affected by intensive soy farming Soy farming, which depends on agrochemicals like fertilisers and pesticides, contaminates nearby water sources like rivers and creeks, endangering wildlife and causing health issues for rural populations Vegans roughly eat 50 grams of soy protein day!

Palm oil is frequently found in vegan substitutes, like cheeses and ice creams made without dairy In principle, growing palm oil presents no issues The issue is that it's frequently grown carelessly; the sharp increase in palm oil production in south-east Asia has resulted in massive deforestation and driven orangutans into extinction According to the environmental advocacy group Rainforest Rescue, palm oil producers in Indonesia are allegedly destroying an area of forest equivalent to 300 football fields per hour.

Veganism helps reduce something called your carbon footprint but what exactly is that? A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated by our actions. Veganism helps therefore reduce an individual's carbon footprint from food by up to 73 per cent However, it is not always guaranteed that as a vegan your carbon footprint will decrease, but it depends on what you eat If you are a Vegan constantly eating processed food I highly doubt that your carbon footprint will decrease by 73 percent. Instead, you should try to eat more healthier food like lentils So, does Veganism actually help the environment? Research indicates that vegan diets typically have much smaller ecological, and carbon footprints than diets high in meat or fish In summary, I believe that eating a vegan diet is not good for the environment Whilst it does reduce your carbon footprint, through my research I have seen that a lot of the vegan substitutes aren’t even ‘good’ for the environment and in the process of farming these products, you are tearing down grasslands, contaminating water and driving orangutans into existence A lot of the vegan foods also chemically poison our soil whilst being unhealthy for your own health Nonetheless, veganism IS healthier for the environment than eating meat products as cows and goats alike produce methane (a potent greenhouse gas) But a vegan diet is a good thing to think about when you next go shopping!

EQUALITY JASLEEN TUCKER - YEAR 10

‘What is Equality? And why do we need it?

The definition of equality is "the state of being equal " Since achieving various forms of equality, such as racial and gender equality, is one of the goals of a democratic society In an equal world, everyone has equal opportunities to survive and thrive. No one faces discrimination or unjust barriers to happiness and fulfilment While there’s been progress in some areas, humanity is still a long way from equality as we don’t live in an equal world. People get treated worse than others for many different reasons. Some of these reasons could be because of their gender/sex, it could be their race, it could be that they are part of LGBTQ+. But why are they treated any different when they shouldn’t be. This is why we need an equal world, where everyone has opportunities to thrive.

Bringing Awareness

One problem is that some people still have views that one gender/sex is better than the other Unfortunately, this is still a big problem today as still a lot of people who view men better than women. Many women are objectified because of this and are seen like they have less potential which links to the idea that women are only able to be housewives There are so many more ways that women over the years have been put down just because of their gender/sex, and all of these ideas are just sexist and need to be stopped Another problem with gender is that there is still a pay gap between men and women. This means for the exact same job, and the exact same working hours, men are still paid more than women even though they are doing the exact same job for the exact same time period Why is this still a thing? Why hasn’t this been stopped yet? How is this fair? Well, it hasn’t been stopped as not many people even care to think about this, it’s considered normal now as the world we live in, nothing ever is fair In the UK 78% of companies pay men more than women

Another big problem is race. There are still so many people being racist to others for absolutely no reason other than to satisfy themselves by putting others down Why are people treated different for simply having a “different” skin colour or having a different culture to what others consider “normal”. A lot of racism has been normalised in today’s world for “jokes and fun” for example, being racist to white people and making fun of them for being white is normalised however making fun of someone with a slightly dark skin tone is considered racist Racism goes both ways as the true definition means someone treats another person differently because their skin colour is not the same as theirs, they speak a different language or have different religious beliefs. We need to fix this issue as racism is a big problem in today’s world still

One last idea is if someone is part of LGBTQ+ community, they may be discriminated against for simply loving who they want or being who they want It’s 2023 and yet this is still such a big issue. In many countries, laws against cross dressing are used to punish transgender people on the basis of their gender identity and expression. Additionally, in 70 countries, discriminatory laws criminalize private, consensual same-sex relationships As a result, LGBT individuals are exposed to the risk of arrest, blackmail, discrimination, violence and, in at least five countries, the death penalty

This is why having equality in our world is so important. There are many other reasons I could have listed on why people get treated differently such as age or disabilities and there are so many more Our world will never be fair or justice unless we have equality

WHAT MOTIVATED PEOPLE TO DO BAD THINGS? OLIVIA KOTECHA - YEAR 10

Humans usually do things to get pleasure or avoid pain, so why do we do bad things? Self-perception?

When researching this topic, I found that one of the ways people bring themselves to do bad things is that they don’t consider the action as bad In fact, most people who intentionally harm others don’t think of themselves as evil, instead they tend to justify their actions They rationalize that their actions are justified or not such a big deal

Many people do bad things for ‘good’ reasons. However, biological and cultural evolution have conferred many brakes on violence and malice and have favored cooperation and even compassion. Now someone might have a justified reason for their actions and consider them as right and still have society telling them that what they have done is bad.

Now an individual thinking their action is justified clearly is not enough to justify their action in the eyes of society A person ’ s perception of themselves can often be at odds of society’s perception of them One extreme example of people who do bad things is a psychopath, in Jon Ronson’s book ‘The Psychopath Test’ He details a twenty-point checklist to determine whether a person is a psychopath On this list is whether someone has a grandiose sense of self-worth ie they believe they are more important than others and so are their views Everyone does bad things, not just psychopaths, but my research shows that when people do bad it is common for them to take the perception that they are in the right

5 main reasons

1 People tend to minimalize their actions by justifying them and not seeing themselves as evil

2.To create q society based on their utopian ideals.

3 Poeople are often driven by excitement, and motivated by the rush of thrill it gives them

4 People can get caught up in group behavior and behave in ways they wouldn’t individually behave

5.doing things based on fear for themselves or others

What is the Biology behind it?

Philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli once suggested that “the times, not men created disorder”. My research lines up with this which suggests that when certain foods become scarce neurotransmitter, serotonin falls, and people are more likely harm others, as it is more pleasurable.

What are neurotransmitters? Neurotransmitters are chemical communicators which carry messages from one nerve to the next. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, which also acts as a hormone It has many functions such as stabilization, memory, sleep etc and contributes to well-being and happiness What happens if your serotonin level is low? Without neurotransmitters your body cannot function. Lack of serotonin can lead to depression, low energy, and negative thoughts

MOTIVATION?

-Having a history of abuse can make some people change their perception of victims and, harm or kill their abuser

-Others do bad things on the sole purpose to gain a sense of control or remain invisible

-Intrinsic motivation represents being motivated by internal rewards

. -Extrinsic motivation represents being motivated by external rewards like money or praise

-Attitude motivation refers to the desire to change the way you or other people think and feel. -incentive motivation, is motivated by a reward.

-Fear motivation in most cases uses consequences to drive people into action

-Power motivation, people are often motivated to increase their overall life-options and control the environment around them.

-Peer pressure, feeling pressured into doing something by the people around you

-Often, internal force beyond explanation drive people into doing things Your actions are motivated by deep physiological feelings that are primal and cannot be ignored and are both internal and outside of our control Consider Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs All humans are motivated starting with basic needs such as shelter and food, as well as higher-level psychological needs and selffulfilment. These needs are innate in all of us, and we are internallymotivated to achieve them at all costs.

To read more look into the references listed below:

-www psychologytoday com

-www greatergood berkeley edu

-www ucl ac uk

-www apa org

-www bbc comwww themindgym com

-The psychopath test Jon Ronson -GPT-4 -https://evantarver com/types-of-motivation/

HOW DISABILITIES AFFECT PEOPLE’S LIVES? (AND A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THEM) DIYANNA PANHER - YEAR 8

A Motor (also known as a Physical) disability is different to other disabilities and is to do with movement and coordination Unlike hidden disabilities, such as learning disabilities, you are most likely able to tell that someone has a physical disability by looking at them, as their condition may affect their muscles and bodies in a physical way that either has an outward appearance of looking different to what you might expect someone to look like, or be made prevalent by an action that the person with the motor disability is doing, such as walking. Motor disabilities can have two parts as the brain can also be affected This means that physical disabilities can also be partly mental because the brain is not coordinating with its own body which causes the disability to form The cause of the brain not coordinating with the body is not always due to a defect in development or due to the birth of the baby; but sometimes injuries to the brain will cause a disability. According to a study published in PLOS ONE, ‘the most common cause of severe motor disabilities with loss of independence in western societies, are acquired brain injuries (vascular or traumatic) and spinal cord injuries (both traumatic and non-traumatic).

Not everyone with the same condition has the disability to the same extent as there can be different levels of the condition that people can fall into Some disabilities are not as severe as others; whereas some conditions will be so severe it is hard to even move Those conditions where it is extremely hard to move people will be aided by wheelchairs, carers, walking sticks etc Most disabilities are permanent and have no cure such as:

Paraplegia, which is a loss in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities In other words, they are paralysed from the waist down, which includes their legs and feet Currently there is no cure for this condition, except from sometimes the patient may opt for a prosthetic

Dystrophy, which is a group of disorders that involves the progressive loss of muscle mass and loss of muscle strength As the condition worsens, it makes movement increasingly difficult. In some cases, the condition can impact breathing and heart function making the disability life threatening There is no cure for this

Along with having to deal with the disability, the pains and their overall health, there are other factors that people with a disability must deal with, such as:

Discrimination/bullying against them because they look different

Unemployment as some people don’t want their company to employ disabled people as they think it is embarrassing and will affect their customers and representation.

