Heads Weekly Review - Spring Issue 11

WEEKLY REVIEW

Head’s Introduction

For me, this is a very poignant issue of the Head’s Review, as it marks 10 wonderfully engaging and varied years at Roedean. While this is just a drop in the ocean in terms of Roedean’s proud history, it has been the most significant (and longest) role of my career.

In fact, I have never lived anywhere in my life as long as I have lived at Roedean, so it has really mattered to me, and to my family. I am extraordinarily grateful for the opportunity to lead this School, and what that has meant to me in terms of working directly and closely with fantastic colleagues and amazing students. It has also been inspiring to see how we have, collectively, made a real difference in so many visible and invisible ways in the past ten years.

It is a great privilege to be part of a community of students, parents and staff, all focused on what matters most – the experiences, opportunities and aspirations that will shape lives, and leave lasting impressions. What we do in school is both indelible and invisible, and what we receive back in doing this, as teachers and staff working with young people is similarly indelible and invisible.

Working with young people leaves you enriched in mind, inspired in spirit, and courageous in heart. That is the gift of working in this community, with all your uniqueness, talent, generosity, warmth and humour. I just want to say a huge and genuine thank you, to you all.

Now onto business! Congratulations to our Netballers, and to the Sports Department – the U13s, the U14s, and the U16s are all county champions, after winning the Sussex Cup tournaments this week. What a remarkable feat to do this in three year-groups, but this underlines how impressive Netball is at Roedean, and shows the commitment of the PE Department and the teams themselves. This term, there have been an unbelievable 231 Netball fixtures, with more students than ever before representing their School on the courts – well done, and congratulations!

Over the last few weeks, the School has been running the selection process for the new Prefect body, and the impressive calibre of the students meant that the decision-making process was a very difficult one. It is important to say that everyone in the Sixth Form is a leader and a role-model for those further down the School, but it was such a pleasure to announce the new Prefects in Chapel today.

Music and PromenadeMystery Concert

Particular congratulations go to our six members of the Head of School Team, which consists of four students, Tammy, Queena, Amelia, and Sigrid, and our new Heads of School, Amelia and Maria – well done!

Thank you to everyone for an amazing series of endof-term and end-of-era events. The Gala Concert last Friday evening was a wonderful opportunity to showcase all our art, the VIP dinner was a fantastic way to thank former Trustees, staff and girls, and our 125 Celebration for staff was a fitting way to celebrate the school’s 125th anniversary on this site at Roedean.

Thank you to all the staff involved in last night’s Music and Mystery Promenade Concert which showed great ambition, with a series of musical and dramatic performances around several venues within the School. Congratulations also to all the performers, of which there seemed to be hundreds, all across the school! The technical and logistical feat of getting all those performers to their different performance spots and then making sure the audience must have been an enormous challenge. Thank you too, to our catering team who also appeared in three venues, and looked after our visitors so well.

This term has seen our charity and partnership work continue with great success: the school community has raised over £23,500 for charity this year, the Roedean Academy programme has welcomed 70 students from 6 local state schools, and our students and staff are hugely committed to making a difference at St Mark’s and other partner schools and institutions. This partnership work combines weekly activities, which have a positive impact over time, with one-off events, such as the wonderful Easter cake which was delivered by our Year 7 winners to the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital.

All of these activities underline how embedded Roedean is in the local community, and they really do touch people’s hearts – well done and thank you to everyone who is involved in these incredibly important activities.

As you can see from this review, the breadth, depth and ambition of the School and everyone involved in it is truly breath-taking. Long may it continue! Farewell, and good luck on all your journeys.

A Farewell to Oliver Degree Apprenticeship for Harmony

Netball Sussex Champions

Unsung heroes in the spotlight

Each week, many wonderful things happen at Roedean, about which many in the school are perhaps unaware; this section of the weekly review is dedicated to ‘unsung heroes’, in order to draw our attention to these people and remind us that our community is special.

This Term in Numbers

£23,537 raised for charity this year

7 venues in the Music and Mystery promenade performance

231 Netball fixtures this term

26,000+ lessons this term

3 Sussex Cups

Fundraising for HART and a Visit to the House of Lords

Edrea, Janice, and Zoe (Yr12) held a bake sale earlier this week to raise money for the charity, HART. Thery have been corresponding with the charity, and on Wednesday they had afternoon tea in the House of Lords with Baroness Cox, who founded Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust in 2004.

'Baroness Cox is a crossbencher in the House of Lords, and her organisation provides humanitarian aid in various different ways, leading countless missions to the world’s most dangerous zones, such as the war zones of the Armenian enclave of Nagorno Karabakh and Burma’s jungles, to documenting human rights violations and humanitarian need. She aims to remove local people from oppression and persecution by working with local partners across eight countries through HART.

HART's hybrid approach of aid and advocacy means that they are able to concentrate efforts on those who are often neglected by international media and the wider world. Therefore, we applied to be Student Ambassadors to play a part in making a change, to exercise our privilege of living in a safer country in order to advocate for those who need it.'

