21 million Women in Afghanistan are no longer permitted to speak in public, according to a new law passed by the Taliban this week. 21 million Afghan women have already been denied education, and they must be fully veiled whenever they are in public. In response to this, in Chapel this week, I encouraged the students to use their voices at Roedean, and to take full advantage of the freedoms they have to learn and to express themselves. The Lawrence sisters’ founding ethos was exactly this, that girls should have every opportunity available to boys.
Following the theme of communication, I am delighted that seven students at Roedean have achieved their Level 1 qualification in British Sign Language, and these trailblazers may soon be joined by others who have also already successfully completed a large proportion of this qualification. Five of these students are planning to continue and to complete Level 2, and they pave the way for the possible introduction of BSL into the Roedean curriculum at GCSE level.
The School has been in full swing this week, and I have enjoying seeing our students working purposefully in lessons, as well as throwing themselves into co-curricular activities. I am pleased that our new students are settling quickly at Roedean, and managing to find their way around what can be a confusing site! Good luck to those who are preparing to perform in our first teatime music recital of the year next week, and well done to everyone for getting stuck in in Games lessons and matches on our wonderful pitches. The Year 4 pupils from St Mark’s enjoyed their first Thursday visit of the term, and 23 students in Years 10 and 11 travelled to Lancing College to join the CCF contingent there on Wednesday this week. Well done to you all!
I am looking forward to welcoming many prospective families to Roedean tomorrow, and I am grateful to my colleagues and the students who will be showcasing the School on this important day. We are expecting good weather, and I have no doubt that our visitors will be impressed by what they see and hear tomorrow. Thank you in advance, and I wish you all a restful weekend!
Roedean’s Winning Awards
Remarkable BSL Results
Year 9 Enrichment Afternoon
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.
Grace, Lily, Anna, Lara (Yr8) –for jumping in to help the Heads of Year in their free time [Miss Bamford]
Ruby, Bea, Isabella (Yr10) – for supporting the Year 8s on Enrichment Afternoon last week, and being kind and helpful to those in need [Miss Bamford]
Sela and Wren (Yr7) – for giving a new girl, Marion, arriving 2 weeks into the start of term, the best of warm welcomes – preparing her bedroom for her and buying welcome gifts for her too [Mrs Waller]
Unsung Staff hero in the spotlight
Miss Barber – for volunteering to assist our visiting artist for the Year 9 enrichment afternoon, and providing our studetnts with lots of fantastic art materials to use [Mrs Howson]
On Tuesday 17 September, we have our first Teatime Recital. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to practise performing in front of a friendly audience, with lovely tea and cake to complement the music – if you would like to attend please click on the following link:
https://w3u.uk/tea-timerecital-2024-09-17
Ms Bartlette
First Teatime Recital of the Year Remarkable BSL Results
Congratulations to Roedean's first cohort of students who have taken on the challenge of Level 1 British Sign Language. Seven students have successfully attained this challenging qualification, after learning BSL as part of the Co-Curricular programme.
Scarlett (Yr10), Mary (Yr11), and Merla, Jazzelle, Gabriella, Olivia, and Twinkie (Yr13) all passed all three assessments, to achieve Level 1. Of these, five intend to undertake Level 2, which is equivalent to a GCSE, over the coming year –this will be a remarkable achievement.
Mrs Palmer, the girls' teacher was over the moon: 'I am delighted with these students’ successes, and they thoroughly deserve to be proud of this achievement – congratulations!’
Scarlett visited the Somerset Centre in Brighton and she was chatting with some of the clients –she said,'There were some people there who are hard-of-hearing, and I taught them how to say hello, and how to spell their names – it was fun!'
Merla has really enjoyed learning BSL: 'I love the lessons, and Mrs Palmer is brilliant – she's so kind and patient, and always really positive with us. She's such a good teacher, and Emma and Yolanda, her usual interpreters are amazing too!'
With this brilliant pedigree, Roedean is hoping to be one of a small number of schools in the UK which will offer GCSE BSL within the curriculum in September 2025, when it first becomes available.
We are delighted that there are a number of other students, who are also well on the way to achieving Level 1, and hopefully the new group which has started this week will be equally successful.
