Roding Valley High School Newsletter Dec 2015 by Roding Valley High School

Newsletter

Roding Valley High School

December 2015

The Journey Begins This has been a momentous half term at Roding Valley High School as we have launched our brand new Sixth Form as part of the Epping Forest District Consortium. We have waited for many years to be given this opportunity and a lot of work has gone in behind the scenes to get the go ahead but our students are now in a position to choose to stay on at Roding Valley to complete their Post 16 Education. I am delighted to say that the students have made a very positive start and they have settled into Year 12 very happily. There is a great atmosphere in the Common Room and the lessons are certainly challenging and engaging across the range of subjects. The Sixth Form Open Evening in October was very well attended with the School Hall packed full of students, parents and Governors and I am expecting the competition for places in Year 12 for next September to be fierce. The staff are enjoying the demands of teaching AS Levels and I cannot thank them enough for all the hard work and preparation that they have put in to make the first half term such a success.

as a school since I took the reins in September 2014. I feel honoured to lead such a wonderful school and I am thoroughly enjoying the challenge of helping to achieve an Outstanding judgement in the future. The students are a credit to the school and to their parents and they are certainly committed to raising aspirations throughout the school. I could not ask for a more diligent and professional team of staff who are always prepared to go the extra mile for the students. We are all focused on making this the school of choice for students, parents and staff in the area and I am confident that we can make this happen if we continue on the current path of improvement.

Clearly this is an incredibly exciting time for Roding Valley and I am pleased with the progress that we have made

Mr J Luck Headteacher

Roding Valley High School students congratulated for “impressive” GCSE results Headteacher James Luck said: “I would like to congratulate the students for achieving such an impressive set of GCSE results for 2015.” Overall, 62 per cent of students secured five A*-C grades including English and Maths. Mr Luck added: “We are delighted with these results in light of the positive Progress Measure which is the main basis for the Government’s new judgment criteria for schools. As such the majority of our students are making progress above that which is expected on entering the school.” “We are proud of the achievements of our students and this set of results reflects

an enormous amount of hard work and dedication. I have been impressed by the commitment and determination of our students who have performed to a very high standard across a broad range of disciplines. I would like to thank the staff for their unstinting support of the students and would also like to thank the parents whose role in this success should not be underestimated.”

Among the top performers were head boy Naru George (12 A*s), Sophie Humphreys (nine A*s and one A), Olivia Tinker (six A*s and five As) and Rhianna Lawrence and Mia Monaghan (six A*s and four As each). Mr Luck said: “I look forward to seeing a large number of our students returning to us for our new Sixth Form in September and I am confident that we offer outstanding progression continuedroutes overleaf...

Alderton Hill, Loughton, Essex IG10 3JA t: 020 8508 1173 e: office@rodingvalley.net www.rodingvalley.net

Teaching and Learning at RVHS ...continued from previous page

Mathematics Mastery: Solving Problems Using Bar Models

Roding Valley High School has been following a new style of mathematics teaching based on the principles of mastery to all students in Key Stage 3. Developed initially in Singapore, it has now been incorporated in to the curriculum of many countries worldwide including the Common Core Standards in USA and of course Mathematics Mastery here in the UK. Mastery teaching has a proven track record, students in Singapore are ranked amongst the best in the world. The programme is now in its third year, rolling out to Year 9 students for the first time.

Mr Luck said: “I look forward to seeing a large number of our students returning to us for our new Sixth Form in September and I am confident that we offer outstanding progression routes for universities and employment. This is certainly an exciting time for the school and I am delighted to be able to congratulate our young people and wish them well for their future studies.”

Mathematics Mastery is built around three core principles: • Deep Understanding • Mathematical Thinking • Mathematical Language Students are encouraged to develop a deep understanding of concepts rather than just methods and rules. This is to enable students to think and communicate using proper mathematical language built upon actual concepts. The focus is very much on the inner workings of mathematics and not a superficial glance only to find what the answer is equal to. At the heart of Mathematics Mastery is problem solving. A concrete-pictorial-abstract (CPA) approach is used both in developing understanding of concepts and also to solve problems. In this issue of the Newsletter, we will see how this approach in the form of Bar Models could be applied to solve a complex problem. Andy had 20% fewer marbles than Henry. When Andy gave 80 marbles to Henry, the number of marbles he had left was half of what Henry had. How many marbles did Andy have in the beginning? Drawing a diagram of the above problem, gives us the following.

Teaching and Learning at RVHS

Andy 20%

Henry This is how the problem begins before Andy gives any marbles to Henry. As we don’t have any indication to how many marbles they have at this stage, if we say Henry has 10 blocks then Andy must have 8 blocks as he has 20% less.