Congratulations to Edrea, Janice, and Zoe for taking the initiative to support this charity, and for all the work they have done already – well done!

Dr Barrand

Maths Results from the Pink and Grey Kangaroos

The results from the Pink and Grey Kangaroos are here! These are the follow-on rounds from the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge, and are by invitation only for top performers, so congratulations go to all who participated.

Around half of the students who participated achieved a Merit, which is excellent.  Special congratulations go to Vicky, Aimee, and Diana in Year 11 and Ronni in Year 10, who all achieved Merit in the Grey Kangaroo, and Chloe in Year 9, who achieved a Merit in the Pink Kangaroo. Martha in Year 10 also had a very strong score, but missed out on a Merit by just 1 point.

Well done to all the students who took part.     Mrs Hopper

Edrea, Janice, Zoe (Yr12) – for raising money for the HART charity by holding a bake sale [Dr Barrand]

Gabby (Year 13) – for a fantastic Academic Lecture on 'Why fascism failed to rise to power in the UK in the 1930s’! [Ms Ibanez]

Special Easter Delivery to the Royal Alexandra Hospital

Since 2021, Roedean has donated to the Rockinghorse Children’s Charity, organised Easter Egg collections, and run a special competition for the girls in Year 7 to design a cake, which is then made and delivered to the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital, as a way of thanking the wonderful NHS staff who work there. So far, the school has raised over £3000 for Rockinghorse this year.

This year’s cake designing winners were Saffron and Sorcha, who decided to work together to come up with their design. 'We knew there was a teddy theme, and we wanted to keep an Easter theme as well, so we added the bunny ears to the teddy along with all the eggs and flowers. It’s a chocolate cake, so it also fits with chocolate Easter eggs, there is confetti on the inside, and the bear has a patch on his eye to show it’s for the hospital.'

The competition was judged by our expert pastry chef, Ruth Sambrook, who then made the cake with the winning design. The final product looked wonderful, and it was delivered to the Alex along with lots of Easter Eggs donated by Year 7.

Staff from the Play Team at the hospital were really happy to accept the cake, and are looking forward to being able to share it with their colleagues throughout the children’s hospital. An article on the charity's website can be read here: https://www.rockinghorse.org.uk/news/special-easter-deliveryfrom-roedean-delivered-to-the-alex/

Well done to everyone involved, and especially to Saffron and Sorcha, and to Mrs Sambrook.

Degree Apprenticeship with UBS for Harmony

Congratulations to Harmony (Yr13), who has been offered a Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship in Technology by UBS.

She will start in September, working in London, and she is really pleased that all of her preparatory work has paid off, and that it is in the sector she wanted. Her degree will be awarded by Exeter University, but all of her degree work will be virtual – although she will be working 5 days a week, 20% of that time can be dedicated to academic study.

Even more impressive is that Harmony has applied for a number of different apprenticeships concurrently, and has been juggling the different processes. UBS was a smoother and shorter process, with on-line interviews and a literacy assessment, whereas others have included a number of in-person interviews and stages – she said, 'I have had so many interviews, that my friends are coming to me for tips!' She has really enjoyed the process, and the interviews themselves.

She is still waiting to hear whether she has been successful with the KPMG's Black Heritage

Insight programme, which would give her 3 days of work experience over the summer, and she also has a week's work experience with JP Morgan.

Well done, Harmony!

New Prefect Team Announced!

Dr Barrand

Congratulations to the newly appointed Prefect Team, who will take up their positions after Easter. There will be a Head of School Team, made up of:

This team will be supported by the Prefects:

Thank you and congratulations to the outgoing team – you have done a great job, and particular thanks go to Jemima and Sarah for always undertaking their Head Girl roles so brilliantly!

Mr Wilson

A Farewell to Oliver

Over the last week, the School has had a great time planning and holding events to say farewell to Mr Blond. There was the amazing Performing Arts Gala last Friday, a whole series of challenges set by the students, gifts and speeches from the Key Stages, a dinner at which we welcomed former Head Girls, former staff, and ORs, a Support Staff tea with a Liverpool theme, and a magnificent Winnie the Pooh-inspired poster created by Megan and Olivia, who left last year. We hope that Mr Blond has enjoyed his varied, highlyentertaining, and heart-felt send-off!

Poem – by Amelia (Yr11)

Once upon a time, upon a cliff, beside the shore, A gardener had a humble plot, but yearned for something more, So he took a shovel, he took some seeds, and buried them in earth, He knew before they grew what those many seeds were worth, Day and night, he watched them grow, No matter fast, no matter slow, He waited, knowing that they would bud, Waited, through wind and rain and mud,  And every single precious, careful seed that he had sewn, Grew to be a flower, each with beauty of its own, A garden rich with blossoms, rich with every colour and creed, And all it ever took was some care and a seed.

