Boarding at Roedean

Information for Boarders

3 boarding options –weekly/fexi/full 11 million pound refurbishment of Houses

50:50 day and boarding

50+ nationalities represented

Boarding

During the week, around 350 girls enjoy the perfect balance of school and boarding life. A large team of pastoral staff look after each girl so that they feel safe and supported. Our junior boarders (Year 7, 8 & 9) enjoy shared bedrooms in separate wings of each house. As this can be the girls’ frst experience of boarding, we deliver a bespoke experience which includes a warm and welcoming home away from home, supervised prep, and a vast programme of activities.

Boarders in Years 10 and above have single rooms, and our Sixth Formers have separate boarding houses, a short distance from the main school building, giving the opportunity of independence ahead of university and life beyond Roedean.

2 Sixth Form boarding Houses

4 Main School boarding Houses

6 common spaces in each House House Spirit

all girls belong to a House

Houses

In each House there are a variety of spaces where the girls can work or relax, play games, or practise the piano. In Houses 1 - 4, there is an ODR (the Old Dining Room), perhaps the symbolic heart of the house, where girls can catch up with friends at the end of the day. There are also common rooms with TVs and a Games Room in each House. Although the girls are very well-fed in the main dining room, they are welcome to cook in the pantry kitchen which is next to the ODR, and make tea and hot chocolate in the ‘snug areas’ on the Lower and Middle corridors.

Young boarders spoke of the impact that older pupils have on their personal development and happiness.

ISI report 2021

Respect for diversity and other cultures is excellent and a strength of the school. ISI Report 2021

Activities

Every evening of the week, boarders will be encouraged to join in an activity in the ODR, whether that might be baking, painting, crafting or quizzes – the whole House gather together. There is also a dedicated hour for Prep so that the girls can keep on top of their homework. The weekend programme of activities is full and varied – there are off-site activities such as to London or go-karting, and girls can also go into Brighton shopping on the school minibuses (junior boarders are supervised). The Sixth Formers enjoy more freedom as they become increasingly independent, but still retain a strong community feel, with girls gathering every evening in Keswick Hall at the heart of the Sixth Form boarding house.

Clifftop location 1 chaperoned Fri/Sun service to London Victoria

45 minute drive to Gatwick 75 minute drive to Heatherow

Location

Roedean sits in a unique location, overlooking the English Channel and nestled at the foot of the South Downs. We are close enough to Brighton for the girls to feel rooted within the vibrant city, but far enough away to enjoy the peaceful and spectacular coastal setting. Girls can take trips to Brighton’s bustling shops at the weekend, and Weekly Boarders can take advantage of our chaperoned service to London Victoria on a Friday and Sunday evening. The Housemistress will arrange for boarders to be collected by a taxi service at the start and end of term, for travel to and from close-by airports, Heathrow and Gatwick.

As a weekly boarder, the quality of the boarding House and most particularly the staf that run it, are critical to our so far fantastic experience.

Keeping in touch

The boarding staff at Roedean recognise that at the heart of a positive boarding experience for the pupils lies an active relationship between the school and the pupils’ families. To this end, we welcome all communication from you regarding any celebration of success or issue

Technology makes keeping in contact easy. E-mail, mobile phones, text messaging and Skype keep overseas students in touch with their families and friends. The School “Head’s Weekly Review” provides an update from the Head, news and reviews of events, trips and matches, plus advice and recommendations to parents, staff and students. Formal reports are provided twice a year, along with more frequent interims to keep you informed of your child’s academic progress. There is also frequent communication between Head of Year, Housemasters/Housemistresses, tutors and parents.

Faith

Festivals are celebrated in assemblies and around the School; our catering team are happy to offer themed meals on special occasions for everyone to share

We are respectful of other religions and we actively encourage awareness and understanding of other faiths. Please contact our Chaplain, Mrs Walker (GWA@) for additional information on matters of faith. We assist our students with any religious dietary requirements, including the provision of halal meat or vegetarian meals.