Missing out on certain things because they are unable to physically do it or have trouble getting into places

Judging from the public everywhere they go there are people staring, judging or laughing at them

A great study I found to read about what disabled people must encounter in their dayto-day life is: Exploring the everyday lives of disabled people - GOV UK (www gov uk)

It is incredibly interesting and shows a study of 12 people being asked different questions about their lives, all of them different to one another Some are women, men, have hidden disabilities, physical disabilities, different ages, different religions and all from different backgrounds It really helps to understand what everyone is going through as well as what different people worry about E g , what a normal person is thinking and worrying about in comparison to a disabled person. Personally, I think that this article is worth looking over if you have the time, and I know I found it quite interesting to read

When disabled people are discriminated against, it can make a big difference to their lives and is not just a small thing that should be tolerated This is shown in a recent study performed by the DHDS (Disability and Health Data System) which found that adults with disabilities report experiencing more mental distress than those without disabilities In 2018, an estimated 17 4 million (32 9%) adults with disabilities experienced frequent mental distress, defined as 14 or more reported mentally unhealthy days in the past 30 days Frequent mental distress is associated with poor health behaviours, increased use of health services, mental disorders, chronic disease, and limitations in daily life.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, isolation, disconnect, disrupted routines, and diminished health services have greatly impacted the lives and mental well-being of people with disabilities

Cerebral Palsy

I will now be focusing on a motor disability called Cerebral Palsy Some of the facts and information I include will not just be secondary research but also primary as I have conducted an interview with some sufferers

As a little background, Cerebral Palsy is the name for a group of lifelong conditions that affect movement and co-ordination It's caused by a problem with the brain that develops before, during or soon after birth. The symptoms of cerebral palsy are not usually obvious just after a baby is born They normally become noticeable from an early age

Symptoms can include:

Delay in reaching development milestones, e.g., not sitting by 8 months or not walking by 18 months

Seeming too stiff or floppy

Weak arms or legs

Fidgety, jerky or clumsy movements

Random uncontrolled movements

Walking on tiptoes

Those are usually just the normal or somewhat normal ones, but the severity of the symptoms can vary and in severe cases one of the symptoms will be finding it hard to swallow, talk, learn and sometimes have vision problems; but is not always the case as some people only have minor problems, whilst others may be severely disabled. According to the Centres for Disease Control & Prevention, (CDC) around 1 in every 345 children in the US have cerebral palsy

Cerebral Palsy is an incurable, lifelong condition, but treatments are available to help people with the condition be as active and independent as possible Children and adults with the condition are cared for by a team of healthcare professionals, including physiotherapists Physiotherapy is one of the most important treatments for cerebral palsy It involves exercises and stretching to help maintain and improve movement; increase strength in muscles to stop them getting weak; stop muscles shortening and losing their range of movement (this can be painful and affect how the bones and muscles grow) The frequency of going to a physiotherapist depends on the severity of the condition, but most patients with CP go around once every six months and carry out the exercises and stretches at home every day

If the condition is severe, they also might be advised to go to speech therapy to help with speech, communication and swallowing difficulties They also might be advised to go to occupational therapy, where a therapist identifies problems that people have doing everyday task and suggests ways to make it easier In some cases, surgery to treat movement or growth problems is needed to help improve the lives of someone with a disability. But obviously there is always medication you can take which will be prescribed to you by your doctor with the aim of either reducing the pain felt in the day-to-day life of the patient or help to relax the muscles to alleviate the strain and reduce the effects of the disability.

Effects on family life

Having Cerebral Palsy and other disabilities doesn’t just affect the person with the disability, but also the people around them such as their family and friends. It can be “incredibly hard to see they when they’re in pain ” for parents and relatives; and can put strain on familial relationships, as the constant stress of doctor's appointments and ensuring the mental and physical wellbeing of the person with the disability can be an extremely taxing job for anyone; especially if the responsibility falls on parents that have multiple different children and responsibilities to oversee and look after. There are many different aspects to which a disability can have an effect on familial life, including during outings and family trips It can be difficult for everyone to juggle the needs of the disabled person, and any other members and children of the family. It can be extremely difficult to have to prioritise certain needs in comparison to any other siblings; however, it could be very harmful and painful for the person with the disability if they are not taken care of as a priority and with needs and accommodations in mind. As well as this, the bullying and discrimination can have a multitude of effects on family, as well as the person themselves as the person with the disability could develop feelings such as anger and resentment towards themselves and others who are being discriminative This could lead to some tensions within the household as the other members feel affected by how people treat their own family, and they could feel great remorse and pain for their loved one as this is a stressful time for everyone The family could try very hard to console their loved one, but sometimes mental health conditions can arise and cause more strain on the family as people want to all help but may be left feeling quite helpless

Overall, there are always many ways in which family lifestyles could have to be adapted and changed to suit the needs of other family members who are suffering from Cerebral Palsy, and this stress and tension can be alleviated in many different ways. However, they still may not reduce the pressures of living with someone who may have additional needs and prioritising, as these stresses will most likely become a part of the everyday functioning family life; and soon demonstrate the care and considerations of each family member Whilst it may be hard to think about always having someone else’s needs in the forefront of your mind, this is the stark reality for millions all over the world whose families are impacted daily with worry and care for someone who may be struggling due to their physical or emotional needs This adaptability of family relationships may initially seem very difficult, but certainly not impossible for people who have the genuine want to care for their families All of this information of people's lives may seem like a lot, but it is the reality for so many people out there who have a lot of factors to consider into their lives.

Hopefully this gave you an insight on how the lives of disabled people can be very difficult to manage for themselves and others, as they may be at risk for certain other mental conditions, and also be in a degree of pain when performing daily activities that most people wouldn’t think twice about It is important to understand that every lead complex lives, and that it is never acceptable to judge or criticise anyone without knowing their whole story, as many people are living with conditions and others in their mind

Websites

Google, Gov uk

SUNAK ABOLISHES A LEVELS RUHANI JOHAL - YEAR 7

Recently, Rishi Sunak has claimed that when students leave school, they leave with the wrong education The education they leave with will not prepare them for adulthood and it wastes the time they are in the classroom learning. Because of this, on the 4th of October 2023, Rishi Sunak introduced to the country, ‘The Advanced British Standard’, also known as the ABS

‘The Advanced British Standard’ is a mix of A level and T levels, for a single qualification Students will be expected to take at least 5 subjects for the ABS, which will be a mixture of minor and major subjects, e g you could do 3 major subjects and 2 minor subjects, the minor being less important For instance, if you wanted to become a doctor, you would either do Chemistry, Biology or Maths, for your major. On the other hand, your minors would be Music, Physics or English

Rishi Sunak hopes to prepare students for the job they are taking on with the Advanced British Standard. To help reduce the time wasted in school, students will take both English and Maths for another 2 years (16-18), even if they struggle with these subjects Even though it seems the PM has planned it all out quite well, he still doesn’t know how it will be graded.

Furthermore, it is estimated to begin the programme in a decade, which means that children starting primary school this year, will be the first cohort to take the ABS The reason why it will not begin for a while is that there is still a lot of planning to be done

Based on an independent survey, students aged 16-18 think that because you take more subjects in the ABS, they will have to do extra work and it will increase their workload and stress. ‘The system has been working well all these years, why does it need to change?’ says a current sixth former, along with ‘I think it will help with knowledge, but not adulthood.’

So, what do you think about the ABS? I would love to hear your views and opinions

By Ruhani Johal, Year 7

AMERICA’S HISTORY WITH BOOK BANNING SALMA AZHAR - YEAR 9

The history of book banning in the US is like a jigsaw puzzle with many different parts Despite America's love of freedom, books have oftenbeen banned Leaders disliked ideas that were disruptive, evenback in the colonial era, when America had barelybegun Therefore, books that were overly curious or went against religious views were denied As time went on, strange laws and concerns about what was appropriate to read led to the ban of books like "Ulysses" by James Joyce and "Lady Chatterley's Lover" by D H Lawrence This led to heated debates about whether or not people shouldbe free to say whatever they want Then, as fears of Communist views grew during the Cold War, more books were banned. These were books that discussed communism or socialism. Furthermore, some said that books advocating for racial equality, such as "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," weren't appropriate for certain readers even during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s The need to fight to be able say what you want and do what others considers right has always existed throughout time, even though it has taken many different forms throughout American history

Now even in the 21st century, books are still being banned despite the fact that society had been given more equality. Most books being banned now in the US are because of controversial theories and possibly other things relating to racism or the LGBT+ community. According to PEN America, from July to December 2022 over 1477 books were challenged; those with racial inequality or LGBT+ themes or even classics such as ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘Moby Dick’.Even though there are still lots of books that haven’t YET been banned It is still not right to censor things that raise awareness or question popular ideas.