Psychology Trip to See Freud's Couch

Last Thursday, 39 Psychology students travelled to Hampstead in North London to visit the house, now a museum, where Sigmund Freud spent the final year of his life. Freud's study, complete with his original couch, has been left (somewhat eerily) exactly as it was when he died in 1939, although there was evidence that it has been hoovered!

HHH creations for Easter!

Students in Years 7, 8, and 9 have been getting creative this week in their HHH lessons as they prepare for Easter! In Textiles, the Year 7 class have made some delightful fabric Easter bunnies, and in HHH Cooking they have been baking Easter-themed cookies.

The HHH enrichment programme allows students to be creative, develop new skills, relax, and have fun in a variety of different activities!

It is fantastic to see students embracing these opportunities and enjoying a break from their academic studies, as well as having the opportunity to come away from lessons with a finished product! It provides a great sense of accomplishment and achievement.

Miss Kelsey

The students spent a fascinating couple of hours looking at his collections of cultural figures, watching documentary footage of his escape from the Nazis in Vienna, learning about his daughter Anna's ground-breaking work in developmental psychology, and generally engaging with the theorist and intellectual who gave us the original talking cure.

We then relaxed by visiting the gardens and the shop. A thought provoking and stress-free day was enjoyed by all. Many thanks to Miss Whiteson, Mrs Howson, and Mrs Marks for accompanying the students on the trip.

Mr Harrison

Drama GCSE Exam

On Wednesday 15 March, the Year 11 students who are studying GCSE Theatre Studies performed their practical assessment to an external examiner.

From Oscar Wilde to Carol Churchill, the plays that have been selected depict a range of classical and modern characters, including wellknown roles, such as Celia and Gwendolyn to new writing in plays such as Mercy Fine.

The class of 2023 are the first year to perform in front of an invited audience and examiner since the pandemic, and they rose to the challenge. Each scene enabled the students to explore relationships between characters and audience, using a variety of acting techniques,

such naturalism, stylised movement, and direct address.

The students have to perform two extracts each, and they can either perform in a monologue or duologue, however they must choose two extracts from the same play.

It was lovely to see parents, friends, and teachers in the audience supporting all the students, as the exam criteria requires a live audience, so a big thank you to all who came to watch.

Well done – it was a brilliant way to end your practical course.

Mrs Woodbridge

Letter from Roedean South Africa

Emily is having a ball in South Africa – here is her update for this week!

'I can’t believe the start to my new week! We headed off at 5am on Saturday morning to my host family’s place at a game reserve, not far from the Kruger. On the way we saw some incredible mountains and waterfalls; quintessential rural African beauty. The moment we drove through the gates of the game reserve, my mouth flew wide open! We saw giraffes, elephants, and zebras just walking on the roads ahead of us! We were even so lucky to spot a baby giraffe! Bearing in mind, this was just the entrance to the wilderness where the reserve is located, I wasn’t sure what to expect once we were actually in ‘the bush’.

We switched cars to an open safari car, no windows or doors, and headed off to their beautiful house, with a view of the river, where we’ve often spotted hippo, buffalos, and, to my

surprise, many baboons, that climb the fig tree right outside, often very early in the morning. I noticed the drastic change in temperature as, of course, we had headed much closer to the equator. The family often like to drive for hours, early in the morning and late at night to avoid the peak temperatures, ranging from mid to high thirty degrees, at this time of year (where this is technically the late summer/autumn). On my first day I spotted elephants, impalas, hippos, and baboons all roaming freely amongst the trees and across the river. This game reserve is plentiful and healthy, and the access for food for these animals is vast, so it’s very popular with any and all animals indigenous to this area of Africa.

Though completely wild and no fence as far as the eye can see, I almost couldn’t accept that this was real life, and that these animals were truly wild animals. It wasn’t until we came across the infamous male elephant that has

been roaming around alone recently, which is  known for its dislike of vehicles and charges after people, when my mind finally accepted the fact. On our way home from visiting another family across the reserve, we stumbled across this very elephant, who had recently run after the other family in their car. We rushed to turn off our spotlights and got ready to accelerate when suddenly he turned and headed the other way. I could almost feel the realisation come over me, as we sat in the complete darkness, waiting for the elephant to leave, which was so surreal!

Due to the long weekend, I came back to school on Wednesday, where I was scheduled to help out with the junior school again. I felt as though I was also learning the languages of Afrikaans and IsiZulu with the younger kids, as I’ve never heard of them before!'

Roedean Academy Feedback 2023

The Spring term sessions of the Roedean Academy have finished this week, and the students from the seven schools have enjoyed the sessions. They will now be preparing a fiveminute academic research paper, which they will present to their peers on 7 June. Here are some of their comments:

‘I have loved working with different schools, working together with other like-minded students.’

Hettie (Roedean)

‘After attending a talk on Psychology, I feel even more inspired to continue it now.’

Kristina (Dorothy Stringer)

‘It was an amazing learning experience to push my limits.’