Congratulations to everyone involved – well done!
Dr Barrand
Roedean’s Winning Awards
We are delighted that the excellent work which we know goes on every day at Roedean has recently been acknowledged by a number of external agencies. Last term, we were delighted to be named as the best boarding school by Muddy Stilettos, winning the Brilliant Boarding category. Following this, at the end of the holidays, Roedean was described in glowing terms in the Tatler Schools’ Guide, and we were also named as the Best of the Best for School Partnerships in The Week Schools' Guide.
Finally, we heard on Monday this week that Roedean is a finalist in the Boarding School of the Year category in the Independent School of the Year awards. These accolades, coupled with two sets of outstanding results at GCSE and A Level in the summer underline the fact that Roedean is most definitely in fine fettle – congratulations!
Sport Stars of the Week
Congratulations to this week's sporting stars – they have all been named as our sporting stars for this because of their excellent commitment to sport at Roedean.
Well done!
Miss Kirby-Jones
Young Roedeanians' Networking Evening
Last Friday, we headed up to London for this year’s Young Roedeanians’ Networking Evening. It was fantastic to see so many ORs aged 18-30, along with a group of Year 13 students, who were all keen to hear from our OR Career Reps. The guests enjoyed a selection of delicious canapés and drinks, while catching up with old friends as well as chatting to ORs they had never met before.
There was a real buzz in the room as our OR Career Reps spoke about their careers, what their role entails, and the journey they took to get to where they are now. Our Year 13s asked some great questions as they spoke to the Reps about careers in Medicine, Finance, and Art.
OR Liz Kunzler FCSI (No.1, 1980-87) was one of the Career Reps: 'I really enjoyed meeting everyone on Friday, especially some of the current A Level Economics students, whom I mentored for the GAIN Investment Challenge.'
Thank you to everyone who came, and especially to the OR Career Reps for taking the time to give back to our community.
New Staff Profiles
Name: Ms Tahys Rodriguez Trujillo
Role: Visiting Drama Teacher
University: University of Leeds (BA), RADA and Birkbeck (MA)
Previous School: Eastbourne College
Interests: Reading, theatre, and writing
You’d never guess… I can tap dance and used to be part of Tap Attack
Name: Ms Edith Earl
Role: Deputy Head, Academic University: MA in Theology (Oxford)
Previous School: Wetherby Senior School, and before that, Roedean
Interests: cooking, crafting, rowing, reading and travel
You’d never guess… I was once reported to the UK Health Security Agency as a potential rabies risk. (I was travelling and got bitten by a mouse that had been hiding in a shoe!)
Name: Mrs Margaux Isbecque
Role: Lead Nurse
University: BSc (Hons) Virology (University of Glasgow), PGDip Adult Nursing (City, University of London)
Previous School: St. Vincent’s College, Sydney
Interests: Hiking, swimming, reading, anything food related
You’d never guess… I am actually French! And I travelled to 30 countries before turning 30.
Name: Mr George Wienekus
Role: Deputy Housemaster of House 3, and Science Teacher
University: BEd (University of South Africa), BEd with Honours in Maths Education (University of Cape Town), MEd in Maths Education (Rhodes University)
You’d never guess… I completed The Freedom Challenge – an unaided mountain bike race covering 2300 kilometres across South Africa
Miss Ellis
Year 9 Enrichment Afternoon
Year 9 were very lucky to have a visiting artist work with them for enrichment afternoon at the end of last week. Kate from Out Of The Box Creative Arts led them in a number of collaborative art activities, using materials foraged from the school grounds, which resulted in some amazing group art work to display around the School.
Year 9 had a fabulous afternoon, and they smiled throughout, even despite the rain! Well done for getting stuck in!
Mrs Howson
This Week in Boarding...
House 1 held an exciting quiz night, where all the answers could be found along the Main School corridor – they included questions about the Roedean time capsule, the synchronised clocks, and whose names are on the founding stone.
House 2 had an evening of silly games, involving donuts...of course! Girls raced to eat donuts from some string without using their hands! They enjoyed a Teddy Bears' Picnic, dining in style with their favourite cuddly friends and snacking on some sweet French toast!