September 2015 saw the launch of TEACh at RVHS. TEACh is a comprehensive multi-pronged initiative to maintain our path to Outstanding Teaching and Learning. The acronym TEACh was coined to emphasise our focus on Technology, Engagement, Assessment and Challenge. Technology is a major focus this year and staff are involved in using technology to improve Teaching and Learning as well improving workflow by using and investigating useful apps for personal and classroom use. As we are a ‘Google Apps for Education’ school, we have taken a whole school step forward in the use of Google Classroom as a medium of communication and setting of homework. Our Technology use also extends to the whole school use of Doddle and GCSEPod. Engagement is a broad term which encompasses Literacy, Differentiation, the Use of Humour to engage and motivate students, creating a ‘Positive Learning Environment’, outstanding ‘Behaviour for Learning’ and the consistent application of the School

Behaviour Policy. Literacy is being tackled quite aggressively from Year 7, as it is the most important cross curricular link which is essential for understanding and comprehension across all subject areas. Assessment incorporates Assessment for Learning, Assessment of Learning, Marking – Progress over Time, ‘Closing the Gap’ and the consistent use of the School Marking Policy. Marking is the second major focus for the year as it is the key to observe ‘progress over time’ and the primary form of communication between the teacher and the student. ‘Closing the Gap’ tasks are also an important ingredient in ensuring that progress is being made in the daily interactions in the classroom, where students are given the opportunity

Roding Valley High School Newsletter December 2015

Andy then gives 80 of his marbles to Henry and he now has half as many marbles as Henry. This can only be possible if Andy now has 6 blocks and Henry has 12 blocks, see diagram below.

to review and correct misconceptions or aspects of work.

Andy

Challenge integrates ‘Challenge for All’, ‘Pace and Timing’ in lessons, knowing our students and zapping the passivity, building resilience by killing comfort zones and encouraging ‘Challenge and Enrichment’.

Henry We can see that this must mean that 2 blocks represent 80 marbles, therefore each block must be 40 marbles. At the start, Andy had 8 blocks, so the number of marbles he had to begin with must be

TEACh has taken root and each member of staff has been allocated one of the Teaching Groups. By the end of the Autumn term, each group would have met twice. Each group will then have the opportunity to share at least three short presentations about their work to the rest of the staff in the January TEAChMeet.

Primary Mathematics 2015 On the 22nd of June 2015, five primary schools took part in the Primary Mathematics Team Challenge 2015 organised by Mr Rahman and the rest of the Maths Department. The schools taking part were Alderton, Buckhurst Hill, Staples Road, Thomas Willingale and Whitebridge Primary School. Staples Road were back to defend their title after winning the 2014 Challenge. The events of the day began with the teachers who came with the primary schools being separated from their school. They were placed with new teams to prevent them from helping their own school!! All teams worked extremely hard for the trophy, completing challenges such as logic, teamwork and speed rounds. The challenges encouraged teamwork and collaboration to ensure they won. It was an extremely fun day for all teams and staff but there could be only one winner. The winners of the Primary Mathematics Team Challenge 2015 are Staples Road thanks to the effort of Team ROJJ consisting of Ruby, Olivia, Jamie and Joseph. At the end of the day, the schools were very grateful and gave Mr Rahman a round of applause! He was not expecting this! We very much look forward to inviting the primary schools again for the Primary Mathematics Team Challenge 2016! By Danny Fowler 10X

8 × 40 = 320 marbles. Of course, this is not the only way to arrive at the correct solution but it is one where students can clearly understand what is happening at every stage. Bar Modelling is a very flexible tool and in future issues we will look at how it can be applied in other areas to develop conceptual understanding and how this in turn enables students to solve problems more easily.

TEACh – Together Everyone AChieves ! Kumers Naidoo Teaching and Learning

Mr Rahman, Key Stage 3 Maths Coordinator

Teaching and Learning at RVHS

Visit by Sir John Rowling

Roding Valley Maths Challenge! Here are some questions that are taken from past UKMT Maths Challenge Papers. Are you smart enough to answer these questions? 1. Which of the following is the longest period of time?

a. b. c. d. e.

3002 hours 125 days 171/2 weeks 4 months 1 /3 of a year

Junior Maths Challenge 2010

3. A cuboid is cut away from a cube of side 10 cm as shown. By what fraction does the total surface area of the solid decrease as a result? 5cm

2. Nicky has to choose 7 different positive whole numbers whose mean is 7. What is the largest possible such number she could choose?

a. b. c. d. e.

Junior Maths Challenge 2010

5cm

7 28 34 43 49

a. b. c. d. e.

/4 1 /6 1 /10 1 /12 1 /18 1

10cm 10cm

Intermediate Maths Challenge 2010 Answers can be found on the back page.

TTRockstar London Rock Wrangle Competition The mother of all times-tablesoffs was held on 26th June 2015, to coincide with the first day of the Glastonbury Festival. 148 Year 7 and 8 pupils from 37 schools around London competed in a series of heats and head-to-head finals to win the grand VIP prize of a helicopter flight over London that afternoon! Representing Roding Valley High School in the competition were Grace Alexander and Ella Margetts from Year 7, and Tariq Ruiz and Stan Shute from Year 8. Mr Rahman, Miss Kaur and Tom Compton came along to support us. We travelled up to Bloomberg HQ in Central London to pit our skills with the multiplication tables against the clock along with almost 150 other students. When we arrived we were taken on a tour around their impressive office, shown each floor and even a TV studio in the middle of a broadcast! But the most

Teaching and Learning at RVHS

It was a pleasure to welcome Sir John Rowling to Roding Valley High School at the start of November. Sir John heads the PiXL organisation which is focused on School Improvement and he was visiting us to look at the work that we are doing in order to raise standards in terms of student progress.

pursuit of excellence. Sir John visits a huge number of schools throughout the country so it was lovely to hear how impressed he was with our work, our students and the school in general.