Gabrielle (Blatchington Mill)

‘Learning British Sign Language was challenging but fun!’

Maisie (PACA)

‘It was nice talking about subjects which we don’t usually cover.’

Carmen (Blatchington Mill)

‘It opens us up to new opportunities and to learning useful life lessons.’

Maisie (Roedean)

‘It was an amazing learning experience to push my limits.’

Gabrielle (Blatchington Mill)

‘I loved International Women’s Day.’

Marla (King’s)

‘The ‘Am I a Good Person’ session was really provoking.’thought-

Lydia (Roedean)

‘I would recommend all of the cool experiences you get to do!’

Lizzy (Blatchington Mill)

‘I liked learning new things such as Classics and Pathway to Medicine.’

Thea (King’s)

‘I had a fun time, and my favourite session was about keeping.’beeMabelStringer)(Dorothy

‘Looking at material not connected to my GCSEs made school feel less pressurised.’

Maya (Roedean)

‘It was interesting to learn about others and bond together through laughter –also the brownies are brilliant.’

Ian (PACA)

‘I really enjoyed having wider debates – it has definitely been an amazing space.’

Leila (Blatchington Mill)

‘It has shown me which areas I might want to go into in the future.’

Finn (PCS)

‘I now know a lot about things I didn’t know before.’

Willow (Roedean)

‘I feel I have a understandingbetterof the choices I can make after my GCSEs.’

Oscar (PCS)

‘I’ve explored unique angles to do with my own interests, but with a more applicable goal.’

Lilly (Dorothy Stringer)

‘It has been good to debate with other people my age as in class it can often be teacher-led.’very

Clara (Blatchington Mill)

‘It has been inspirational and fun trying out new subjects.’

Lola (King’s)

Music and Mystery Promenade Concert

Thursday evening saw the wonderful Music and Mystery promenade concert, which took place in seven venues around the School – what an amazing end to the Spring term!

As the audience members arrived, they were greeted by a lovely string quartet in the fireplace. The scene was immediately set for 1920s glamour, with the musicians playing in front of an art deco upholstered chaise longue, and a ‘roaring’ fire. The first venue for the promenade concert was the Studios, where a swing band played  Michael Jackson, Putting on the Ritz, and Midsomer Murders, accompanied by bubbles and canapés.

After a short perambulation to the Chapel, the audience enjoyed Shostakovich’s iconic Waltz No2. After a dramatic pause, the orchestra began the famous and terrifying theme from the Phantom of the Opera. Halfway through, the piece was interrupted by a blood-curdling scream. The characters, played by Year 10 students, gave the performance a chilling edge, setting the scene for the Agatha Christie-esque search for a villain, with far too many suspects.

In the Cloisters, the audience met the mistress, accompanied by the Senior Singers, with a rendition of Killer Queen. Standing under the Cloisters, the audience heard one of the suspects try to absolve herself of the crime. As they passed through the Blyth, they saw the crime scene, with the victim’s outline on the floor.

The next venue was Main Reception, where the Senior Singers sang Killing Me Softly. The close harmonies were lovely, with the sound filtering down the corridors and up the main stairs. At the end of the performance, the chauffeur appeared through the front door of the School – another suspect.

The next venue was the Art Gallery in the Old Ref. Rachel and Abi played Tchaikovsky’s lovely Waltz, while the characters walked the audience around the wonderful Exhibition of our students’ work. The Library was transformed into a Poker Room, where Fleur sang Lady Gaga’s Poker Face, supported by the Senior Singers. In the Drama Studio, Anything Goes by Galina, and Charlie sang Cry Me a River and Putting on the Ritz.

The finale, and the revelation of the guilty suspect, took place in the Theatre, where the characters with whom the audience had shared their journey brought the mystery to a close. The promenade Concert came full circle, and the final piece was a medley from the Phantom of the Opera –accompanied by the orchestra, with the choir singing Music of the Night. The promenade concert ended with a fantastic series of explosions, as the chandelier over the stage fell to the ground – it was a remarkable spectacle!

Thanks to the Art Department – as well as setting up the Exhibition in the Old Ref, they upholstered the chaise longue, made the Cluedo cards, staged the tableaux in the Blyth, and printed the archive photos, which were displayed along the Main Corridor, to mark the 125th anniversary.

Thank you to Mr Woodhouse, who wrote the original script, which was then adapted by Lydia and the Year 10 performers. This promenade spectacle showed remarkable ambition, and pushed the bounds of a school performance – it was clear from their comments as they left that the audience members had really enjoyed the evening. One said, ‘It was an absolutely brilliant evening. Stylish, elegant, superb attention to detail, with fantastic musical performances and acting, and a great storyline. Congratulations, and huge thanks!’

Well done to the Music and Drama departments, and to the Theatre and IT teams – it was a fantastic show!