House 3 hosted a very popular milkshake evening, with the flavour of the night being a delicious Oreo milkshake! The girls ventured into the evening light, torches at the ready, to hunt for blackberries. Stay tuned for next week's article to see what they made!
House 4 have been busy in the kitchen, cooking up a storm with banana bread, pancakes, toasties, and pizzas! Girls created wonderful clay creations, with a mini masterclass led by Miss Good, which will be painted in the coming weeks. The boarders have been continuing to make their mark on the House, and have made some lovely door signs with their names and plenty of decorations to put on their bedroom doors.
Keswick boarders mastered making pasta, which paired perfectly with some homemade pesto!
Lawrence held an afternoon tea, with fancy tea and the finest of cupcakes for the girls to try, and they could choose which was their favourite! The girls were treated to some homemade apple crumble, baked with fresh fruit from Mrs Diplos' garden! The Sixth Formers relaxed with Mindful Mondays, creating moodboards, solving
Hockey vs Ardingly
U14A
The U14A Roedean Hockey team played their first 11-a-side match against Ardingly on Friday night, facing a tough opponent on a larger pitch. The team started nervously as they adapted to a new formation, and Ardingly capitalised early, breaking through the Roedean defence to score the first goal.
However, Roedean soon found their rhythm, with Sophie and Ali solidifying the defence, while Andrea communicated effectively from goal. As they regained composure, the midfield trio of Kayla, Alex, and Yasmine worked cohesively, linking passes and driving the ball upfield, putting pressure on the Ardingly defence. The forwards, Bella, Erin, and Maddie, made strong leads and took many shots on goal.
2nd XI Hockey vs Hurst U16C
Kayla’s persistence paid off with a well-deserved goal, equalising the score at 1-1. In the second half, Roedean dominated possession, but struggled to break through Ardingly’s defence for a second goal. Despite the draw, it was a promising start to the season, with Kayla named Player of the Match for her standout performance.
Miss Hayman
U15B
The U15Bs snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat in a dramatic comeback against Ardingly. Roedean began brightly, and applied lots of pressure to the Ardingly goal, but the keeper stood firm, making a series of excellent saves.
Ardingly then took the lead, and began to mount waves of attacks towards the end of the first half – Anya was outstanding in goal, and Lois excelled at the heart of the defence, so Roedean held out until half-time.
The second half saw Ardingly double their lead and, with time running out, it looked like the game was up. However, a new-found urgency saw both Maud and Molly find the back of the net within the last four minutes, to secure what was, in the end, a fair result for both teams.
Mr Smethurst
The skies cleared for Roedean versus Hurst, a good omen for what was to come. It was a very evenly matched game, with Roedean probably gaining more possession of the ball. Hurst was solid defensively and, at times, it was like trying to break through a brick wall!
The team have not really practised together properly yet, so it was a baptism of fire, but they certainly took it in their stride and there were some real positives to take from the match. Fen saw off their attempts at goal and made some brilliant saves. They did manage to get a shot in, more of a fumble really, where we all got a bit tied up by the front post, and they slipped it in. We knew we had to fight back though, and we had a few good chances in the D before, finally, we were rewarded, with Saffron scoring a great goal to even up the game.
The final score was 1-1, which was a fair representation of the game.
The Player of the Match was Mbali (defence), and the Coach’s Player was Holly, playing in midfield, for some lovely linking play between attack and defence, and really putting the pressure on defensively when they turned the ball over. Mrs Patching-Jones
U14A
Hockey vs Bede's
U12D Dominate!
This Wednesay was a really exciting day for the U12D team, where we played our first fixture together, and, for some, their first Hockey match ever!
We played against Bede's, and nervously awaited their arrival after a good team talk and discussion about positions and formation. The first whistle went, and it was Florence who made a fast break with the ball and scored within the first 5 minutes. With our dynamic and strong defenders, Nkem, Emanuella, and Isobel holding Bede's off at the back, while Holly, Isabelle, Isabella, and Sara supported the transition in the middle, and then Florence and Matilda drove the ball excellently into the D, the final whistle went with 3-0 on the boards.