As a former Headteacher of a school that became Outstanding, he was knighted for his Services to Education. He was most impressed with the work that we are doing to track the progress of all students and motivate them to succeed at all levels. He also met and presented certificates to the students who attained the highest Attitude to Learning grades across the school. He was full of praise for their efforts and commended them on their relentless

Roding Valley High School celebrates further Art success

impressive part was the sheer number of fish tanks throughout the whole building, hundreds on every floor!!! Some students participated in an air guitar competition. This was very embarrassing – so no-one from Roding Valley took part because we had some dignity! 1…2…3…GO! We were off at speed! In the first round, lots of questions popped up on our computer screens, with only seconds to answer them. Only the very fastest were allowed to proceed to the next round which included Tariq. In the quarter finals, the pressure was on as the finalists now had an audience to watch them. Tariq made it successfully through to the semi-finals where he was unfortunately, knocked out which also meant no helicopter ride for us. We are now hard at training for the next competition as Mr Rahman really wants to go on that helicopter ride!!

Roding Valley High School Newsletter December 2015

At the opening ceremony of the My Art summer show on Friday 10 July, students from Roding Valley were celebrating winning 5 prizes in the senior section of the show, including 1st prize overall and the Sue Kreitzman artist award.

By Grace Alexander 8V and Ella Margetts 8U

Georgina Pollard was commended for her clay piece ‘Unicorn 99’, as was Montana Bennett for her large, soft pastel abstract drawing of Epping Forest. 3rd prize (seniors) was awarded to Amy Xenofondos for her layered photograph titled ‘Pouring Away’ and 1st prize overall went to Beau Hunt for her amazing piece

of claywork titled ‘Golden Crocodile’. In addition Florence Cope was awarded the Sue Kreitzman award for her watercolour and embroidery work ‘Two Becomes One’, a sensitive but provocative piece of portraiture. David Tisdale, Head of Art at Roding Valley, received the awards on behalf of the students and said ‘There are some incredible pieces of artwork on display in this exhibition from a huge range of local schools, and we are extremely proud that the work from Roding Valley has been recognised so many times for its excellence’

Roding Valley, alongside St. John’s and Debden Park, have opened their doors to A’ Level students from September and Mr. Tisdale said ‘These awards show us how talented our year 11 students are and, when taught well, capable of producing the highest quality work. The work we’ve displayed wouldn’t look out of place in an A’ Level exhibition so we’re really excited about what they will be producing next year!’ ‘Many thanks to Epping Rotary for organising the event and giving us the chance to show off our superb work to a wider audience’.

Teaching and Learning at RVHS

Key Stage 3 Awards Evening On Thursday 1st October we held the annual Key Stage 3 Awards Evening. We were delighted to see so many parents and guardians attend and share in the celebration of achievement, progress and commitment to Roding Valley and the local community. Over 100 students from the current year 10 received awards across all subjects and all ability levels. This is always a highlight in the school calendar and certainly didn’t disappoint. Congratulations to all the award winners.

EXTRA-Curricular Excellence

Roding Valley High School take debating honours Roding Valley High School has won this year’s Epping Forest Schools Parliamentary Debating Competition organised by Epping Forest MP Eleanor Laing. Eight schools took part this year with the schools discussing the Motion: “This House believes that it would be in Britain’s best interests to remain within the European Union”. A split vote was recorded when the Motion was put to the audience at Davenant Foundation School, Loughton, on Friday evening. The winning Roding Valley High School team of Doncho Atanassov and Matthew Tinker had spoken against the Motion. Matthew said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won. It’s amazing to have won the debate on behalf of the school. I would like to thank all the school’s research team who have helped us secure this victory.” Roding Valley High School headteacher James Luck said “I was so impressed with the overall standard of debating which makes the efforts of Doncho and Matthew all the more impressive.

“They put a huge amount of work into this and were ably supported by their research team of students and staff. A real team effort. Congratulations to all.” The runners-up were Aliyah Akram and Faye Dennis from Braeside School, Buckhurst Hill (who spoke against the Motion), with the King Harold Academy team of Lisa Nakimuli and Adam Freeman (who spoke for the Motion) receiving a Highly Commended prize.

Also taking part were Davenant Foundation School, Epping St John’s School, Debden Park High School, Chigwell School and West Hatch High School. Epping Forest MP Eleanor Laing said: “I was extremely impressed by the exceptionally high standard of the debate. The arguments were intelligent and well-constructed. I am always pleased when it is a lively debate.”

Roding Valley Cross Country Success For three consecutive Thursday evenings in October, our cross country braved the hills of Claybury Park to race against 7 other local schools in the Woodford Green Athletics Club Cross Country League. Having won the Senior Boys (Year 9 & 10) event for 10 of the last 11 years, the expectation of success amongst the team was high!