Dr Barrand  Page 10

Netball Experience Day with Pamela Cookey

50 visiting students had a brilliant masterclass at Roedean on Tuesday with the wonderful exEngland Netball Captain Pamela Cookey.

Pamela is a 7-time Super League Champion, has 2 Commonwealth Bronze medals, 2 World Championship Bronze medals, and 1 World Netball Fast Net Series Gold medal. As well as being an inspiration on the court, Pamela inspired the girls with a talk about her career to date, which now includes being a member of the Sky Sports commentary team and Director of Netball at Severn Stars.

After Netball skills and fitness sessions, the sun came out for the girls' mini tournament, where they put into practice what they had learned throughout the day.

Thank you to The Mintridge Foundation for facilitating this link, to Miss Hammond and our wonderful Sports Department for hosting, and to the Roedean Year 9 helpers who were so supportive of our visitors.

Mrs Wienekus

Persian Tea Party for Roedean and St Mark's

Last Monday, 20 March, was 'Nowruz', which is the Iranian or Persian New Year. To mark this special occasion, a Persian dinner was organised for our Iranian student, Arezou, and one of our minibus drivers, Hossein, along with two Iranian students from St Mark's and their parents – Arezou works closely with the two St Mark's students, as she visits them each week as a 'Language Buddy'. The dinner included classic Persian dishes, such as Jooheh, Koobibeh, and Ghormeh Sabzi. It was delicious and enjoyed by all!

Mr Wilson

Library Refurbishment

The Library is now closed for an exciting refurbishment, which has long been an ambition of Mr Blond.

Starting in the Easter holidays, it will be completely transformed, with new windows, flooring, lighting, and a complete redesign. Some initial images of the architect’s plans are displayed below.

We will keep you updated on progress as it happens!

Mrs Bailey

Watch Lily perform on BBC1 this Saturday night!

The National Lottery Big Night Of Musicals will be aired on BBC1 at 7.50pm this Saturday, where Lily, Year 7, will be taking part in a performance from the West End musical Matilda, in which she plays Lavendar, Matilda’s friend. What a wonderful experience! Congratulations Lily!

'I am happy to announce that, following our virtual hustings and voting, we have successfully elected four students in Year 12 to represent Roedean on the Brighton and Hove Youth Council – congratulations to: Well done!'

Sarah

Year 12 Students on the Brighton and Hove Youth Council 'Thank You' Messages from the Community

'Going to Roedean is the highlight of the week, where the children are immersed into subject areas and provided with the most amazing opportunities. I have seen my children's confidence grow and children who often struggle to engage due to SEN are fully immersed and participating. The enrichment mornings are encouraging, accessible, creative, fun, and inspirational.'

Miss

'We have been really fortunate to work with Roedean this year in developing community relationships. Our Year 1 pupils have benefited from working with a wonderful group of students who have volunteered their time to support the children’s learning. It is fantastic for our pupils have such strong role models and support in their learning choice time.'

Natalie Burley – Saltdean Primary

'The Roedean girls come over to our school on a weekly basis. They take a group of our students from different year groups and undertake various activities with them, including games, arts and crafts, and construction. The students have benefited greatly from this weekly contact and really enjoy these sessions. Thank you, Roedean!"

Michelle Ricetti, Our Lady Of Lourdes Catholic Primary School

'We, at Blind Veterans UK Brighton, have really appreciated and valued our partnership with Roedean over the years, and being such close neighbours has been an added bonus! The Community Action Programme has been a great way for our members and the students to interact through conversations, activities, and musical events. The sharing of knowledge and experiences from both our members and Roedean students has been a benefit on both sides, especially as the age gap can be sometimes over 82 years! The visits are something our Residents and visiting holiday members look forward to and we will definitely miss it when we move to Rustington. Many thanks.'

Stacey Barham, Member Experience Coordinator

(Head Girl)

Paloma Amelia Elodie Maria

Scerri, Year 5 teacher at St Mark's

Spring Term – Weekend Activities

This term has seen adrenaline-filled, lungbusting, and 'out of this world' weekend experiences for our boarders. From Go Karting, skiing, Ninja Warrior, and paintballing, to Immotion VR, and, possibly the highlight of the year, The Harry Potter Studios – there has been something for everyone.

The trips have been a great success, with lots of new experiences for the students. Somehow, they also found time to volunteer at the Brighton Half Marathon one chilly morning, which was a lovely way to support our local community. Thank you to all the staff who have helped to support the trips this term.

Look out for next term's more 'summer friendly' activities, including Zip wiring, powerboating on the English Channel, and paddleboarding on a beautiful local lake!

Mr Wilson

This Week in Boarding...

It may have been wet and rainy this week but that hasn't stopped the boarders from having a smashing last week before we break up for Easter.

On Saturday girls from Houses 1-4 enjoyed some retail therapy in Crawley Shopping Centre. House 1 spent the evening decorating some adorable Easter biscuits and House 2 had a mocktail and self-care night.

