A team of 9 Inspectors from ISI joined us at Roedean this week. As part of their work, they analysed the results of over 1500 questionnaires, they interviewed over 140 students and met with over 75 members of staff, as well as reading all of our policies – they squeezed a lot into the three days they were here, and there is no doubt that they undertook a very thorough investigation of everything which goes on at Roedean in order to produce their report, which will be published in 3-4 weeks.
I am very grateful indeed to everyone in the community for responding so positively to the Inspection – it really was a team effort to show the Inspectors the School in its best light, and I am very confident that they will have been impressed by the snapshot of Roedean life which they saw this week. Well done, and thank you.
The Netball fixtures have been in full swing this week, and I am delighted that there have been some very positive results, particularly for the U13As who won the Hurst tournament. The social activities running between Roedean and Tonbridge School also continued this week, and the Year 13s took on a team of very tall and competitive boys in a charity Netball match – I am pleased to say that we won, and there was an excellent atmosphere down on the courts.
There have been a number of individual successes this week, including impressive results in last term’s LAMDA exams, Vanessa in Year 12 has been awarded her Performance Diploma on the Harp, Dr Black attended her PhD graduation, and Beth in Year 9 is the first student to complete the new Roedean Diploma – well done to you all!
It has been lovely to see students and staff embracing Culture Day today, either wearing traditional dress or an item of clothing or a colour which is of cultural significance – this highlights and celebrates the wonderful diversity within our school community perfectly and I am grateful to the Prefects for driving this initiative forward at School.
Well done again for an excellent week, and I hope you all have a restful weekend!
Culture Day at Roedean
Netball vs Tonbridge Boys
Harp Diploma for Vanessa
Sunrise Over Roedean
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.
Unsung
Onose, Haewon, Eva, and Liv (Yr13) – for sharing their personal reflections on the importance of their cultural heritage [Dr Barrand]
Staff hero in the spotlight
Ms Friedman – for a fascinating Academic Lecture on 'Maths Anxiety, choking under pressure' – thank you so much!
[Ms Ibanez Barcelo]
Beth – the First to Complete the New Roedean Diploma
Well done to Beth (Yr9), who is the first student in the School to complete the Roedean Diploma. Reading what she has done to fulfil all the criteria highlights the huge breadth of activities she has thrown herself into – we are really proud of her!
Dr Barrand
Pirates of Penzanze
Georgia Bishop, one of Roedean's singing teachers and a Mezzo Soprano Opera singer, will be performing next week in Eastbourne Theatre's wonderful and fun production of Pirates of Penzanze.
'Donna Stirrup (Glyndebourne, ENO) directs a brand-new production with a vibrant company, some of whom have years of experience of this repertoire under their belts, and some who are at the beginning of surely brilliant careers.
Martin Handley (ENO, Royal Danish Opera, Carl Rosa Opera, D’Oyly Carte Opera, BBC Radio 3) conducts the wonderful orchestra.'
If you would like tickets, here is the link https://www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk/events/ piratespenzance
Ms Bartlette
Harp Diploma for Vanessa
Congratulations to Vanessa (Yr12), who has achieved her ARSM Performance Diploma on the Harp. It was such a pleasure to hear her play in Chapel this week – she played L'Egyptienne by the Baroque composer Rameau, and her playing was highly evocative.
Thank you, and congratulations!
Dr Barrand
Bronze Reading Award for Beth
We are so proud of Beth Year 9, for completing her Bronze Reading Award. This is all the more impressive since she has been a reluctant reader in the past due to her dyslexia. We asked her for some tips on what to read to inspire more people to take part and challenge themselves, and this is what she said:
'These are the books that I have enjoyed the most:
Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer
They Called Us Enemy, by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven R. Scott
Hetty Feather, by Jacqueline Wilson
Lock all the doors, by Riley Sager
Reflecting on the process, she said, 'I have enjoyed reading so much, and one of the things that got me there is something to do with really getting into a book which makes you never want to put it down. You know you have got into a book when, the second you are waiting for someone or something, you think. 'I could be reading my book right now'. I wanted to do the reading award, because I wanted to be the first in the class to complete the Roedean Reader's Award, despite my dyslexia.'
Well done, Beth – keep reading!