America’s history with banning books is a long line of books that have challenged different ideologies or even said something that could have been considered as “offensive” However, even though America has a deep history of banning books throughout time It doesn’t mean that it is right

LAW AND THE JUSTICE SYSTEM SHOULD THE DEATH PENALTY EXIST?

ANAYA SANDHU & NUHA HUSSAIN - YEAR 10

In this article we will be exploring if the death penalty should be a punishment. The death penalty is one of the most awful punishments laid upon some of the nastiest convicted offenders This punishment is when offenders are killed due to the crime they have committed The death penalty is still practised in 55 countries around the world, some countries that still carry out the death penalty are China, Iran, Saudia Arabia and Singapore, where leaders of these countries believe it is a way of deterring other criminals from committing the same atrocious acts However, France, Netherlands and Australia have abolished the death penalty as leaders of these countries believe it is inhumane and cruel

Some people believe that the death penalty should still be practised today, for reasons such as people believe that this punishment deters other people from committing the same or similar crimes, this is because they are fearful of the consequences and the outcome of their actions. The death penalty creates a sense of horror and humiliation which effectively makes people who are thinking of murdering or ever feel the need to murder change their decisions as they know what will ultimately happen to them. It is hoped by society that the death penalty will reduce crime rate in the country and make society as safe as possible because people have to really consider what the outcome will be, if they commit the actions they are thinking about Another reason why people still believe that the death penalty is effective is because of retribution. Some people believe that it is only fair to accept the consequences of your actions, and people believe that the death penalty is the way to do this. People who have lost their loved ones or close relatives are able to live in peace knowing the person who murdered or committed a similar crime towards another person is going to have to deal with the outcome. Most victims’ families who have been involved in a murder case usually believe that the death penalty is a reasonable punishment because they believe that the crime that has been committed needs to be dealt with correctly, which in this case the victims’ families believe it should be the death penalty. One other reason for why some people may feel as though the death penalty needs to be a punishment is because of the cost It is less costly for the governments around the world to execute killers rather than housing and feeding them in prison, meaning in prison the convicts need three meals a day which is pricey for the amount of people in the jail

Prisons are usually quite full with all the offenders, and it makes it easier for prisons, if housing isn’t a problem, so giving convicts the death penalty allows them to take the consequences of their actions and it makes the prisons less full and so therefore, they don’t lose as much money. Convicts can also cause problems in the jails as they can be violent and dangerous towards other offenders, eliminating them from the prisons allows other inmates to be more safe and secure because it protects them from getting hurt. The final reason why people may be in support of the death penalty is because people cannot commit any further crimes after the execution. People believe that this makes our societies safer, the death penalty removes convicted killers from the areas we live in and in a way make our communities safer to be in.

There are also many arguments against the death penalty. Some of the most obvious being that it is 'the ultimate denial of human rights', as said by Amnesty, aglobal movement group trying to end the abuse of human rights. The death penalty is in no way a just punishment, and to add to the idea that it is unfair, it can often be used in inequitable justice systems, used as a tool for discrimination. Racism takes place in the justice system and in the US, whereexecutions have been carried out exclusively for murder, '75 percent of the cases involve the murder of white victims, even though about half of all homicide victims in America are black ' This suggests that the punishment given to those is not equal, even if the crime has the same brutality

However, another problem with the death penalty is that it doesn't deter crime

According to Al Jazeera, the number of known death sentences also increased from 1,477 in 2020 to at least 2,052 in 2021 – an increase of nearly 40 percent. This proves that the death penalty is a punishment that does nothing to prevent serious crime, and that capital punishment is not the way to move the justice system forward It shows how society is being held back by the death penalty as retribution is also morally wrong, and having the death penalty in place only means humans continue to cause pain to each other, normalising brutality in a modern world where we should treat everyone with kindness.

Seeing capital punishment through the eyes of logic, it is an expensive procedure that does not always work easily According to Amnesty, the US state of California alone has spent $137 million per year on carrying out the death penalty. The financial benefit of removing the death penalty would be noticeable, as there would be a lot less money going into punishment for serious crimes. Capital punishment also means that the offender does not take responsibility for their actions, and in fact death may be easier for them than facing years in prison or dealing with the consequences of their actions. It allows defendants to ignore their responsibility, and some may even think the death penalty is an ‘ easy way out’.

The process of carrying out capital punishment is also cruel and inhumane. Lethal injection is the most widely used method of execution in the United States and on NPR, Vice Chancellor of Human Health Sciences and CEO for UC Davis Health, DavidLubarsky said -"It's like a burning cocktail coursing through your veins,"in reference to potassium chloride "Once it reaches the heart, it stops the heart, and you die But in the process, there is a period of just intense and searing pain " There have also been many instances of botched injections, where offenders have been in pain for several hours, due to many possible things Not only have states with the death penalty struggled to acquireexecution drugs under a globalboycottby drug companies, but they have also found it hard to contract skilled medical practitioners to administer the IV lines Both theAmerican Medical Associationand theAmerican Board of Anaesthesiologyprohibit their members participating in executions. As a way around these hurdles, many states have wrapped themselves in aveil of secrecyto avoid public scrutiny In Alabama, the members of the execution team are kept strictly anonymous.

Ultimately, the death penalty is a punishment that has many pros and cons, and it is something that many people have different opinions on Everyone deserves to have a fair trial whether innocent or guilty.

DID MICHELLE OBAMA HAVE A GREATER INFLUENCE THAN HER HUSBAND, THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE USA? SIMRAN

RIHAL - YEAR 11

Early life

Both Michelle and Barack Obama went to Harvard University and were taught by the same law professor, Charles Ogletree In an interview, he said “Obama’s wife should have been president. He was great, too, but she was better,” Ogletree said. “She could easily be president, but I don’t think she will ” So academically, this shows that Michelle was more advanced and well-rounded compared to Barack Obama. She was his equal and more. As a person, Michelle Obama was very popular, and statistics show that she was able to maintain high favourable evaluations through a period of political and social unrest. As First Lady, Obama served as a role model for women and worked as an advocate for poverty awareness, education, nutrition, physical activity, and healthy eating.

Education

Michelle Obama attended public secondary schools and from a very early stage, was moved to the ‘gifted’ class This was indicative of her amazing academic abilities Shortly after this, she attended Princeton University and whilst massively thriving and succeeding when studying and carrying out research, Michelle Obama still felt out of place Given her strong, resilient and ambitious character, I believe this is when Obama found her confidence and inspiration to speak about her concerns. These traits can still be seen in her today and also throughout her time as the First Lady

According to the couple's 2006 income tax return, Michelle Obama’s salary was $273,618 from the University of Chicago Hospitals, while her husband had a salary of $157,082 from the United States Senate The Obamas' total income was $991,296, which included $51,200 she earned as a member of the board of directors of TreeHouse Foods, and investments and royalties from his books This shows how even before Barack Obama’s presidency, Michelle was already a dominant and influential figure, even when the couple weren’t as well known

The First Lady

During her time as the First Lady of the USA, Michelle Obama became increasingly influential through her husband’s presidential campaigns, however mainly through her various initiatives and stances on big topics such as gender equality, race, education, obesity and so much more.

The four main initiatives implemented by Michelle Obama were:

Let’s Move! - bringing together community leaders, educators, medical professionals, parents, and others in a nationwide effort to address the challenge of childhood obesity.

Mrs Obama and Dr Jill Biden came together to launch Joining Forces, a nationwide initiative calling all Americans to rally around service members, veterans, and their families and support them through wellness, education, and employment opportunities.

The Reach Higher Initiative, an effort to inspire young people across America to take charge of their future by completing their education past high school, whether at a professional training program, a community college, or a four-year college or university.

Both Michelle and Barack Obama launched Let Girls Learn, a U S government-wide initiative to help girls around the world go to school and stay in school.

Alongside her increasingly popularity as a public figure and great personality, Michelle Obama was also statistically incredibly admirable An Obama senior campaign official said she was "the most popular political figure in America”. This is an interesting statement, given that her husband was the most important political figure in America

Following the end of Barack Obama’s presidency, Michelle Obama continued to be a strong voice for the big dilemmas around gender disparities. She advocated for many issues (including nutrition in school lunches, obesity in children, gender equality etc), by attending numerous conferences and by speaking at well-known events.

Michelle Obama is a passionate and outspoken person who has campaigned vociferously for the improvement of everyone ’ s lives According to the facts and statistics that I have accounted in this article, I have come to the conclusion that Michelle Obama was much more influential than Barack Obama (her husband and the former president of the USA), as a person, a personality and also as a public and political figure. She has not only created a lasting legacy, but continues to do so by her ongoing wide-reaching projects that will benefit the USA’s children of today and citizens of tomorrow.

References:

https://time.com/4669078/michelle-barack-obama-law-harvard/

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/politics-and-gender/article/abs/why-welove-michelle-understanding-public-support-for-first-lady-michelleobama/57C8EF0EACC0DC2B80F0CD5A2446CB9D

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle Obama#:~:text=As%20first%20lady%2C%20Ob ama%20served,to%20serve%20as%20first%20lady

https://en wikipedia org/wiki/Michelle Obama#Early life and ancestry

WHEN DID INVASIVE GREY SQUIRRELS BECOME SUCH AN ISSUE IN THE UK?