Throughout the week Houses 1 and 2 have enjoyed eating out the fridges- toasties, crisps, and strawberry milk galore!

House 4 have been busy this week, with snooker games, handmade Mother’s Day cards, waffles, and an Easter egg hunt and film. Year 8 girls from all houses joined in with the evening of fun.

Houses 1-4, Keswick and Lawrence put together a beautiful goodbye to our wonderful Mr Blond on Tuesday. He was awarded a House spirit badge from each house and a farewell sign. We wish him luck with his future endeavours and are grateful for all he has done for the School.

We hope that all our girls have a wonderful Easter break, and we cannot wait to have them back with us next month and hear all about their adventures!

Miss Roe

U16As Retain the Sussex Cup

The U16As stepped onto the court for their final game as a team to take on Brighton College in the Sussex Cup Final this week.

They had faced each other in October, with the game going goal for goal and Roedean taking the win in the final minutes, so they knew it would be a tough match. Unfortunately, we had a poor start and allowed Brighton to be leading 14-6 after the first quarter. The girls did not let this deter them and, after some changes, they went out fighting in the second quarter.

We managed to regain the goals we lost, taking us to half time at 18 all. In the third quarter, we continued to pressure the ball defensively and forced lots of errors, we transferred the ball effectively through court and, with accurate feeds and shooting, we were up by 10 going into the final 15-minute quarter.

We played a possession game, working the ball around patiently until a safe option was there. This saw us over the line and the U16s were crowned Sussex Champions again for the 2nd year running, taking the win 43-35.

I could not have asked for anymore from this group of girls. They gave everything on the court and have been a joy to coach over the past 5 years. We are so proud of what you have achieved!

Miss Hammond

Sussex Hockey for Bella, Megs, and Tessa

Congratulations to Bella, Megs, and Tessa in Year 9, who all played Hockey for Sussex this month. They had some hard games, against London North and then London South, but they played really. Hopefully, there will be more opportunities in the next couple of months. We wish them all well!

Sport Stars of the Week

Congratulations to the last Sport Stars of the Week for the Spring term:

Year 7

Momo, for her outstanding progress in sport

Year 8

Izzy, for her great commitment to the Netball programme

Year 9 Minnie, for giving up time to help out another year group

Year 10 Clara, for generally being all-round brilliant!

Year 11

Alice and Liv, for great Netball commitment

Year 12 Amelia, for her outstanding commitment to sport across the board

Year 13

Phoebe and Sylva, for captaining the Netball 1st team this year

Netball vs St Andrew's

U12D

On Wednesday, the under 12Ds came back with a win – 16-2 against St Andrew's. We started of with an amazing mindset and, making sure to end the netball term with a victory, we went on the pitch ready and determined!

For the first quarter we were on a roll with 4 goals! With our amazing shooters, Zaina and Ying, amazing GK defending from Flo, and wonderful interceptions and defending from Aya! For the second quarter, we went up to 10 goals from our amazing shooting, with great centre passes from Momo, and wonderful driving from Greta and Hazel. In the 3rd quarter, we were up to 14 goals, and ended with 16 for the last quarter. We are super happy with our win and hope to progress more in Year 8.

Miss Wakeling

U12A

On Wednesday, the U12As embarked on their final match of the season on the not so sunshiny coast of Eastbourne! We were playing the U13A team, which meant that we gained some of the amazing U13B team to help us out. The team was sad that it was their last game, but determined to play their best to see the season out.

The team started a little wobbly, which is not uncommon for the Year 7 side, quickly going 8-1 down. With some readjustments, we managed to claw back a few more goals, but not enough to keep it close, and we were 14-4 down at half-time. The older, stronger Year 8 side were holding shooters, which was tough to defend and we were slowly learning how to adjust to this.

The end of quarter 3 saw us 23-8 down and, with one last push, the team drew the last quarter, but it was too late and the final whistle went with 29-14 on the boards. Just shy of half score, the squad were gutted, but this doesn't put an dampener on their season. They worked tirelessly all season and I could not be prouder. They have earnt a firm place on my wall of fame and there are really big things to come from this promising side. Miss Bamford, out!

Miss Bamford

The PE Dream Team

Despite the notorious Roedean wind and rain, it is always a sunny day in the PE department.

Congratulations to Tennis coach, Mr Fox, on the birth of his little baby girl, Gwen!

Miss Wakeling

U12A

Netball vs Sevenoaks

U14C

The U14Cs were in jovial spirits on the bus journey for their last fixture of the season versus Sevenoaks last Saturday. In a tough and gruelling test, the Roedean team realised they had to adapt and work hard if they wanted to compete in the match. Despite losing 27-23, the last quarter was their best, having won that quarter 5-2. The girls should be proud of showing the resilience to come back in a game that was slipping away from them after the first 3 quarters. Well done U14Cs!

Pocklington

U14E

On Saturday, the U14E team embarked on their journey to Sevenoaks to play their final match of the season. With Chloe and Lucia shooting, Chloe, Claire, and Sarah holding down the middle, and Nathania and Sophie blocking from the back, the team were outstanding!