And the winner is... Alice Bonning was nominated for a PiXL Award for Determination October 2015. This award is open to over 1500 schools nationwide who are part of the PiXL group, a community of schools striving for the best for their students. The competition for the award was fierce and we are delighted to announce that Alice has won! Alice has shown extreme determination and resilience to achieve fantastic GCSE results which included 8 GCSEs at A or above!.

Roding Valley High School Newsletter December 2015

The first week saw our 4 Roding Valley teams all get off to a great start with Louise Gilbert taking an early lead in the individual Senior Girls (Year 9 & 10) competition and all of the teams finishing in 2nd place overall in their respective competitions. Returning for a second week, some athletes made dramatic improvementsclearly feeling much more confident now knowing the course! The improvement of Kezia Studman was particularly noticeable, moving from 81st in the first week so 26th in the second! Our Junior Girls (Year 7 & 8) girls had now taken the lead in the team competition with a fantastic run from Ella Margetts. All 4 of our teams then entered the final week of the league in a very strong

position. Motivation to run well and take home the trophies was high! The final results saw the Junior Girls tied in first place with Woodbridge with Ella Margetts taking home the individual trophy. Well done to Ella, Sulola Oluseson, Teagan Andrews, Azra Ozerin and Mia Ali who made up this team. In the Senior Girls competition, Louise Gilbert won all three of her races and so took the individual trophy with ease. The team (consisting of Louise, Sneha Gutierrez, Temi Olusesan, Prue Boyd Walker and Kezia Studman) did extremely well to finish in 3rd place overall- well done girls! The Junior Boys thrashed the competition to win the team trophy. Consistent running over the three weeks saw Louie

Cooper take home the individual trophy with Alfie Binet close behind him in 3rd place overall. Well done to Austin Francis, Arin Ozerin, Toby Hamid, Tom Callagher who made up the rest of the team. Finally, huge congratulations to our Senior Boys who performed extremely consistently to take 1st place in the team event- maintaining a long history of Roding Valley success in this event. This winning team consisted of Max Collins, George Johnson, Jack Albertson, Harry Boyd Walker, Ben Stone, Harry Barrett and George Ewing. Max led the team home and ended 3rd in the individual competition. Well done all - see you next year! Miss Stockings & Mr Jones

EXTRA-Curricular Excellence

RVHS Football Development Tour to Valencia CF An eventful 5:00am start on Friday, 23rd October 2015, for 35 students from Year 9 to Year 11 and 4 teachers – Mr Jones, Mr Perera, Mr McManners and Mr Naidoo, saw us change coaches even before we reached the M25. With that out of the way, it was plain sailing (or flying) all the way to the warmth of Spain. Our flight from Gatwick landed on time at Valencia and we were in our hotel by 13:00. After a quick lunch, it was down to the great training facilities at Valencia CF and to meet the coaching staff. With the first of 5 training days over, it was back to the hotel and the first of many wonderful buffets. Day 2 saw us at the training grounds for a morning session which included a specialist goalkeeping session which was thoroughly enjoyed by our glove-men, Kaya Ali and Sam Barrett. Afternoon sightseeing in beautiful Valencia was hosted by our wonderful Inspiresport representative, Berta. The evening games against local opposition was not as successful for us, as our under 14 team lost 2-1 and the under 15’s game was abandoned due to some atrocious refereeing. The remaining three days were punctuated with various activities which were scheduled around the training sessions (and the tasty buffets). These included attending a La Liga match between Levante and David Moyes’ Real Sociedad, 10 pin bowling, a tour of the Estadio de Metsalla (home of Valencia CF) and a visit to the beach.

EXTRA-Curricular Excellence

On the ball... The Year 7 football team has had an incredibly impressive start to the year as they are currently unbeaten in both the Essex and National cup competitions. We have been playing some outstanding/ attractive football so far this season which has been witnessed and congratulated by parents, staff and visiting teams. Mr Hudgell commented: “The team have worked really hard in training and are starting to really gel as a team. Our attractive style of play has been a joy to watch so far this year”. Saffron Walden Roding Valley Roding Valley Roding Valley

It was an enjoyable, educational and tiring five days out for our students and staff. Mr Jones was very surprised by the group gift of a Valencia football jersey as a special thank you. There was a great deal of camaraderie in the group which remained as we have all settled back to our roles in school. Kumers Naidoo

1-4 4-3 3-0 5-0

Roding Valley West Hatch Notley High Simon Balle

Mr Hudgell PE Teacher

Year 7 Boys’ Day of Dance All of the Year 7 boys at Roding Valley High School took part in a Day of Dance in September with Epping Forest Arts. The boys took part in a variety of dance workshops which culminated in a showcase performance to all in the afternoon. They experienced many different styles of dance including contemporary, street, stomp and breakdance. The students had a superb time and were really challenged in terms of their fitness levels and their concentration. The day was a great way to enrich their curricular experience. Hopefully many will take up the further opportunities in dance offered to them outside school as a result. Ms S Parry (Head of PE)

Medal Winners at the District Athletics

Roding Valley High School Newsletter December 2015

Beyond roding valley

Enriching the Curriculum

Make Your Mark!