EMILIA WALLWORK

As most people living in Britain have noticed the number of grey squirrels have been rapidly increasing over the years. In addition to this you may also have found that less of your bird feed is being consumed by birds, more of your berry and nuts are disappearing from your vegetable patch and there are more and more holes appearing in your lawn. The majority of these problems are caused by the one and only grey squirrel which actually originates from North America and was first introduced into Britain in 1876 in Hanbury Park, Cheshire Although there were thought to be other introductions as early as the 1820s

How did their numbers get out of control so fast?

Grey squirrels started getting out of control around the 1930s and when this was recognised it became illegal to release one into the wild So how did their numbers get out of control so quickly when there were only a handful that were introduced? Well, if you have heard of the grey squirrel, it is likely you would have heard of the red squirrel too, and as a matter of a fact red squirrels play into this too. As many people know red squirrels have become quite rare in the UK and this is because they were outrun by grey squirrels due to the red squirrel being much smaller than the average grey squirrel. And the reality is that they would both be competing for the same food and at the time there just wasn’t enough food to go round so someone had to back off .Due to the quite evident size difference, it’s only a matter of time before the red squirrel slowly disappears from this country all together.

Are grey squirrels affected by any diseases or are they carriers of any that could affect the red squirrels?

Grey squirrels are carriers of Squirrel pox which unfortunately has the ability to kill a red squirrel However, this disease has no known lasting effect on the grey squirrels therefore leaving them more likely to overrun the red squirrel

What dangers do grey squirrels encounter due to the fact that they are not very susceptible to many diseases?

One of the many dangers to grey squirrels are other species that prey on smaller animals like themselves such as foxes, birds of prey and pine martens. Fortunately for the red squirrels, these threats help keep the very large and increasing number of grey squirrels down just enough. But these threats also target the red squirrel therefore making it into a positive and a negative

Why were grey squirrels introduced in the first place?

Grey squirrels were firstly introduced from North America in 1876 as an ornamental species to populate the grounds of stately homes They were also brought to the UK as a curiosity for collectors ,animal lovers and wealthy landowners. After around 30 separate introductions it became illegal to release a grey squirrel in 1930 due to the damage they were causing.

So when did grey squirrels become such an issue in the uk?

To sum up everything that has previously been stated, grey squirrels became an issue in the UK around the 1930 when it became illegal to release one into the wild. This was because they were causing too much damage and overruling the native red squirrel

Information sources

Google

The Guardian newspaper

HOW HAS COVID AFFECTED SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM? CAYELIN BORNMAN - YEAR 8

South Africa is an attractive tourist destination for foreign travellers from around the world. The country ranks as the most popular country for tourists in the African continent. In the world, it ranks 27th when it comes to visitor arrivals Its top attractions are its spectacular wildlife and its unique cultural experiences, where tourists see the traditions, history and the way of life of communities in vibrant, busy cities such as Cape Town and Soweto

Between 2000 and 2018 the number of tourists climbed from around 490,000 to nearly 6 million. However, COVID affected this hugely; In 2019, over 10 million tourists arrived in South Africa According to statistics, in December 2020 foreign arrivals decreased by 82%, from 1.5 million in December 2019 to about 280,000 in December 2020. In 2021, the number of tourists fell to just over 2 million throughout the entire year The number went back up to around 5.6 million tourists in 2022.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was estimated that South Africa’s wealth shrunk by 2 3% As a result of the lockdown continuing up to mid-June 2020, the economy shrunk by 7%. This was the biggest annual fall that the country had seen since 1946. For some perspectives, the second biggest fall was recorded in 1992 when the economy decreased by 2.1%.

Clearly, tourism which are crucial for employment, experienced significant losses. With travel restrictions, closures of businesses, and a decline in consumers spending money, many companies had to reduce their staff or shut down completely.

South Africa has a large informal industry, where many people rely on day-to-day earnings such as tips. The lockdowns limited opportunities for informal workers, resulting in income losses and increased vulnerability.

Due to schools closing, young people couldn’t get a job as they had a lack of education. Young people were more impacted by the school closures and internships became limited.

The shift to remote work, was challenging for some people, as they couldn’t afford houses or Wi-Fi Many jobs, such as mining required physical presence, therefore it was impossible to work from home so they would get unemployed

Many businesses didn’t have enough money due to reduced demand, supply chain disruptions, with pandemic-related safety measures. This strain forced some companies to close, contributing to job losses.

CONCLUSION

In summary, COVID dramatically impacted the well-being of many South African and the overall South Africa economy.

from google

Information

WHY IS LONDON A POPULAR DESTINATION? RUBY RUSH -

YEAR 10

London like most places has its pros and its cons London is a very touristy destination and has some of the most famous landmarks here. This attracts many people to come here as a holiday Whilst attracting many people to our city is great news, there are also some bad things about this such as the amount of pollution this then causes. London has just been ranked in October 2022 as the 18th most populated city in the world out of 4416. Pollution is causes us to have poor air quality meaning that more people in Lindon re breathing in all of this bad air without realising and actually doing serious harm to their health.

The poor air quality in London is causing people to get sick and die. People have started to try to improve this, but with constant new tourists, it’s never going to go away They have created ULEZ zones trying to stop the number of cars coming in by making the prices so high so that people might think its cheaper to get the train and take that instead ULEZ zones are also known as ultra-low emission zones They have also got in central London the congestion charge which is £15 daily and the ULEZ zones are £12 50 even if you are just driving through it This is helping the pollution, but it doesn’t always work If your car is a hybrid, but has a big diesel engine, it will still let the car through because it is a hybrid, meaning that it uses a little bit of battery Then came the Elizabeth line

The Elizabeth line was a project approved in 2007 named ‘ cross rails’ and began construction in 2009 This first allowed passengers on in May 2022 It stetches 100km from Reading and Heathrow to Shenfield and Abbey Wood. This let out a huge amount of greenhouse gases whilst under construction meaning that this then caused more pollution, but they thought that in the long term it would actually cause less pollution because it could get you to and from work in under 30 minutes and you could get this line from almost anywhere with a much cheaper fee than the congestion charge or the ULEZ charge Everybody has their own opinion on the cross rails just like most things

There are some major disadvantages to the cross rails such as the constant shaking it causes above the ground. This is from the speed that the trains go through makes the ground above shake which could potentially cause buildings to collapse and could really disrupt people above ground.

Anybody who lives around here also is going to get a lot of noise coming from the Elizabeth line and this could potentially cause people to move out If your house is within the congestion charge range, you are paying just to get to your house making things very expensive and also possibly making it hard to sell your house to somebody else, and therefore potentially leaving some people homeless

London is known for many different things good and bad and there are some really nice places and some places that you want to avoid, just like most other countries. Many people come to London for shopping From having all the big shops on Oxford Street to designer boutiques, there’s nothing that you can’t find shopping in London. Another main reason that people come to London is because of the stunning architecture and sightseeing. This is because London has some of the most well-known structures such as where the royal family sometimes live, Buckingham palace, St Pauls cathedral, big ben, the tower of London, and so much more. We have some of the most historical places that people want to see in London and on the borders

https://en wikipedia org/wiki/Elizabeth line

WHAT ARE PENGUINS AND WHY DO WE NEED THEM?

AMRIT MICHHIANA - YEAR 8

Why do we need penguins to exist in the world? There is no explanation to this question, you do not need to have them, but there are many reasons why we would want to keep them alive Penguins, the flightless birds of the Southern Hemisphere, have captured the hearts of humans from all around the world with their charming waddle and distinctive colours These incredibly adorable creatures showcase extraordinary adaptions for life in some of the harshest environments on Earth There are approximately 18 species of penguin – 10 of them being endangered – each of them being uniquely adapted to its environment. Common ones that you might have heard of being Emperor penguins, Chinstrap penguins, Macaroni penguins, African penguins, Adelie penguins, Galapagos penguins, Gentoo penguins and many more

Penguins are excellent swimmers, thanks to their streamlined bodies and flipper-like wings Their feathers are densely packed, providing insulation against the cold and their black and white colours can be effective when trying to camouflage against predators in the water The average penguin can swim up to 7 miles per hour, some can swim underwater at speeds of up to 15-25 mph, this is four times faster than the fastest human swimmer Penguins spend a lot of time in the water, some penguins spend 75% of their lives in the water. Like other birds, penguins do lay eggs and they raise their chicks on land They swim about as fast as the bottlenose dolphins that many people have seen streaking around pools at oceanariums. They have webbed feet for powerful swimming, their bodies can reduce drag in water

Adelie Penguin

Emperor Penguin Macaroni Penguin

Penguins are carnivores and normally feed on fish, krill and squid They are skilled hunters and are known for their efficient diving abilities They can dive to considerable depths to catch their prey, with some species reaching depths of several hundred meters The specific diet of a penguin species often depends on their location, seasonal changes and the availability of prey in their environment. They usually go hunting at daytime and and nighttime but during breeding season the time of hunting may change Parent penguins may take turns leaving the nest to look for food to bring back to the chicks The frequency of hunting trips can be influenced by how much the chicks need.