Term Dates 2023/2024

AUTUMN TERM 2023

Wednesday 30th August 2022

from 09:00

from 14:00

Boarders’ induction

Arrival to Boarding Houses no later than 5.30pm.

New and current international boarders arrive from 09:00

New and current UK boarders (including fexi and weekly) arrive from 14:00

Thursday 31 August Year group induction with tutors (boarding induction continues)

Friday 1st September TERM STARTS with First Chapel

Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th September Exeat

Tuesday 17th October (16:15) to Sunday 29th October (19:00)

Half Term

Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th November Exeat

Friday 8th December at 12:00

End of Term

SPRING TERM 2024

Tuesday 2nd January

Wednesday 3rd January

Boarding pupils return Houses open from 9am

TERM STARTS with First Chapel and all pupils in School, lessons begin

Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st January Exeat

Friday 9th February (16:15) to Sunday 18th February (19:00)

Half Term

Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th March Exeat

Friday 22nd March (12:00)

End of Term

SUMMER TERM 2024

Sunday 14th April

Monday 15th April

Boarding Pupils return Houses open from 9am

TERM STARTS with First Chapel and all pupils in School, lessons begin

Saturday 4th to Monday 6th May (UK Bank Holiday) Exeat

Friday 24th May (16:15) to Sunday 2nd June (19:00)

Half Term

Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th June Exeat

Friday 28th June (12:00)

End of Term

Guardians

The strong pastoral care that Roedean offers depends on an active partnership between the School, parents, and education guardians, with lines of communication that are open and easy. In this way, concerns can be discussed as soon as they arise, and good news can be shared quickly

The school requires parents who live outside the UK, or who are away from home frequently, or for long periods of time, to appoint an education guardian who lives in the UK as a permanent resident. As a person with shared “delegated parental responsibility” the education guardian performs a role which complements the requirement of school staff to act in loco parentis. It is expected that an education guardian will:

• Live within 2 – 3 hours of Roedean School.

• Provide a safe and suitable accommodation; a selfcontained bedroom is required. Pupils should not be residing in a public space of the house.

• Provide appropriate care and supervision during the periods when the pupil cannot be accommodated at school. These include:

Some days before and after term if the pupil’s fight to/from the UK does not coincide with the school term dates and times

– The Half-term holidays

– Exeat weekends

If the pupil has been ill or injured and needs to recuperate away from school

If the School requires a pupil to leave for disciplinary reasons or because the school determines it to be in the pupil’s best interest.

• Attend a variety of School functions, especially including Parents and Guardians’ Evening when the academic staff are present to discuss academic progress, as well as sports fxtures, concerts, and other special events in which the pupil is participating.

• Escort the pupil to and from school, including journeys to and from UK airports (for pupils in years 7 – 11 inclusive, Sixth Form pupils may travel unaccompanied with permission from their parents.)

• Accept responsibility for making arrangements if the pupil’s fight is delayed or is at a time outside of school opening hours.

• Be responsible for dealing with any travel documents, passports and visas that may be required.

• Provide full details of any alternative accommodation/ host family on any occasion when the pupil will not be staying with an education guardian.

• Liaise with the school in connection with matters related to health, welfare, educational progress of the pupil. This includes arranging and, if appropriate, attending medical appointments of the pupil and providing consent of the pupil to receive emergency treatment if necessary.

• Provide the school with up-to-date contact details and notify the school of any changes.

Travel

We do understand that overseas families have to work around suitable flight times and the School is therefore flexible regarding arrivals and departures

All overseas students are permitted to return to School between 9.00am and 10.30pm. However, please note that Houses are closed to students and unstaffed until 9.00am on the return day and HMs must be notifed in advance of early arrivals. For all other arrivals and departures students

Victoria Escort service

A weekly escorted travel, to and from London

The Victoria Escort (VE) service is used by Weekly and Flexi boarders to travel to and from London.