Roding Valley School Council

As Deputy Member of Youth Parliament for Epping Forest, I was tasked with co-ordinating ‘MakeYourMark!’ in Epping Forest. This term saw Roding Valley participate in the UK Youth Parliament’s national campaign ‘MakeYourMark!’ ‘MakeYourMark’ is the UK’s largest youth consultation and over 950 young

people from RVHS were actively involved in the campaign this year! Students were asked to participate in the ballot during form time in the first week of October. Their votes combined with the total amount of votes from Essex, giving our county over 19500 ballot votes. Nationally, 965,000 young people voted in ‘MakeYourMark!’ The top 5 issues as voted by young people will be debated on by MYPs in the House of Commons. I will get the opportunity to represent the young people of Epping Forest in the House of Commons next November. Until then, the votes cast this year will inform

In May 2015, the RVHS School Council was set up with Matthew Tinker DMYP and I as ‘executives’. We decided to have a meeting every third week where we discuss suggestions and address concerns put forward by students. We have secured a budget a budget of £200 by the school to help with school projects which the Council and students might be interested in doing. If you want to make any suggestions on how to improve the school, speak to your School Council representative. They are listed below:

the work of the Epping Forest Youth Council; there will be a local benefit as a result of 2000 young people participating in the ballot in the Epping Forest District alone. MakeYourMark will be back in RVHS next Autumn term prior to my peers and I debating on the top 5 issues as voted by young people in the House of Commons. This was scheduled to be screened on BBC Parliament on Friday, 13th November.

Year 8: Charlotte Burke, Ella Margetts, Krystal Kucukarslan and Oliver Wells Year 9: Sam Copeman, Tariq Riaz and Abigail Ward

Youth Employment Strategy

Year 10: Grace Cain and Amber Goodman Year 11: Kathleen McGlynn and Amber Wigley

Yes Partnership

Gerry Donoghue - Essex Security Emma Forrester - London Hair Apprenticeship Academy Julie Hunter - Barclays Bank Apprentice - Aaron Frank Apprentice - Kelly Gibbons Gerry Donoghue Director and owner of Essex Security annually offers students work experience placements in the office and administration side of the business as well as the practical hands on side of the business. Every year Gerry has offered two students an electrical engineering apprenticeship. It is a three year apprenticeship and the training Gerry offers is outstanding. Gerry has always shown a real commitment and

dedication to support the young people in the local area. Gerry nominated Aaron Frank who left Roding Valley in 2014. Gerry said “The reason I nominated Aaron was he has made himself universally respected among his work place peers, he takes an interest in his work and has applied himself with gusto. Aaron has been a pleasure to have around the place, it is unusual for an apprentice who only has one year’s experience to have the capabilities and confidence he shows”. Emma Forrester of the London Hair Apprenticeship Academy was nominated for her guidance and support to the students of Roding Valley. She attends our Careers Fair annually and spends the evening discussing career pathways and opportunities in hairdressing with students and parents. She always attends our Mock Interview day and gives students an interview to prepare them for the world of work. She helps them with their CVs and gives tips to students on how to get into the industry. She offers the students of Roding Valley guided tours of the academy and help them to find an apprenticeship.

Roding Valley High School Newsletter December 2015

On Friday 9th September, as part of Local Democracy Week, the two Youth Councillors and the School Councillors went to Epping Forest District Council Civic offices to participate in the Epping Forest Youth Engagement Day 2015. The event consisted of a Local Democracy Quiz in the morning; workshops on Public Speaking, Debating and Campaigning, all of which were presented by Youth Councillors. All workshops led to the big debate in the afternoon and involved pupils from schools around the district and Epping Forest MP Eleanor Laing as a guest speaker. The notion for the debate, which was chaired by Matthew Tinker, was ‘This Conference is of the opinion

that the United Kingdom should remain a member of the European Union’. The School Councillors argued for the notion, as they sat on the same side as me and I was the proposer, and most of them contributed to the debate and brought forward some very good and relevant points. Eleanor Laing released a statement about the debate, saying: “It was an excellent debate. I was surprised that the result, 3 to 1 in favour of remaining in the EU, was so decisive. I had expected it to be closer.” adding “I am very pleased that our young people are so well informed about this extremely important subject which we will all be debating at length over the next few months!”. If you would like to watch the full debate it is available on http:// www.eppingforestdc.public-i.tv/core/ portal/webcast_interactive/192514. Overall, the day was a great success and received many positive reviews and saw what young people had to say about current political issues. Doncho Atanassov

Youth Health Champions 2015

Together, delivering better employment opportunities for our young people.

On Friday 16th October the YES Partnership held their ‘Investors in Young People Business Awards’ at Waltham Abbey Marriott Hotel. Roding Valley High School nominated 3 local employers in recognition of their continued support for the students at Roding Valley as well as two students who were recognized for their outstanding achievement in the work place.

Our latest activity involved collaborating with the Anti-Bullying Mentors to make a 60 second video about Anti-Bullying as part of a Nation-wide competition by Good Morning Britain. If the video wins the competition, it will be shown on Time’s Square in London and will be in cinemas in the form of an advert. It will also be played in Anti-Bullying Week assemblies.