Ms Shillito
Stellar LAMDA Results
Congratulations to all those who took LAMDA examinations last term – the results have come in, and I am delighted that they have all been incredibly successful. Not only are there a range of grades, but it is also excellent that the students honing in on their preferred discipline, whether that is acting, musical theatre, or reciting verse and prose.
Well done!
Ariella (Yr8)
Jolie (Yr9)v
Lyla (Yr10)
Matilda (Yr10)
Blaize (Yr10)
Cassandra (Yr11)
Elsa (Yr9)
Greta (Yr9)
Natalie (Yr10)
Sorcha (Yr9)
Bethany (Yr10)
Layla (Yr11)
Lucy (Yr10)
Zoe (Yr10)
Lucy (Yr12)
Mia (Yr13)
Mrs Sellers
Grade 4 Acting Distinction
Grade 4 Acting Distinction
Grade 4 Musical Theatre Distinction
Grade 4 Musical Theatre Distinction
Grade 5 Verse and Prose Distinction
Grade 5 Acting Distinction
Grade 5 Acting Distinction
Grade 5 Acting Distinction
Grade 5 Musical Theatre Distinction
Grade 5 Acting Distinction
Grade 6 Musical Theatre Distinction
Grade 6 Acting Distinction
Grade 6 Verse and Prose Distinction
Grade 6 Verse and Prose Merit
Grade 7 Acting Distinction
Grade 8 Acting Distinction
Dr Black's Graduation
Congratulations to Dr Black, who attended her graduation ceremony at the University of Bath this week – we are very proud of her achievement and the fact that she also won the Jeff Thompson Award for Contribution to International Education. Well done!
Year 13 Historians Head to the National Archives and Westminster Abbey
Last Wednesday, our Year 13 historians escaped the snow in Brighton and visited the National Archives in Kew and Westminster Abbey in central London, as part of their Tudors A Level course.
At the archives, students had the opportunity to actually handle documents written by Elizabeth I herself and see, amongst things non Tudor-related, the original passenger list of the Titanic!
After a brief lunch, we had a tour of Westminster Abbey which impressed everyone in all its glory – and there were so many Tudor monarchs’ burial vaults to inspect!
It was a long and happy day, in spite of dealing with the snow in Brighton on our return!
Dr Black
Year 12 Community Music (CAP)
Our talented Year 12 musicians took to the road on Wednesday to spread some post-Christmas cheer to the residents of the Bernhard Baron Care Home in Polegate.
The concert was attended by over 35 residents and delivered as part of our Community Action Programme (CAP), which is a communitybased project that enables students in Year 12 to interact with different sectors of our local community each week and develop interpersonal as well as life skills.
Our Community Music group, led by Ms Bartlette, delivered a lovely concert on Wednesday, which included vocal, instrumental, group, and solo performances. It was a very successful event and greatly appreciated by the residents, who enjoyed cake and conversation with the students afterwards.
Thank you to Ms Bartlette for organising the event, and to the CAP Music group for delivering such a wonderful concert. It is evident that these experiences greatly enrich the lives of both the students and the residents alike. It is wonderful to see different generations coming together, interacting, and enjoying conversation. It really does highlight the immense value of the Year 12 CAP Programme as a whole.
Come and join us for the first Teatime Recital of 2025 – it will be a wonderful showcase of music presented by our students, accompanied by coffee and cake!
http://www.roedeantheatre.co.uk/
Netball vs Tonbridge Boys
Following a series of socials with Tonbridge School in recent terms, Zara and Elodie, our Sports Prefects, challenged the boys at Tonbridge to a Netball match on home turf. The event was also for charity, raising funds for Moldova, by selling refreshments – Ingrid and her team raised over £800 for Moldova.
It was great fun, and there was fantastic support from a very vocal crowd. We are delighted to announce that, despite a distinct height advantage, our Year 13s were lighter on their feet and more skilled than their opponents – the final score was 13-7.
Players of the match were Onose and Mbali.
Thank you to everyone who supported the event!
Ms Sturgeon
Online Dog Show Sunrise Over Roedean
The Year 12 Raystede CAP group is hosting an online dog show to raise funds for Raystede Animal Sanctuary. If you have a particularly pretty or handsome dog, why not enter a photo to see if yours can win 'Best in Roedean Show'?