The score was 5-5 after the first quarter and then quickly turned to 10-8 up at half time. Sevenoaks struggled to get anything past Sophie and Nathania at the back, with Roedean taking a strong lead of 14-9 in quarter three. With the final whistle not long away, the team were determined to take the win, and that they did – 17-11!

The team had the best time, giggling the whole way through, and showing ferocity and control across the court. Well done to Lucia for Girl of the Game and to Claire for Coach's Player of the Match.

What a great finish to a great season for the squad – well done team!

Miss Bamford

U15C

On Saturday 18 March, the U15C Netball team headed to Sevenoaks. Despite being short of substitutes, the team was full in number and had a spirit to match. This was to be our last fixture of the netball-focused term, so aspirations were high.

Led by our Captain Dot, we were set to play four 12-minute quarters in total. Sevenoaks got off to an extremely strong first quarter, the likes of which would prove to be decisive in the later stages. However, we had a switch around of positions and came back fighting in the second quarter. We made the decision to match the physicality of the Sevenoaks players, by putting height at either end of the court. Eloise, Martha, and Aarushi found a new ambition in their new positions.

Becca and Alicia (who stayed on, having played in the U14s to play for us) made a robust partnership in C and WA.  Dot was strong and helped the flow of the game. Despite being down on the overall goal scoring front, we managed to 'win' the second quarter. Sevenoaks, who had a large team, made some decisive changes and came into the third quarter fighting. They managed to make a big impact on the overall standings at this stage. However, Roedean was not to be disheartened. The team came back again to win the fourth quarter.

The overall score was a loss to Roedean at 19-37, however the score sheet by no means reflected the effort and stoicism of the team. At every stage, when they were down on goals, they came back with a spirit and desire to win, that showed how much the match meant to them. I am very happy with their performance against a really difficult opposition.

Ms Marek

U15E

The super U14s stepped in heroically to cover lots of drop outs form the U15Es – they took on the challenge and went out to face the year above in their place. Not only were some of the squad playing their second match of the day, some of them had come up from the U14F and G teams!

The squad was made up of Abigail and Henrietta to shoot, Chloe, Victoria and Athena in the middle, and then Nathania and Kaylee defending. With our main focus being not losing and having fun, the team was determined to play well. It was a tough start with the scoreline showing 4-1 to Sevenoaks at quarter time. With some switches and a team talk, they went again fighting – at half-time, it was 7-7.

Sevenoaks clawed it back in the third quarter, taking us down by 2, but with determination and urgency from the squad, they stepped up to take an 1111 draw at full time!

A massive well done to the Year 9s who were playing against girls one or two years older than themselves. A special mention goes to Abigail and Victoria who were awarded with Girls of the Game, and to Nathania and Chloe for Coach's Players of the Game.

Miss Bamford

Mr

U15E

U14E

U15B Fight to the Finish

The U15B team had their last Netball fixture against a welldrilled Sevenoaks side, and it was always going to be a tough test.

The game started well with the girls being patient and moving the ball around court comfortably. In the second quarter, we stepped it up but this meant that Sevenoaks did the same and they managed to pull ahead.

The third quarter was a tough one as we struggled to get shots up. The defensive unit was working hard and did well in the final third, and with some more shots in we clawed a respectable score back.

The U15B have had a tough netball term, but their game improved each week – well done girls!

Mr Campleman

U13A Netball vs Brighton College Prep 1st Team!

Last Wednesday, we took on Brighton College Prep. It was a tight game for the first half, with the score 6-6 at half time. We focused on our basics and managed to pull away in the third quarter, leading by 5 going into the final quarter. The shooters moved around well, and we capitalised off our turnovers to secure the win 20-11. Well done to Poppy for receiving Players' Player, YanYan for receiving Opposition's Player, and Izzy for receiving Coach’s Player.

Miss Hammond

U18B – Last Match of the Season

The Roedean U18B team played two games on Saturday. One was against Sevenoaks 3rd team and the other against Sevenoaks 4th team.

We had a difficult 1st half against a strong Sevenoaks side, and the final score against the 3rd team was 16-4. The second game was well matched and Roedean started with a quick first goal. Although we lost, it was a great game, with lots of different players playing lots of different positions.

Well done to Lea, who was nominated as Player of the Match by the opposition, and Emma who was nominated as Player of the Match by the coach. Thank you also to all the parents and grandparents who turned up to support the girls' last match of the season.

Miss Wakeling

U12C

Dominate in Dynamite Duel

The U12C team took on Brighton in their penultimate fixture of the term. They arrived early, warmed up well, and started the game brilliantly. Roedean was up 6-2 in the first quarter and they took some time to get going.

The second quarter was a blistering attack upon attack as the girls never let up, finishing it 14-5. We then included some versatility into the game and actually performed brilliantly, showing the depth of knowledge in being able to play in different positions.