Kelly Gibbons who left Roding Valley in 2013 was nominated by Emma Forrester of LHAA Emma said “Kelly has worked really hard throughout her apprenticeship already achieving level 2 she is now moving on to level 3”. The final nomination from Roding Valley was Julie Hunter from Barclays Bank. The commitment and support Julie has been offering the students of Roding Valley School for many years now is outstanding. She regularly coordinates a team of volunteers from Barclays who come into the school and deliver workshops to the students. This includes money skills, CV and Interview Techniques and also Mock Interviews. Julie is always keen to help students with work experience placements and is always quick to help Roding Valley students in any way she can. Certificates were presented by Stephen Metcalfe MP in the presence of Eleanor Laing MP Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons.

Passmores Academy in Harlow was the venue for the Youth Health Champion training 2015 in June of this year. Ten Year 9 students who have chosen GCSE Health and Social Care were picked to take part in this fantastic event that would enable them to be ambassadors for all health and lifestyle issues in school. The behaviour of the students on Over the two days, Roding Valley both days was impeccable; they were students mingled with students from excellent representatives of Roding other schools as they took part in a Valley High School. series of activities that helped expand their knowledge on various factors Having waited a week for the results of affecting health and other related issues the exam, I am pleased to say that all faced by teenagers in the local areas. ten students passed with flying colours. The first day of training was very intense, ending with an exam that tested the students on what they had covered that day. The second day involved students presenting their ideas about how to promote and raise awareness about substance abuse, improving self-esteem and the importance of personal hygiene.

All students involved commented on how much they enjoyed the two days and how valuable the experience was. They are looking forward to Year 10 where, as Youth Health Champions, they will deliver assemblies linked to the issues covered in their training and endeavour to make students at Roding Valley aware of health related factors.

Well done to: Daisy Bloor, Eddie Broder, Katia Brookes, Chai Ciantar, Grace Horsford , Zaynab Khan, Georgia Lench, Hannah Mohammed, Daisy Regan and Jessica Stelzner.

We look forward to our newly qualified Youth Health Champions, sharing their newfound knowledge and expertise with students in the school as they promote the importance of good health. Mrs S Barrett

Japanese Day 日本の日 On Friday 19 June 2015, our Japanese Friends once again visited RVHS for a day of teaching our students to make Sushi!! Many of the Year 7’s were involved and everyone had a great day in which has become one of our great annual Food Technology Days.

Enriching the Curriculum

Barclays Life Skills On Monday 13th July 2015 a team of 10 staff from Barclays Bank came to Roding Valley High School to deliver interviews skills lessons for Year 10 Students. During the lesson students participated in activities learning all about interview techniques and job applications. The students were in small groups and were able to explore different interview techniques and how to make a good first impression. The activities helped students focus on their strengths and how to present themselves to employers. It was the perfect preparation for their Mock Interview on Wednesday 15th July 2015.

DEAR Time This half term has seen a new reading initiative designed to create and promote a culture of reading for pleasure! Every single day for 20 minutes, Year 7 students have been partaking in Drop Everything And Read (DEAR TIME). into a really good book while ensuring that you are improving your vocabulary and securing those better grades for the future! Keep reading Year 7 – it will all pay off in the future !

Reading is the key to success in school; it has been proven that those students, who read every day, are more successful in school and have a better chance of earning more money in the future! DEAR time is a great opportunity to get stuck

Roding Valley High School Newsletter December 2015

Enriching the Curriculum

Year 10 Mock Interview Wednesday 15th July

Year 7 Trip to the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studios

Roding Valley High School Year 10 students experienced a taste of the real world when they participated in the Mock Interview Scheme aimed at preparing them for the future.

This was a reward trip for our Accelerated Reader ‘Millionaires’ who have read in excess of a million words on the Accelerated Reader programme last year.

Over 200 Year 10 students at the school took the opportunity to practise their interview skills. Students came into school dressed in business attire. Some students visited various companies in the area such as Haslers Accountants and Waitrose Supermarket, whilst others were interviewed in the school by Sixth Forms, Colleges, Barclays Bank, Quest Business School, London Hair Academy, Andersen Group, as well as many other local business people.

Year 7 Reading Millionaires

The Careers Programme that we run at Roding Valley really helps prepare the students when entering the work place and the mock interview is an excellent opportunity for students to practise interview techniques, consider body language and pick up useful tips. A first interview is invariably daunting. This opportunity to simulate the experience and we hope it will lessen the apprehension a student may feel when it comes to the real thing. The employers all gave students a feedback form with tips and hints for future interviews. Some of the employers said the students were a credit to the school and they would certainly consider employing them in the future.