The lifespan of a penguin may vary depending on its species, but many can live for a few decades, up to 20 years The oldest penguin that has lived was a 46-year-old King penguin called Oma which translates to grandma in English, she was a resident of Wuppertal Zoo in Germany. Emperor penguins can live for 15-20 years however blue penguins only live for up to 6 years Penguins are highly social animals, forming large colonies for breeding and protection, the elaborate rituals and responsibilities are fascinating aspect of their social structure Penguins may swim and feed in groups, but some may be solitary when diving for food. Emperor penguins have been observed feeding in groups with coordinated diving. In big groups, penguins have several names, they can be called a colony, a rookery or a huddle regardless of their location On the water, a group of penguins is called a raft Penguins love to huddle together in cold and windy conditions, this lets them share their warmth and conserve energy.

African Penguin

Chinstrap Penguin

Penguins face many threats, including climate change, pollution, overfishing and habitat destruction all around the world Seasonal melting and dissipating ice along with changing currents and weather patterns are affecting the Southern Ocean wildlife. Ice is crucial in the breeding process for several species and also provides a space for penguins to rest and avoid predators during long trips The loss of sea ice along the Antarctic is contributing to reductions for Antarctic Krill – a favourite food for many penguin species When a lot of people fish in the same area where penguins hunt, it becomes harder for the penguins to find enough food for themselves and their babies. Humans are also held responsible by bringing animals that do not belong there, like dogs and foxes which can harm or even kill penguins In some places, entire groups of penguins have been wiped out because of these non-native predators Additionally, penguins that live in the Galápagos Islands can easily get sick from diseases brought by humans. Tourism can be an issue for them when too many people walk around their homes and leave litter behind Oil spills have also had severe effects on the health of individual colonies as well as their foraging habitats

To help these wonderful creatures not go extinct, contribute of volunteer with organisations that focus on penguins, these groups work on research, habitat protections and much more that you could be helping with If you visit areas where penguins live then try to avoid disturbing nests and keep a respectful difference Learn more about them and the challenges they face to raise awareness in your community. Climate change affects them through rising temperatures, changing sea ice patterns and prey availability. Make sure you dispose of waste properly, especially plastic and attempt to participate in beach clean ups whenever possible Penguins may not be needed in the world, but it wouldn’t hurt to have these fluffy individuals to be a part of your lives They are iconic and hold a cultural significance in many places, featuring in stories, art and everyday things. People see them as tough and able to handle challenges. Taking care of these special birds is like keeping a piece of our natural history that is important for how we see and enjoy the world around us

THE VAQUITA EILLEAH KARIM - YEAR 8

What is a Vaquita

The vaquita is a species of porpoise located at the northern end of the Gulf of California in Baja California, Mexico. Reaching a maximum body length of 150 cm, it is the smallest of all living cetaceans Their scientific name is Phocaea sinus

A Vaquita’s Appearance

The vaquita has a large dark ring around its eyes and dark patches on its lips that form a thin line from the mouth to the pectoral fins Its top the dorsal surface is dark grey, its sides are pale grey, and its underside the ventral surface is white with long, light grey markings New-born vaquitas have darker coloration and a wide grey fringe of colour that runs from the head to the flukes, passing through the dorsal and pectoral fins. They are most often found close to shore in the Gulf's shallow waters, although they quickly swim away, if a boat approaches.

Why is the Vaquita becoming extinct?

Vaquita, the world's rarest marine mammal, is on the edge of extinction The plight of cetaceans whales, dolphins, and porpoises as a whole is exemplified by the rapid decline of the vaquita in Mexico, with about 10 individuals remaining This little porpoise wasn't discovered until 1958 and a little over half a century later, we are on the brink of losing them forever. Vaquita are often caught and drowned in gillnets used by illegal fishing operations in marine protected areas within Mexico's Gulf of California The population has dropped drastically in the last few years.

IWhat has been done to help?

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TO BOOST VAQUITA-SAFE FISHING

In July 2016, President Barack Obama and President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico announced bilateral collaboration measures to protect the vaquita. As a follow-up to this meeting and to the recommendations CIRVA presented in its vaquita report, Mexico's National Institute of Fisheries (INAPESCA) and WWF Mexico established an international committee of experts to further develop and urgently implement vaquita-safe fishing technologies

The committee advises the Mexican government on improving fishing techniques not harmful to vaquita, including those that INAPESCA and WWF Mexico have together developed over the last years

This independent committee is charged with improving existing vaquita-safe fishing technologies (such as the small trawl to catch shrimp and traps and other gear for fish) to substitute gillnets, which are currently banned in vaquita habitat in the Upper Gulf of California, the only place on Earth where the vaquita exists.

SAVING THE LAST OF THE VAQUITAS

WWF has been on red alert ever since the report from the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA) estimated the vaquita population at no more than 10 In the past, WWF has helped study vaquitas and implement protective measures with the Mexican government and local partners.

Based on expert recommendations, WWF has called on the Mexican government to strongly enforce a ban on gillnet fisheries throughout the entire range of the species since September 2014

Information soured by Google and WWF

SHOULD ANYONE BE BLAMED FOR THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC INCIDENT?

ISABEL

BARRETTO - YEAR 7

At precisely 2:20am on the 15 April 1912 the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank in the Atlantic Ocean It was advertised as ‘unsinkable’ so there were not as many lifeboats as there should have been. Many people suffered from the incident, but could it have been prevented?

Captain Edward J Smith was the Titanic’s captain, not steering the ship quickly from the looming iceberg. Historians believe that he had adapted the route so that the passengers got to their destination quicker. It was his ship, and he should have weighed up all the pros and cons of changing the route with the other members of the crew However, Captain Smith did the noble thing of going down with the Titanic when she sank It was his ship, so he should have controlled it, but is it Captain Smith's fault?

In conclusion I believe that although it was extremely terrible, I think no one should be blamed, it is impossible to predict the future; no one knew what was going to happen But the good thing is that we have learnt from this story and manufactures have found new and more stable ways to create ships Lifeboats have been made stronger and laws have been put in place about how many lifeboats should be on a ship.

Bibliography

Eyewitness Titanic book

The computer

ANNE FRANK SIMAR BOLA - YEAR 10

What was Anne Frank's life?

Anne Frank was born in the German city of Frankfurt am Main in 1929 Anne’s sister, Margot was three years older than her. Unemployment was high and poverty was rising in Germany, this was the time period when Adolf Hitler was gaining more power and supporters for the Nazi party. Hitler despised the Jews and blamed them for any minor inconveniences The hatred toward Jews and the poor economic situation made Anne’s parents and their children move to Amsterdam.

After a while, Anne felt right at home in the Netherlands. She learned the language, made new friends and went to a Dutch school near her home Her father, Otto Frank, worked very hard to get his business up and running, but it was very hard. Otto also tried to set up a company in England, but it didn’t go as planned However, things started to get better when he began selling herbs and spices in addition to pectin.

On 1st September 1939, when Anne was only 10 years old, the Nazis invaded Poland and so the second world war began On 10th May 1940 the Nazis also invaded the Netherlands and five days later, the Dutch army surrendered. The Nazis started introducing more and more rules and regulations to make the lives of the Jews even harder. For instance, the Jews could no longer visit parks, cinemas or non-Jewish shops. These rules meant that more and more things were off limits to Anne Her father lost his company, since Jews were no longer allowed to run their own businesses. All Jewish children, including Anne, had to go to separate schools

But the Nazis didn’t stop there Jews had to start wearing a Star of David on their clothes and there were rumours that all Jews had to leave the Netherlands When Margot received a call-up to report for a so-called ‘labour camp ’ in Nazi Germany on 5 July 1942, her parents were suspicious They did not believe the call-up was about work and decided to go into hiding the next day in order to escape persecution

In the spring of 1942, Anne’s father had started furnishing a hiding place. He received help from his former colleagues Before long, they were joined by four more people The hiding place was cramped. Anne had to keep very quiet and was scared.

On her thirteenth birthday, just before they went into hiding, Anne got a diary Whilst in hiding Anne wrote in her diary about events that happened during this time, but also her feelings and thoughts

Anne started rewriting her diary, but before she was done, she and all the other people she was in hiding with were discovered and arrested on the 4 August 1944. The police also arrested two of the helpers To this day, the reason for the police raid has not been discovered. Due to the raid Anne’s writing had been preserved.