The final score was 26-9 to Roedean – it was a dominant and superb performance by the U12C team, and Girl of the Game went to Captain Georgie.

Mr Campleman

House Netball!

Over the past week all year groups have been participating in House Netball, showing their house spirit during their games lesson. It has been fantastic to see so many of you wear House war paint and giving it your best shot! There have been some close results, I have put the placings for each year group below! Well done to everyone who took part. Thank you for all your hard work and commitment to Netball this year, you have fielded 230 fixtures and looked extremely strong against some new harder blocks this year. Enjoy the Easter break, you deserve it!

7

4

8

3

9

4

10

3

2

3

1

4

1

2

3

1

2

1

11

1

1 & 3

4

2

4 Year 12 & 13

Brighton & Hove Schools Swimming Championship House Netball

Wednesday night saw the majority of Brighton & Hove schools competing in the annual Schools' Swimming Championships held at the Prince Regent Swimming Complex. It was a fantastic team effort from the Roedean swimming superstars. The team achieved 1 Silver medal in the 50m backstroke (well done Matilda and with an injured wrist!) and 4 Bronze medals: 2 for Alice (50m Back & 50m Free), 1 for Mollie (50m Breaststroke), and a fantastic achievement from the Year 8-9 Freestyle Relay team coming in third place – well done to Harriet, Katarina, Alice, and Captain Charlie! A big shout out to our youngest swimmer, Farah, for showing confidence, calmness, and wonderful technique in all her swims! Great job, Team Roedean!

U16As Victorious over Burgess Hill 1st team!

The U16As went up to Burgess Hill to play a soggy match on Monday evening. The girls started well against a strong side. They had Erin joining them as an honorary member, which helped keep fresh legs in the middle! They were patient with the ball and moved it around until they felt comfortable shooting. The defence pressurised the ball into the D, forcing errors, getting them valuable turn overs. They kept pushing and got the win 34-29. It was a great fixture to prepare them for the Sussex Cup Final on Wednesday.

Miss Hammond

Mr Pocklington

House Netball

Congratulations to Jasmine (Yr9), came 2nd place in the 1.20m showjumping last Thursday.

She has stepped up since February and her recent consistent competition record has put her and her horse as a combination in the top 5 of the British Showjumping National Children On Horses winter league – what a brilliant achievement!

There will be some more preparation and training to do over the next couple of weeks ahead of the annual Pony of the Year show in April, where Jasmine will be competing with the most talented Under 14 combinations in the country.

Well done, and we look forward to hearing how she does in her next competition.

Jasmine's Horse Show Staff Student Netball

Well done to everyone who played in the Staff-Student Netball Match on Wednesday – it was a great match, played in good spirit. The students were just too good for us, and won 7-4.

Tammy was named the Staff Player of the Match, and Mr Wilson was the students' Player of the Match.

Mr Halsey (Captain)

Ms Marek

U13A Crowned Sussex Champions!

The U13As took on Hurst in the final of the Sussex Cup on Wednesday.

We started off very slowly, struggling with pass accuracy and linking up through the court, which unfortunately led to us being down 6-2 after the first quarter. Roedean went on determined in the second quarter and stepped up their game. We opened up the space effectively and made the most of turnovers from our defensive unit, Lula and Amarah.

With some smooth attacking play, Amber, Poppy, Amelie, and YanYan linked through to our shooters, allowing them to get into a comfortable position to put up the shot. This allowed us to take the lead, 11-9 at half time. We continued to push on with great movement and shooting from Liv and Izzy, finishing the third quarter 19-12. We had an excellent final quarter to secure the shield, taking the win 26-15. This was a remarkable achievement, winning by 11 goals, especially when, in January, we had lost to them by 11 goals. This shows the hard-work and commitment the squad has given to training. We are all so proud of you! Well done girls!

U14As are Double Sussex Champions!

On Wednesday, the U14A team were crowned Sussex Champions for the second time this term, by winning the Sussex Cup – this is the first time in recent history!

Having beaten Brighton College in SISNA, the Roedean team knew they had it in them, they just needed to put all their training into practice, and do it again. After a slightly slow start, the team finished the first quarter 5 goals down, and with what felt like a mountain to climb. With a few changes in position and some reminders of key tactics to focus on, the girls hit the court and produced the two best quarters of netball they have played all season, to put them 5 goals ahead going into the final quarter.

By this stage, the team was exhausted, but, with a quick Squashy and Jelly Baby break, they took to the court to finish the job. It was a nail-biting final session, with Brighton coming back to within one goal, but, as the seconds ticked down, the team kept their heads and were able to snatch a 2-goal victory. Well done to the opposition’s MVPs Ruby and Harriet.

Miss Kirby-Jones

We welcome contributions from all parts of the Roedean community. If you have something you would like featured in the Headmaster’s Weekly Review, please email: abw@roedean.co.uk

Miss Hammond