On Fridays the VE departs after school and travels by taxi to the train station and by train to London Victoria Train Station arriving at approximately 6pm.

On Sundays we return to school via School Minibus, we meet at Victoria Coach Station departures area (the designated ‘Lane’ will be displayed on the electronic notice boards at 4:30pm we board and leave by 4:55pm). The girls arrive back at school by 7pm, this allows time to have supper and unpack before their weekly House meeting at 8pm with their Housemistress.

may only leave from or return to Houses between 6.30am and 11.00pm as they must be let in or out by a member of staff. If they cannot meet these timings, students should go to their guardians.

Roedean School has a contract with Streamline taxis. If boarders travel by taxi from the airport, they should use this company. The contact number is 01273 202020 or via the website https://www.streamlinetaxis.org/. We can order taxis for boarders on their behalf, just email the House.

This service enables girls to spend weekends and Exeats with their parents/ guardians, and for end/start of term travel. The VE has been running for many years and has become increasingly popular with our London boarders. They are accompanied by at least two members of staff for both journeys. The VE mobile contact number while travelling is 07917 868348.

The service prioritises Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils, but it is open to all. The cost will be added to your school bill each term. If you would like your daughter to use the service, please contact her House and let them know. Should you require any more information, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Breda Allen at BMA@roedean.co.uk

HOUSES & PASTORAL CARE

Communication

The HM and Head of Year are likely to be the parents’ frst point of contact for any signifcant pastoral or major academic issues, so please feel free to email at any time. This will include requests for any type of absence, although Miss Allen, Deputy Head: Pastoral also needs to be informed and ultimately will be the person authorising the absence. For more minor pastoral or academic issues, contact your daughter’s tutor, copying the HM and Head of Year in. All other House-related pastoral issues and administration (lost kit, medical, appointments, taxis, etc.) to the House Staff:

Mobile phones

Pupils all have mobile phones and technical devices which should be registered with the House Staff upon arrival. Please remember not to call the girls after the time they are supposed to hand in their mobile phone. Year 7, Year 8, Year 9 and year 10 boarders do not have any mobile devices in their rooms overnight. Mobiles will only be accessible during certain hours of the day. They need to be switched off and handed in to the House Study before school, and they can be switched back on at the end of the school day. From Year 11, boarders manage their own devices. If they want to have some tech-free time, your daughter is welcome to hand it in to a member of staff in House to look after.

Laptops and computers

All pupils are encouraged to bring their own laptops, which will then be networked, providing access to the Internet. Microsoft is recommended. They will receive their own email address within the frst few days of term, and this is a useful way to contact them. Further information about IT matters come around centrally from the School IT department.

The House Twitter Page: follow us!

Photos of the girls are regularly updated here and everyone in the House community is encouraged to follow the feed, which is as ‘live’ as we can make it. Please pass this link onto grandparents, relatives and friends so that they can stay informed too. Privacy settings are strictly controlled. Please follow us here:

A typical day

WEEKDAYS

06.40 – 07.00 Wake up (by yourself!)

07.00 – 08.00 Breakfast (House 1-4 in Dining Rooms) Breakfast (Lawrence and Keswick in Keswick Dining Room)

07.40 Registration in the ODR / Lawrence Kitchen / Keswick Common Room

Before / After Breakfast Getting ready for School

13.10 Activity 1 – co-curricular programme or Prep

14.00 Lessons 5

14.55 – 15.45 Lesson 6

16.00 Tea in House

WEEKDAY EVENINGS

16.00

17.10

17.40

18.00

Tea in House

Activity 2- co-curricular programme or prep

Day buses depart (early departure on Fridays)

Boarders evening registration(ODR / Lawrence Kitchen / Keswick Common Room)