Anne, her family and all of the others in the hiding were put on transport to AuschwitzBirkenau concentration and extermination camp The train journey took three days, during which Anne and over a thousand others were packed closely together in cattle wagons There was little food and water and only a barrel for a toilet

In Auschwitz, Nazi doctors checked to see who would and who would not be able to do heavy forced labour Around 350 people from Annes transport were immediately taken to the gas chambers and murdered. Anne, Margot and their mother were sent to the labour camp for women Otto ended up in a camp for men

In November, 1944, Anne was put on transport again, she was deported to the Bergen concentration camp alongside Margot. Their parents stayed behind in Auschwitz. However, the conditions in Bergen were not any better There was not enough food, it was cold, wet and there were contagious diseases. Anne and Margot caught typhus. Sadly, in February 1945 they both died to the effects Margot first, Anne shortly afterwards Anne’s father Otto, was the only one of the people from who hid together to survive the war

https://www annefrank org/en/anne-frank/who-was-anne-frank/

HOW DID THE FALL OF GRENFELL TOWER AFFECT SOCIAL HOUSING? IMOGEN ALDRIDGE - YEAR 10

Grenfell Tower was a tower block of flats in north Kensington, West London. The tower was originally built in 1974 but it underwent significant refurbishment between 2012 and 2016 The council wanted these refurbishments to make sure the building looked nice next to its shiny new complex Grenfell Tower had 24 floors and over 129 flats It was home to 600 people

On the 14th June 2017 a fire started on the 4th floor of Grenfell Tower and grew massively due to the flammable exterior materials The fire was said to have started because of a faulty fridge-freezer The fire started at 00 54am and reached the top floor at about 01 26am, luckily the firefighters were able to put the fire out half and hour later

In the Grenfell Tower fire fifteen on the thirty-seven disabled residents died, and seventeen out of the sixty-seven children. In total the fire killed 72 people. Luckily 200 people managed to escape and survive, but many were injured and burned Having lost their homes, some survivors were placed into temporary accommodation while others were left to sleep in parks or cars because they were not being looked after

The Grenfell Tower fire resulted in reflection of not only the UK’s housing stock but also globally on issues related to social housing and safety standards This was to prevent any similar tragedies from happening in the future. In a a statement about the fire, the Prime Minister said “for too long under government of both colors, we simply haven’t given enough attention to social housing” The government then went on to find out that three quarters of Britain's social housing blocks were potentially unsafe in a fire Over 94% of the 486 buildings that were taller than 18 meters were then found to have the dangerous cladding that was used on Grenfell Tower

After the fire the government has now banned the specific type of cladding that was used in Grenfell Tower which allowed the fire to spread so rapidly.

Five years later from the Grenfell Tower fire and nobody has yet taken responsibility for the fire nor been held accountable by the courts. The building remails covered in a white scaffolding however, victims’ families have created memorials on the barriers around the tower, decorating them with messages and other artwork to honor the victims who were lost in the fire

In summary, the Grenfell Tower fire had a massive effect on various levels as influencing policy changes, public discourse and community engagement Grenfell was seen as an opportunity to address longstanding issues related to housing, saftey and social justice

IS IT WORTH LIVING IN LONDON IN 2023? ISABEL MOSS - YEAR

10

London is one of the most popular cities in the world and attracts millions of visitors and migrants each year With its rich history, cultural diversity, and numerous job opportunities, many people are considering making the move to London in 2023. However, as it’s a big city with a lot of big-city problems, life in London can be truly draining So many people love London, but there are also some who dislike it.Moreover, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons before making such a big decision Hopefully, through this piece of writing I can help you determine if it’s worth making the move in 2023 or in your future life.

Firstly, London has the best restaurants and shops from all around the world. You can get Ethiopian food at Camberwell, Fancy Brazilian cuisine in Kensal Rise and a great kebab in east London! Are you looking for the best vegan food options? Well, you can find this allaround London as it is incredibly diverse with the wide range of food options If it is food that is important to you, then London is the place for you as it holds the world’s best food restaurants, even if they may be a bit pricey! Additionally, London has many job opportunities and offer a wide range of career paths for people with a variety of different interests and skills From new coming technology and finance to the creative industries and hospitality + more! London is additionally the home of the world’s largest companies and most prestigious universities, providing opportunities for both entry and experienced professionals Despite the high cost of living, a lot of people choose to work in London due to the many options of jobs and to potentially create a career out of them Not only is London a great place to find a future career path but also it holds some of the world’s most famous districts and is just overall a beautiful city! Notting Hill is an amazing example of this with its picturesque streets and famous street marks It is a must visit for those looking for a charming neighbourhood and a lively atmosphere! Another amazing aspect London withholds is its easy and cheap travel systems

The tube line is a great way to get to certain places in London quick and fast if you are going to work or just going out with friends! In addition to this the Eurostar train from London to Paris departs from London St Pancras which is an extremely convenient way to travel to Europe. There are also several airports in London including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead, Luton and London city

The best thing about London is that they are all connected via trains, which enables the residents of London to have a quick transportation method when wanting to visit different countries! People may first think London, being a big, crowded city, would have no parks and green spaces, however London is one of the greenest cities in the world 47% of London ground is green space. There are approximately 8 million trees in London! Having green space is great especially if you live in London as it provides clean air and helps reduce global warming by using carbon dioxide. It also creates enjoyment as people love green space as they help keep us healthy You can use these spaces to walk, run, cycle and do any sports of your choice!

However, as great as London is, it also has its disadvantages. One of the main environmental challenges is air pollution This is because the emission from road vehicles and heating systems could cause respiratory issues, especially for people with asthma or any lung issues It also could stunt a child’s growth Air pollution is made worse by the dense road network in London and the tall buildings that trap air between them. In London today, 4,300 people die each year prematurely from the air pollution in the air More people die from pollution than from road and traffic accidents each year. Furthermore, the cost of living is extremely high In 2023, research by Home Views suggests that cost of living is on average over £3,100 per month for a single person Rents are high, travel can be high compared to European cities, and bills soon add up Add that to the increasing everyday living costs and inflation, it makes it an expensive place to live unless you are earning a good salary Additionally, even if you are earning a good salary and are wanting to move here, the housing market is very competitive Not only are offers made above asking price in desirable areas, but there are often several people viewing a property at any one time Another disadvantage is the mass amounts of tourists that visit London every month Whether it’s Buckingham Palace, Oxford Street, Harrods or London Bridge tourists love to visit London You may have even visited London as a tourist yourself It’s a unique city with lots to do, so no wonder you’ll find certain areas packed with people year-round. If you are a new family moving into a big city like London, you may also find it hard to find a good standard of schooling. Many children across London do not get equal exam grades. The schools in the poorest areas score the lowest number of GCSE points per unit Despite the huge wealth found in London, unemployment remains a major issue. London employment rate was just 75 7% in 2022, like the average of 75 6% for the UK The unemployed rate was 5.3% compared with the 4.8% per cent for the UK in 2022.

So, to conclude, London may have its disadvantages, however I personally believe they are not great enough to change my mind to live there London’s advantages outweigh out its disadvantages.

WHY IS PILATES GOOD FOR THE MIND AND BODY?

DAISY THOMSON - YEAR 12

Pilates was first discovered by Joseph Pilates in the 1920’s. Joseph Pilates was a physical trainer and he recognised modern lifestyles and their impacts on balance, posture and overall physical health. Pilates discovered that his new method of exercise led to ‘increased flexibility, strength and overall improved health ’ Pilates also famously quoted ‘You will feel better in 10 sessions, look better in 20 sessions, and have a completely new body in 30 sessions ’

Although Pilates may be looked down upon as not being the most aerobic form of exercise, it still poses its challenges and can leave you feeling puffed out after just 30 minutes of movement Pilates can be an aerobic and non-aerobic form of exercise It requires concentration and focus, because you move your body through precise ranges of motion It requires concentration in finding a centre point to control your body through movement. Each exercise has a prescribed placement, rhythm and breathing pattern In Pilates, your muscles are rarely worked to the point of exhaustion, so there is not always sweating or straining, just intense concentration The workout consists of a variety of exercise sequences that are performed with low weight, usually just bodyweight, but with high repetitions, usually fifteen to twenty times, over a session of 45 to 90 minutes Floor based exercises performed on a mat and specialised equipment for resistance are often used such as reformer machines, which have become more popular in recent times Pilates can also be adapted and merged with other forms of exercise Recently we have seen a rise in HIIT Pilates, Power Pilates, and other non-classical types which of course is not traditional, however, still a great way to integrate Pilates into your regular routine

This ultimately means that Pilates can be beneficial for those at any age Due to the lack of intense and strenuous exercises, you are allowed to go at your own pace. Everybody has their own ranges of motion which can be adapted to each movement This means that Pilates can be extremely beneficial for confidence building in older people, as they are still able to feel active, but in a way that their body allows for safely The aim of Pilates is to go slowly, as that’s where the most control is found. There is a stigma around Pilates that is can be seen as ‘too easy ’ - but I can most definitely say; even the simplest movements, if performed correctly, will still be felt it in your whole body. Pilates is renowned for the infamous ‘Pilates Shakes’ in which even sitting with the right posture and engaging your core can cause your abdominals to quiver!

A study taken by the Malaysian Journal of Movement of Health and Exercise tested the effects of Pilates on mental health They took a group of 51 sedentary females aged 18-25 who were randomly assigned to partaking in a six-week Pilates course; when compared to a control group who did not participate in regular physical activity and found that in the group who took the Pilates course; severity of anxiety, depression, fatigue all decreased and vitality and quality of life increased, leading to the final conclusion that ‘The current Pilates mat exercise protocol contributes to the physical, and psychological well-being of young females in terms of anthropometric features, emotional state, fatigue, and some domains of quality of life.’