Year 7 Get Wet in France On Friday 18th September about a hundred Year 8 pupils set out from Roding Valley to spend the day in France. For many it was their first time in France and for some their first trip abroad. The trip took place in September rather than in July as planned, due to a ferry strike on the day we should have gone. Trouble was, the weather was rather wet! The day started at 6am with many sleepy children, but they had certainly woken up in time to do a spot of shopping on the ferry. It was quite a humbling experience to see the migrant camps in France, and for many pupils I think it made them realise just how luck they are to live where they do. Then the first port of call was the Cité Europe hypermarket - to stock up with sweets for the day! Believe me, they certainly got their sugar fix! Then it was off to a small town called St. Omer, about 45minutes drive from Calais. The plan was to have lunch in the picturesque park in St.Omer, but the weather was rather wet (torrential rain to say the least) so they had a tour of the town and a visit to the cathedral. Students sampled the gastronomic delights of France, mainly chips and ice-cream, which had to be ordered in French. After

that, pupils had some free time to explore in small groups, whilst completing a project book. Pupils arrived home tired, but happy, with an insight into French culture and their way of life. N.Chambers

Jack Kenealy: “I liked the freedom of exploring France in small groups with friends.” Daisy Taylor: “It was fun on the ferry.” Raajveer Singh: “It was my birthday, so I had a great day.” Jamie Beddall: “The hypermarket was great- it had everything there. It was quiet too.” Lois McClean: “It was good that we got to practise our French.” Louisa Biddle: “I learnt more French and in a really fun way.” Katie Carter: “It was sad to see the migrant camps and it made me realise how lucky I am.”

Enriching the Curriculum

Year 7 Lambourne End Trip

MacMillan Coffee Morning Friday 25th September saw Roding Valley High School hold the annual MacMillan Coffee Morning, a fantastic event which aims to raise much needed funds for those affected by cancer.

On Thursday, 15th October, I accompanied a group of Year 7 students to Lambourne End Outdoor Activity Centre for the day. The students were split into two groups and called White and Blue depending on which bus they had arrived on. There were 2 activities planned for the day - Team Building and Bush Craft. The first activity was to work as a team to throw a soft toy to each person in the circle without duplicating - the group worked well together and with a little direction from Andrew, the group leader, and they figured out a method out very quickly. The next activity involved 7 tyres, where the students needed to travel from one end to the other using the tyres but were not allowed to step on the ground. A few boys took the lead in this activity - Flynn Doherty, Jack Law & Ben Vanhisburgh. They organised the group well. At one point Alice Risborough called out “this is like doing the conga” which was exactly what they were meant to be working towards.

Enriching the Curriculum

The last activity of the morning involved using guttering to move/roll a small marble from one end of a concrete pipe to the other without dropping it.

Prior to the morning, GCSE Catering and Health and Social Care students presented assemblies to KS3 and KS4 to make them aware if this charity and encourage them to support the event. In addition to this they produced a number of posters to publicise details of when and where the coffee morning would be taking place.

During lunch break the students were allowed to play in a field. Many involved themselves in a game of football and we invented a netball/rugby game with tyres to involve the others.

The coffee morning was a huge success, with students from across the school

The afternoon consisted of outdoor skills and we started with exploring wild berries and plants. We then moved on to camp fires and making bread. The students all attempted to set fire to some small cotton balls using a flint. We also made some popcorn by heating it over the fire.

bringing in a range of home baked delights to sell at the coffee morning. The room was decorated beautifully and the atmosphere was brilliant with governors, staff and students supporting the event by buying some of the delicious cakes and bakes on offer. A grand total of over £230.00 was raised for Macmillan Cancer research from the coffee morning. Mrs Goosen, Head of Technology, praised the efforts of the staff, technicians and students who worked so hard to organise the event.

The Anti-Bullying Mentors Programme There has been a change in The Anti-Bullying Mentors programme this academic year.

A great time was had by all!

The PTA has 2 simple goals; 1) Raise money to provide equipment and run events that the government’s budget does not cater for.

Ellouise Lemon, Jake Forecast and Natasha Hooper have relinquished their roles due to their Year 11 examination commitments.

Team players of the day go to Amy Wright and Lucy Powell. Clair King (LSA)

2) Help our students enjoy their time at Roding.

Therefore, The Anti-Bullying Mentors have added two new people within Year 9 to help the Team.

RVHS Open Evening

These two students are: Rhys Avey 9X – Head of The Anti-Bullying Mentors Rhys Greenway 9X – Deputy Head of The Anti-Bullying Mentors

Roding Valley High School’s Open Evening on the 8th October 2015 was a well-attended event with many prospective students and their parents present.

Throughout April and June, they have had training days to prepare them for their new roles. If anyone has any queries or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me via the email address below.

The school hall was filled to capacity on both occasions for the head teacher’s address. The school was awash with various activities taking place in all departments, from the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in English to the ‘Flaming Soap Bubbles’ in Science, not forgetting the tasty pizzas in Food and Nutrition.

RVHS PTA

Ellouise Lemon Head of The Anti-Bullying Mentors Email: 11elemon@rodingvalley.net

These goals can help to make the difference between good and outstanding. The more we support our school, the more we help our teachers to get the best out of our children then the more we all benefit.

Last Public Event: Adult Quiz Night, Friday 25th September 2015 Well Done All for raising £645 !!!