Supper in Dining Rooms or Keswick Dining Room

19.00 Prep, in Junior Prep Room / Rooms / Study Rooms / Keswick Hall

20.00

21.00 – 21.30

Evening activity, Free Time, Boarding or Yeargroup Activity

Electronic devices handed in for specifc year group and fnal registration

RoedeanHouses

EVENING ACTIVITIES

Read Under the Stars

Cooking for Charity

Badminton

Film Club

Boarder’s Swimming

Chaplain Drop-in

Ceramics

Commercial Dance

Pancake Making

Ice-cream Making

Treasure Hunt

Boarder’s Gym

Quiz Night

Crafting Decorations

Tie-dye Craft

Toastie Night

Tunnel Walk Bingo

Weekend schedule

On Saturdays and Sundays there are organised trips and onsite activities. There are lots of activities to choose from; look at the board in Study Passage and register on the sign-up sheets in Main School corridor or in your House. Trips are varied and we arrange activities to the cinema, iceskating, bowling, Thorpe Park and London, as well as enjoying a show or two! Please ask House Staff, or Mr Wilson (H4), if you have any questions about trips. Parents, if you would like further information do send an email to weekends@roedean.co.uk. We will send you information through Evolve.

Afternoon

Weekend programme

Full of opportunities to try something fun with friends

Sunday Activity

4th September Brighton Pier

11th September Land Yachting (on site)

18th September Brunch and i360

Exeat

2nd October K-pop and yoga (on site)

9th October Laser Zone + pizza

16th October London Dungeons

Half Term

6th November Pottery cafe (on site)

13th November Trampolining

Exeat

27th November Harrods – London

4th December Ice-skating at Brighton Pavilion

End of Term

8th January

Indoor golf (Globalls)

15th January Go-karting – Lancing

Exeat

29th January Ski and snowboarding (Knockhatch)

5th February Immotion VR – Brighton

Half-term

26th February Ninja Warrior – Eastbourne

5th March

Exeat

19th March

End of Term

23rd April

30th April

7th May

Exeat

Paintballing

Harry Potter Studios

Fish and Chips and Seven Sister walk

Paddle-boarding / kayaking

Powerboating – Brighton Marina

21st May Zip Wire and lunch – Brighton Pier

Half Term

11th June

Exeat

Thorpe Park

25th June Summer BBQ – Infatables (on site)

Boarding guidance

The following represents guidance for routines and practices available to boarders outside of the school day. Please note that individual requests will also be considered. Takeaway meals can be ordered with permissions and at the discretion of the Housemistress.

between 18:00 –21:00

8 21:00 21:15 Saturday between 18:00 –21:00

9 21:15 21:30

Brighton

Accompanied / supervised in Brighton as part of the Boarding Weekend Programme shopping trip on Saturday. Groups of 3+. Travel only in school minibus / pre-ordered taxi

Brighton

Accompanied / supervised in Brighton as part of the Boarding Weekend Programme shopping trip on Saturday. Groups of 3+. Travel only in school minibus / pre-ordered taxi

Brighton

between 18:00 –21:00

Supervised in Brighton as part of the Boarding Weekend Programme shopping trip on Saturday. Groups of 3+. Travel only in school minibus / pre-ordered taxi

Brighton

Groups of 3+ unless accompanied by a Year 11 pupil(s) and at the discretion of the HM. Saturday and Sunday – an agreed time with House Staff of up to 4 hours between hours 11:00 – 16:00

Brighton

Groups of 2+. Friday: to Brighton Marina between 19:00 – 20:00 or similar ‘House trip time.’ Saturday and Sunday: an agreed time with House Staff of up to 6 hours between hours 09:00 – 20:00.

Brighton London with Parental Consent* – alone at HM’s discretion

Monday – Thursday: one-off requests at HM’s discretion (e.g birthday meal). Friday: 17:00 – 21:30. Saturday and Sunday: an agreed time with House Staff of up to 8 hours between hours 09:00 – 21:30.

*consent must be received via phone call from a parent or guardian

Brighton London with Parental Consent* – alone at HM’s discretion

Monday – Thursday: one-off requests at HM’s discretion (e.g birthday meal). Friday: 17:00 – 21:30. Saturday and Sunday: an agreed time with House Staff of up to 8 hours between hours 09:00 – 21:30.