Finally, Pilates is believed to aid in healing body image and self confidence in all demographics Pilates teaches students to feel a bodily connection through breathing and mind to muscle connection. Participants are taught to sync their movements to their breathing, using a different breathing technique that is generally the opposite to everyday breathing - using the diaphragm in a way that forces the core and pelvic floor to engage This gives the mind other focusses and also takes the idea of exercise away from being gruelling and tiring. It seems to be a general belief that exercise only ‘counts’ by burning the most calories and being out of breath, but Pilates teaches you that you can feel and see results through connecting to your muscles and lengthening them It creates the goal of achieving strength and flexibility rather than using bodily changes as an incentive This is why Pilates is an excellent choice of movement for young people, potentially struggling with their relationship to exercise and body image

In conclusion, Pilates; as created by Joseph Pilates in the 20’s, is an incredible form of exercise, for those of any age It has been proven to have noticeable effects on physical and mental health and it’s an adaptable form of movement that is able to be done anywhere at anytime with little to no equipment required It’s a great way to get yourself moving and as Pilates once said - ‘You will feel better in 10 sessions, look better in 20 sessions, and have a completely new body in 30 sessions ’ Which I can confirm is most definitely true!

References:

https://www nytimes com/2022/07/22/well/move/pilates-exercise-flexibility html https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29609943/#:~:text=Data%20synthesis%3A%20Pilates%2 0resulted%20in,%3B%20z%20%3D%202 52%2C%20p%20%E2%89%A4 https://journals.lww.com/mjmh/abstract/2018/07020/a six week pilates exercise protoc ol for improving 6 aspx https://www.letsstartpilates.com/blog/how-pilates-can-improve-your-body-imagerelationship-with-exercise

MARTIAL ARTS ZAHRA PATEL - YEAR 11

When I was younger and doing sports in primary school, I wasn’t the type of person that teachers would deem as ‘sporty’. I wasn’t into most of the sports that we would have to do, such as gymnastics, dancing, the boring drill of running around the field for an hour, and I never felt a sense of self confidence in my body or in myself. However, when two external senseis that specialised in Judo came to my school, I learned many things that I will now share with you in this article

The physical benefits

First of all, I would like to begin with saying that I did an interview with my sensei, who teaches me kickboxing, I began by telling him of my lack of self confidence in my body and how he helps people to feel more secure, he replied ‘I don’t make it an issue if somebody is overweight, if they say to me, they feel they are, then I’ll try to help them be body positive and just tell them that how they are is how they are and that they can change it if they want to or they can stay the same ’ In martial arts, you focus primarily on yourself, you’ll not only find that by paying attention to your skillset, you’ll become more skilled in the techniques you have to learn, but also, it’s a brilliant form of cardio, has elements of yoga to help you breathe, uses a wide variety of different activities in warmups in order to help you become stronger in both upper and lower body Recently, I did a 10 by 10 circuit in kickboxing, and everybody, including myself, improved their speed by 10 minutes, which is a huge comparison to when we first did this exercise 6 weeks ago These exercises help us to develop firm, hard, and high kicks, and also helps us to have control of our upper body, both of which are crucial to not just kickboxing, but martial arts in general. My sensei went on to saying that sometimes looks in sports are ‘ overemphasised’ and that people of ‘all shapes, sizes, ages, and genders’ can do martial arts What makes the difference is if you ’ re able to put in the work and take the steps that you need in order to become fitter, stronger, and healthier, which I have found absolutely true. In addition, it helps you unlock skillsets you never knew you possessed, as well as massively improving your cardiovascular health and getting your blood flowing nicely all around you body. In addition to this, it generally improves your overall health, and lowers your blood pressure and heart rate, especially martial arts such as karate, kickboxing and taekwondo, where the exercises are incredibly similar to HIIT workouts.

Mental Health

Martial arts isn’t all just kicking, punching, pinning and throwing. These sports actually encourage deep breathing and mindfulness, which is why doing yoga in your spare time is recommended as it not only can improve your flexibility, but also helps you to remain alert, yet calm, which is incredibly important This helps students to channel their energy, this is called “qi” in martial arts (pronounced “chee”), and this can reduce stress and anxiety, so if you ’ re doing exams and are stressed the night before, instead of cramming information, why not try this?

It also helps you to be able to multi-task because you ’ re alert and are able to focus In addition, you may hear from those who have done martial arts that it’s a very humbling experience Yes, you learn the importance of self-esteem and confidence, but you also need to know that martial arts is about balance and finding the resilience to not stop and say, “I’m already good at this”, but actually just to ask yourself “How can I improve?” In my interview with my sensei, he actually said that martial arts “is a lot about selfdiscipline and it’s a lot about self-reflection” It’s incredibly therapeutic because you don’t have to worry about anyone else, and everyone who’s a higher grade than you is there to support you and help you, which in turn helps them as it means that they understand what they are doing, so they are learning by teaching. Martial arts is like anything you are learning, you have to empty out your cup of knowledge and assume that you don’t know anything because you ’ re not the expert and your sensei will be the one to fill that cup up again with knowledge you may not have even known before

Martial arts means a lot to me, as you can see from this article, however, I hope I have convinced at least some of you why you should do a martial art. You can go at your own pace, learn self-defense and improve both your physical and mental wellbeing, it’s also just an incredibly great place for learning, everyone ’ s supportive, and your main focus is to make sure that you can reach your personal best!

By Zahra Patel

WHAT ARE THE UNDERLYING BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA? SOPHIA SIDDIQUE - YEAR 12

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental health disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves that often manifests during late adolescence and early adulthood

The symptoms can be categorized into three main groups: positive, negative and cognitive symptoms. Positive symptoms include hallucinations and delusions, for example, auditory hallucinations where the person hears voices that are not there, and they can be anything from commanding and critical to conversational. Negative symptoms can be affective flattening and social withdrawal, where the person expresses less emotion both physically and verbally and has difficulty making and maintaining relationships Cognitive symptoms like memory impairment and executional dysfunction make the schizophrenic person struggle to remember and use information as well as making decisions and planning

Diathesis – stress model

The diathesis – stress model is based on the interactionist approach where it is believed that both biological and environmental factors are the cause of Schizophrenia. Diathesis meaning vulnerability and stress meaning negative psychological experiences

The original model of the diathesis – stress model was that there was one particular gene that correlated with schizophrenia and if it was not present in someone that you would not develop schizophrenia It was thought that the stress part of the model was caused by severe trauma (eg childhood trauma) and if it is before 16 years of age, the person is three times as likely of developing schizophrenia later in life They also suggested that level of trauma was linked to severity of symptoms The modern view now understands that many genes increase the genetic vulnerability of someone and that psychological trauma from young ages can cause damage to brain development which is a biological risk factor. It is not only psychological but also environmental factors that can affect people For example, cannabis use can increase the risk seven times according to the dose and as we know cannabis affects dopamine production which is also linked to schizophrenia Not only this, but also it takes into account the additive nature of schizophrenia meaning that if you have a low vulnerability but a highly stressful event, it can lead to schizophrenia and vice versa

Evidence

genetic and environmental factors contributes to schizophrenia

Joseph (2004) gathered the data for schizophrenia studies that had be conducted before 2001 to create a meta-analysis He found that a monozygotic twin had an average concordance rate of 40 4% whereas dizygotic twins have a concordance rate of 7 4% which highlights the genetic (biological factor) influence on schizophrenia However, among identical twins only 60% have only one twin diagnosed, whereas the other twin does not mean the diagnostic criteria. This indicates that environmental factors must play a part in the stimulation of schizophrenia supporting the diathesis – stress model which take the interactionist approach in which it says both biological and environmental factors contribute to the development of schizophrenia

In one study published by Tienari et al (2004) investigators conducted a natural experiment with offspring of schizophrenic patients. Of the 303 adoptees examined, 145 adoptees had a biological mothers with schizophrenia and a further 158 adoptees were in a low risk group with no biological link to schizophrenia. The adoptees from both groups were assessed after a twelve year interval and again after twenty one years using the Oulu Family Rating Scale. The psychiatrists were kept blind while assessing the adoptees and families The paper from Tienari et al (2004) found that 14 adoptees developed schizophrenia through the duration of the study and 11 adoptees were from the high risk group and 3 adoptees were from the low risk group The conclusion reached was that family stress was a significant predictor of the development of schizophrenia. Although Tienari et al (2004) research shows great finding, there are limitations The research was based on only two points that had been assessed not reflecting the developmental changes in the families over time and it is not clear how much stress is caused by the family environment or if it by other surroundings.

Limitations

Although we understand a lot more about what factors can lead to schizophrenia, we do not know the root cause and the mechanics of how the biological and environmental factors interact in a person's body to trigger schizophrenia

Bibliography

Wahbeh, M H and Avramopoulos, D (2021a) Gene-environment interactions in schizophrenia: A literature review, Genes Available at: https://www ncbi nlm nih gov/pmc/articles/PMC8702084/ (Accessed: 25 October 2023)

(No date) NHS choices Available at: https://www nhs uk/mentalhealth/conditions/schizophrenia/causes/#:~:text=Schizophrenia%20tends%20to%20run%20in,mean%20you’ll %20develop%20schizophrenia. (Accessed: 25 October 2023).