Roding Valley Summer School Fun Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Bonus

First we got to know one another then we made our own Olympic mascots. We were given a red hat and a bag for our lunch. Our first visit was to the Olympic Park it was really cool but took a while to get to.

We all gathered our lunch and travelled to Mud-Chute Farm. The farm was hidden in Tesco and that was very strange as I thought we were going shopping or something. The animals were very ‘lively’ jumping about the place (they were actually half awake).

Today was one of my best days because we went to “Ripley’s believe it or not!” I learnt a lot of facts (world records) and they were really weird but cool at the same time.

Harry Potter experience – This was my favourite trip because of all the decorations and props and information. My favourite part was at the end when I was walking down a stairway revealing a manmade miniature Hogwarts.

Sadly today was the last day and may I say it was the best school related week in my life. Today we went to watch the Railway Children and it was awesomely acted out and well structured.

I won the award for the Best Booklet because put a lot of effort into it and I was even drawing on the train!! Sadly on the train, my stress ball popped and I had to say bye to my blue jeans which are now white and a big goodbye to the best week ever!!!

Diary by Alfie T

Roding Valley High School Newsletter December 2015

Enriching the Curriculum

Roding Valley Sixth Form: the Journey Has Begun and focused mentoring to prepare students for the next step, whether it is employment or university.” Continuity of teaching staff is one of the benefits highlighted by the students as being plus factors for the new Sixth Form arrangements. Juan Sanchez is studying Psychology, Media Studies, French, English Literature and Spanish. He said: “We’ve established a relationship with the teachers already. It gives me that extra boost because you get more confident with the teachers.” Ellie Marshall, who is studying Media, English Literature, Business and Government and Politics, said: “We are still with our teachers who we had before. We’re seen a lot more like adults than when we were ‘students’ at Roding Valley. “We have a common room so we have that extra adult feature. I believe that’s another good benefit of being here at Roding Valley.” Sophie Humphreys has stayed on at Roding Valley to study for A-levels in Maths, French, English Literature and Economics. She said: “It’s definitely a good thing that we got to stay here because I feel a lot more comfortable here than if I had had to go to a different school.

To support the application process for the 2016 Sixth Form, all application form are available online and the deadline is the 15th January 2016.

Answers to Maths Challenge

Year 12 students led discussions with parents about Post-16 options choices for September 2016, and the evening saw our biggest turnout so far for a Post-16 launch.

1. A One year is, at most, 366 days, so one-third of a year is less than 125 days. No month is longer than 31 days, so 4 months is also less than 125 days, as is 17.5 weeks which equals 122.5 days. However, 3002 hours equals 125 days 2 hours, so this is the longest of the five periods of time.

Thank you to all year 11 students and parents that attended the Year 12 Open Evening. The evening was an amazing success, with lots of active engagement, and lots of insightful questions from parents.

2. B The seven numbers must total 49 if their mean is to be 7. The largest possible number will occur when the other six numbers are as small as possible, that is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. So the required number is 49-21=28.

RVHS Sixth Form Open Evening

“The classes are small so that definitely helps a lot.” She added: “We’re going to have a lot of opportunities for extra-curricular activities and volunteering, so that will be really good for university applications.” Headteacher James Luck said: “I am delighted that this group of students have chosen to stay on at Roding Valley High School for their A-Level studies. The teaching staff are thoroughly enjoying their lessons and all the feedback that we have had from students and parents has been incredibly positive. The entry requirements for places in the Sixth Form have been challenging but this means that the students that we have in Year 12 have the capacity to perform exceptionally well at A-Level. They will certainly receive a huge amount of support and guidance and I wish them all the very best.”

3. D When the cuboid is cut away, the surface area of the solid ‘loses’ two rectangles measuring 10 cm × 5 cm and two squares of side 5 cm. However, it also ‘gains’ two rectangles measuring 10 cm × 5 cm. So the surface area decreases by an area equal to one half of the area of one of the faces of the original cube, that is one twelfth of its original surface area.

Students at Roding Valley High School have been speaking of the “great boost” their education has received now that they can undertake their A-level studies at the school. Roding Valley has some 51 Sixth Form students who can use their own Sixth Form common room for their private time and studies. Lee Harris, the school’s Head of Sixth Form, said: “We have small classes which mean the students get excellent support in their A-level lessons. Small classes mean there is good questioning, enabling teachers to assess deeper learning. Furthermore, the small classes offer teachers the capacity of building one-to-ones and tailored progress monitoring, all of which will help us secure the rapid progress for students.” Mr Harris added: “The new Sixth Form is an exciting time for everyone. The Sixth Form at Roding Valley will be the same as Year 11 in some respects - in terms of normal high expectations, strong academic monitoring on progress, outstanding teaching and a range of successful Teaching and Learning strategies to encourage deep learning and engagement. However the Sixth Form will be different in other respects as there will be more opportunities for leadership and volunteering

Students follow us @RVHSTeam will be tweeting top tips, reminders, links and guidance for our students - everything from delays on the Central Line in the morning to revision tips and links for their GCSE’s.

SPORTSMARK

Alderton Hill, Loughton, Essex IG10 3JA t: 020 8508 1173 e: office@rodingvalley.net www.rodingvalley.net