*consent must be received via phone call from a parent or guardian

Kitchen and food in the boarding houses

On a day-to-day basis, girls are expected to eat meals in the School facilities; however, girls may wish to eat extra snacks at other times. Each House pantry is well-stocked with items to bake with, daily fresh fruit and snacks. Girls can cook under supervision, and requests are honoured by the House staff who will cook with the pupils, whether that is baking or cooking a meal, or even a roast dinner!

Your daughter can bring snacks into the House (sweets, chocolate, crisps, dried foods etc.) and there is a weekly trip to the local supermarket (the younger years are supervised). There are fridges, a freezer and many cupboards in which they can store food. Any online supermarket deliveries are not allowed. Please do not bring in snacks that contain nuts as some pupils have allergies. We are a nut-free school. No Nutella, sorry!

Storage

Boarders should be aware that during term-time storage is limited to the space under their beds or above their wardrobes. We will store their empty suitcases in our basement at the beginning of term, and boarders will be able to collect them when travelling home. During the holidays, boarders will be asked to clear their rooms and store their belongings into three named 55L storage boxes (a School Trunk crate), 1 duvet bag and 1 suitcase maximum. Any additional items or if the crate weight over 25 kg will be charged to the family by the company moving the boarders’ belongings. The school uses School Trunk. We will order the crates on your behalf according to your needs.

House competitions at Roedean

Whether you are a day girl or a weekly, fexi or full boarder, you will be fully integrated into your boarding house. For Boarders, the House is their home and for Day girls, they can have access to the ODR (Old Dining Room), the Hobbies Rooms and the Drawing Room to socialise at the end of the school day altogether.

Boarders and Day girls are part of a House Team and the House spirit is strong at Roedean. There are four House Teams for the 6 Houses of Roedean: House 1, House 2, House 3, House 4, Lawrence House and Keswick House. Each House Team has its own colour which is at the heart of its identity, and this is never clearer than in the numerous inter-House competitions, with coloured pom-poms and face-paints, and House chants. This friendly rivalry produces a sense of camaraderie and community which inspires your daughter to learn, grow and achieve together.

Boarders in Year 11 can apply to become a House Captain or a Deputy House Captain. House Captains and Deputy House Captains offer signifcant leadership for their House and for the entire Roedean Community. Girls who are Captain of a House or a Team should act as a role model and demonstrate Roedean’s ethos and values to students in Years 7-13 across the school. They assist in supporting the school with House events and House activities within Roedean and wider local community. They can support in Assemblies as well.

Every Thursday, House Team meetings and events are held, such as House Dance, House Chess, House Dodgeball, House Cake Off, House Quiz and House Swimming. Get ready to cheer for your House Team!

I think what impresses me the most so far is the almost unbelievable range of opportunities available at the School. In Greta’s case, this has been incredible – school productions, sea swimming, the activities of Wild Fridays, to mention a few. As a weekly boarder, the quality of the boarding house and most particularly the staff that run it, are critical to our so far fantastic experience.

Without doubt ALL the staff members of House 3 deserve a very special mention. They could not be more caring and attentive to our daughter, and we’ve never had a single concern or unhappy ‘phone call from her.

My impression is that the school community is very diverse. There appears to be a very healthy contingent of Sussexbased girls, coming in on the buses every day. Equally a very good cross section of UK and international boarders.

I’ve found that Greta has integrated and mixed extremely well with both day girls and boarders, and within the boarding house equally well with weekly and full boarders, UK and international.

As the parent of a weekly boarder, one can feel a little removed from the school community, but the Roedean Parent Portal is a really good tool for keeping completely up to date with Greta’s progress. It’s a bit of a revelation, completely removed from anything our primary school provided. It’s outstanding.

Testimonial from parents of a Weekly Boarder

Roedean School, Roedean Way, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 5RQ

T: +44(0)1273 667500 | W: roedean.co.uk