A huge well done to Florence, who scored all 3 and was awarded Girl of the Game. Coach's Player of the Match goes to Nkem, for her outstanding performance, clearing the ball out of the D, and a special mention goes to Emanuella for being a fanstastic captain. Well done team... on to the next one!
Miss Bamford
U13A Improved Performance
The U13A had a rematch against Bede's away in a fixtures block, looking to improve their performance to push for a good result. The match was an intense one from the start, with both teams attacking and defending furiously! Both goal keepers were having good games and keeping shots out, until Bede's hammered home a first of the match. Roedean responded with a goal of their own, and were now set on not letting Bede's get another in quick succession. Just before half time, Roedean poured forward and got another well-executed move down the right – we led 2-1 at half-time.
In the second half, both teams were raring to get the better of each other. Bede's scored quickly to level the match, and went 3-2 up to leave Roedean behind with 10 minutes to play. Roedean managed to respond to go 3-3, and again it was going into the final 5 minutes with nothing splitting these teams. Bede's rifled home another short corner smash from the top, and ended up taking the win 4-3, with Roedean missing a few great chances at the end of the match.
It ewas a much improved performance, but the U13A team is still searching for its first win next week, in a triangular against Windlesham and Handcross Park.
U12B vs Bede’s U11
This was our first match of the season and, for some of the team, their first match ever! It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect weather for Hockey. Bede’s was always going to be a tough opponent; they are a strong hockey school, and their team looked like they had been playing together for a while. However, it enabled us to put into practice what we had been working on in our games sessions, and start thinking about rules, tactics, and formations.
We had to play very defensively, as they were strong in attack, and their dribbling and passing down the pitch was stronger than ours. It was good to see the girls closing down their players and fighting to get the ball back. We often turned over the ball, but then struggled with finding the next pass, something for us to work on. There was some lovely attacking play, with Lara passing the ball out wide to Wren, Alia, and Bethany, then they dribbled down the line and were looking for that next pass into the D.
Cara, Tabitha, and Harrie played well in defence, and stopped the ball in the D several times, then tried to hit it out wide. Charlotte (Yr8) was a powerhouse in goal, and she must have stopped about 10 goals from going in – she played amazingly!
The final score was 2-0 to them, and this has given us lots of things to work on, but it was an enjoyable match and everyone seemed positive at the end.
Player of the Match – Lara
Coach’s player – Alia, for being solid when defending, and super quick when attacking, running for any loose balls, and trying to dribble down the pitch at speed.
Mrs Patching-Jones
U13A Cup – into the Plate Competition
The U13A hockey team had their first match of the term this week, and it was a Round 1 Cup match against Bede's Prep School at Roedean.
The girls had a good warm up, and they were both focused and excited to play. The game started with both teams attacking and getting a few shots off, which both keepers kept out, until Bede's scored the first. Roedean responded, and scored two goals of their own to take the lead into half time. The first 10 minutes were nervy, but then Roedean settled and took control of the match.
The second half began like a whirlwind, with Bede's scoring two goals to go ahead – the Roedean girls weren't ready for the Bede's attack down the right, and not sharp enough in the D to clear and mop up off the keeper's saves. They then had a beautiful move down the right, which was finished off expertly by Betsy in the goal.
At 3-3, the game was in the balance and could have gone either way. That was until Roedean scored again to take the lead, but immediately Bede's responded with two quick goals of their own to go 5-4 up. We then managed to bundle the ball over the line and setup a final 2 minutes to see if we could get another. The game ended with a Bede's penalty corner and, after a flurry of saves by Cindy, the ball was eventually cleared off the line by Isabella and Isabelle.
It was 5-5, and the game went to penalty flicks, as part of the regulations for this competition: Maddie stepped up and narrowly put her flick wide; Bede's went expertly to the left; Isabella then stepped up, but aimed it too direct and lacking power, and the Bede's keeper made an easy save; the Bede's second flicker then buried her flick bottom left past Cindy, and the match ended with Bede's winning on flicks.
Mr Campleman U12B
We welcome contributions from all parts of the Roedean community. If you have something you would like featured in the Head’s Weekly Review, please email: aws@roedean.co.uk
The girls will now go through to the Plate competition, and will look to go as far as possible to try and reach Finals day next year.