(No date) Login - st mary ’ s school Available at: https://stmarysgx fireflycloud net/psychology/year-13/topic-3schizophrenia/lesson-11-interactionist-approach (Accessed: 2 November 2023)

WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR BODY IF WE DO NOT GET ENOUGH EXERCISE? HANIA MAGEED - YEAR 10

What is physical health?

Our physical health is the ultimate state of our physical body and how well it operates it involves the typical functions of the body. A person ’ s physical health can vary depending on the individual and their circumstances Physical health is based around how our body grows, feels and moves, how you care for it, and what you put into it. However genetic factors and medical conditions contribute to our physical health in both negative and positive ways. One of the most important things to include in our daily routine is exercise and or some sort of movement, this is because it helps maintain our physical health and ensures that you are less susceptible to certain chronic diseases such as: obesity, heart diseases including coronary artery disease, osteoporosis, cancer, and many more Although exercise does contribute to our physical wellbeing, it has a large impact on your mental health This is because when you do any form of exercise it releases chemicals called endorphins in the brain, these chemicals instantly make you feel a lot happier, therefore improving your mental state for a time being There are many things that can happen if we do not properly take care of our physical health and do enough exercise It is important to know what these are, in order to prevent anything bad from happening to you Physical inactivity is when you don’t move your body for prolonged periods of time This can include sitting or lying on the sofa watching tv or sitting at a desk or computer. To reduce your risk of multiple chronic diseases it is important that you are active every single day.

OBESITY:

Lack of physical activity that is coupled with a poor diet heightens the risk of obesity. Obesity is the result from an energy imbalance There are many factors that influence how many calories each person is able to burn each day, some of these being: age, body size and genes However, the most easily modified is the amount of exercise people get each day. Obesity is when a person has too much body fat. It happens over a specific period of time when you eat more calories than you typically used to When you tend to not exercise every day, your body will eventually accumulate fat, this makes you gain weight at a faster rate Thus, exercise is incredibly important in managing obesity Exercise reduces weight by increasing calorie consumption. It also helps in increasing metabolism, which effects the number of calories you tend to burn in a day Although exercise has many positive effects, it improves the self esteem of many and makes people generally feel confident and secure in their own bodies

HEART DISEASE

Heart disease is a term that typically includes a range of different types of heart problems. It can also be called cardiovascular disease which means heart and blood vessel disease Physical inactivity can increase a person ’ s chance of getting some sort of heart disease. However, combining a healthy diet with regular exercise is the best way for maintaining a healthy weight. Having a healthy weight will reduce a pers1ons chance of developing high blood pressure Frequent exercise will make your heart and blood circulatory system more efficient, lower your cholesterol level and keep your blood pressure at a consistent health level Like many other muscles in the body, the heart benefits from exercise For example, exercise improves the muscles’ ability to pull oxygen out of the blood which reduces the need for the heart to pump more blood to the muscles Different aerobic exercises (jogging, swimming, biking) paired with resistance training, produces the greatest benefit for preventing and managing heart disease Being inactive can lead to fatty material building up in your arteries. As a result, if the arteries that carry blood to your heart either get damaged or clogged it can lead to a heart attack Being active and doing as much exercise as you can, can recue your risk of developing a heart disease by 35%.

WHAT DID PHILOSOPHERS BELIEVE THE SOLAR SYSTEM WAS BEFORE TECHNOLOGY? HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO HOW WE SEE IT

NOW?

ANYA NADEEM - YEAR 10

Over hundreds of years the ideas about what the solar system looks like have changed and contradicted each other Now that we have the correct technology which allows us to see what the solar system truly is, we have even visited the moon and there are people up in space right now!

Dating back to around 100-168 AD there was an Egyptian astronomer called Ptolemy who had one of the first theories about the solar system, later on this theory was called the Ptolemaic system. Astronomers in Ptolemy’s time noticed that there were objects in the sky that moved in a peculiar way which were very different to the fixation of the stars in the sky. They noticed that some changed directions and some even moved backward and forwards These objects were later on discovered to be Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Ptolemy was working off the assumption that the Earth was in the middle of the solar system, so his drawing looked very different to the images we have now If we were to have kept the earth in the middle of the solar system, diagrams and planets moving patterns would have become very confusing and complicated

A while after Ptolemy a man named Nicolas Copernicus challenged Ptolemy’s theory Copernicus was the man who gave the idea that the earth was not the centre of the solar system but instead that the sun was Copernican heliocentrism is the astronomical model created by Nicolas Copernicus which was published in 1543. This positioned the sun in the middle of the solar system motionless, and suggested that all the planets including earth orbited around in circular paths. We can now prove that Copernicus’ theory was correct as we have the use of large telescopes which show the planets that are orbiting around the sun and not the earth

There are all sorts of different astronomy theories. Many religions have different beliefs on what the solar system is and how it was made Muslims have the belief that the solar system was created by Allah and each planet had their own individual courses of orbit. The Quran states that the ‘ sun moves in an orbit of its own ’ which shows the idea that the sun is also in orbit along with the other planets. They follow the thinking that there are large stars which are great forces and are gateways to Jannah (Heaven) On the other hand, Christians have various perspectives on the solar system, shaped by their interpretation of their religious texts and their individual beliefs Many Christians see the solar system as part of God's creation, emphasizing the careful hand in its design and function They often are in awe of the beauty, complexity, and order of the universe as a reflection of God's wisdom and power. Buddhist perspectives on the solar system often revolve around the principles of impermanence, interconnectedness, and the vastness of the universe. In Buddhism, the cosmos is seen as part of the ever-changing and interconnected fabric of existence

In today’s society we are able to have a clear view of the solar system through modern technology, our ability to be able to see constellations, galaxies and the explosion of stars being born is very advanced compared to how old philosophers had to view space Technology for outer space allow us to track movements on other planets and view the earth from afar Before we were able to see what the earth and other planets were shaped like, there were many people who believed that the earther was flat There was no way to prove that this view was right or wrong so no one was able to confirm the truth The Hubble telescope was launched into space in 1990 and since then photos of outer space have been produced which helps give us a wider idea about what is out in space Even though we know more about space than we do the ocean, no one has been able to confirm if extra-terrestrial life exists or not. The first country on earth to put anything into space was the Soviet Union, formerly known as the USSR They sent out the Sputnik 1 Satellite on October 4th 1957. It is believed to have orbited around the globe. Analysis of the radio signals was used to gather information about the electron density of the Ionosphere, while temperature and pressure data was encoded in the duration of radio beeps The most memorable thing that has happened to do with space is the first ever moon landing, in 1969 many people had gathered around their TVs to see Neil Armstrong and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin land on the moon This landing on the moon concluded the space race between many countries and was a remarkable discovery.

Overall philosophers from hundreds and hundreds of years ago used their knowledge and few resources that they had to be able to have a very similar idea of what the solar system and outer space truly is

Copernican heliocentrism diagram

DIFFERENCE OF NEUROTYPICAL AND NEURODIVERGENT STUDENTS. AYAANA DESHMUKH - YEAR 7

What is the difference between Neurotypical and Neurodivergent students? Let’s go through both of their daily lives, strengths, and weaknesses

Neurotypical and neurodivergent students often exhibit different characteristics and learning styles, which can impact their educational experiences

A NEUROTYPICAL STUDENT’S DAY

A neurotypical student would start their day trying something new for breakfast They would find studies easy or hard, it really depends on the child’s strengths and struggles. They would usually be able to make friends easily They are also usually good at adapting to change. They generally find it easier to navigate social norms and cues.

These students are often comfortable with traditional teaching methods and structured learning environments. They typically have fewer challenges in maintaining focus in standard educational settings

A NEURODIVERGENT STUDENT’S DAY

A neurodivergent student would most probably stick to the same thing they have had for years, as change is too much for them. They would find school easy or hard, but in more extreme terms They would usually find making friends harder than the neurotypicals They would panic if anything happens to their normal schedule, as change is hard for them.

I also interviewed a few of my classmates to see their aspects of school and home life.

“I am dyspraxic and dyslexic, and I find studies a bit hard, but one of my strengths is makeup I do try to avoid sports as I am not very good at them ” -Anonymous

“I am neurotypical, and I am not the best at sports, but I am good at art ” -Anonymous

“I am neurotypical, I am good at maths and art, I am also good at skincare I struggle with rugby and choosing good books ” -Amaya Raja

Here is a scenario of two friends, Selena and Jenny. Jenny has dyslexia, and Selena is neurotypical Feel free to act it out in form time

A person makes fun of Jenny in English for being dyslexic. As Selena, what would you do?

Both student groups are capable of learning and achieving success, though the paths and strategies might differ

The key to supporting both student groups lies in understanding their individual needs Both groups can thrive given the right environment and understanding their unique ways of interactive with the world For example, I concentrate better when there is colour in the room I am in.

DO YOU THINK THAT YOU MIGHT BE NEURODIVERGENT?

As a person with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), I would recommend going to someone or go somewhere for support, such as Leaps and the Wellbeing Pod, and of course, Bertie