Selection for Hockey Talent Academy
Congratulations to Bella and Sorrel, who from a large pool of aspiring hockey players, have been selected for the 2024-2025 East Grinstead Hockey Talent Academy.
Culture Day at Roedean
Before Christmas, the Prefects encouraged the students to return after the holidays with traditional dress, or to wear an item of clothing or a colour of cultural significance. Well done and thank you to everyone who dressed up –what an amazing array of outfits there were!
Not only was this an opportunity for each of us to share our culture with pride, highlighting the wide range of backgrounds and nationalities with in our community, but we were also able to raise funds for the 10 girls around the world who are supported by Roedean through PlanUK, and their #BecauseIAmAGirl campaign.
There was also a runway show in Chapel in Activity 1, which was introduced by Mbali, singing in Xhosa – photos and clips from these will be shared next week!
Thank you to Onose and Ella, who masterminded this day at Roedean!
Dr Barrand
This Week in Boarding...
House 1 learnt about star signs and constellations, and even drew their own constellations to match their star sign. On the day the snow came to Roedean, the boarders were delighted to have a snowball fight in the evening, and play with some resident canine friends!
House 2 loved having a go at making pretzels, learning how to make the perfect knot! Baked in butter and cinnamon, they made for a tasty snack. Bingo night returned, with lots of girls eyeing up the first prize of the year! There has been lots of healthy competition, with a fast-paced game of hide and seek and a quiz night, including a 'finish the lyric' round. Boarders who stayed in from the cold made a hearty apple crumble to share, topped with ice cream or custard... or both!
House 3, despite the freezing weather, enjoyed making sundaes, with all the sweet toppings and flavoured sauces! Boarders couldn't wait to get outside and play in the snow, having snowball fights and building snowmen. Bingo night became extra competitive when the girls discovered they could get a chocolate for each line they won! The competition continued with a much-loved game of spoons!
House 4 was eager to bring back pizza night, creating yummy pizzas in wonderful shapes with their favourite toppings! When the snow arrived, the girls raced to build the biggest and best snowmen at School, and even dressed them with a House 4 hoodie! Homemade milkshakes, with flavoured sauces and fresh berries, made the perfect refreshment for time spent doing Just Dance!
Keswick dusted off the sledges as the snow fell, so girls could spend an evening in fits of giggles as they raced each other down the hills!
Lawrence, whilst enjoying the blanket of white that fell quietly over School, got to host a few guests who ended up stranded. They tucked into some tasty waffles and toasties while sheltering from the cold! Boarders were treated to delicious French toast made by Miss Diplos. Reverting to tradition, Lawrence boarders were delighted to return to a lovely afternoon tea, with classic Christmas 'leftovers', including scrumptious mince pies!
Miss Barnett
Chapel – Culture and Identity
Dr Barrand: Elements of culture and identity often have a profound impact on us, particularly when we are young – they shape how we think, they influence how we behave, and they colour our impressions of what we see.
I was very lucky to live all over the world as a child – I was born in Hong Kong, lived in four countries in the Middle East, in Africa for a short while, and even in the South Pacific. Memories I have of these countries, and experiences I had in each of them are all part of my personal history, and I have no doubt that remembering playing Mah Jong, and swimming around the coral reefs in Vanuatu, and waking up to the call to prayer from the mosque near my house in Yemen continue to make me appreciate different cultures and traditions today.
We are extremely fortunate to have 47 nationalities represented in School, and this multi-cultural melting pot is both enlightening and exciting. At Roedean, we embrace the different cultures within our community – as you know, each year, we celebrate Black History Month with a key-note lecture, in two weeks’ time we will mark Lunar New Year with an exciting firework display, in June we celebrated Pride Month, we have our annual International Women’s Day Festival in March, as well as national independence days and festivals of a variety of religions. In February, six Year 9s will be the first to travel to our sister school in South Africa for a three-week exchange, when they really will have the opportunity to compare and contrast the two Roedeans on different sides of the world. We really are very lucky to be part of this multi-cultural environment.
Onose: Culture Day is an opportunity to celebrate the rich diversity, traditions, and unique differences within our school community which define who we are. For me, Culture Day is a chance for me to share and showcase my culture and identity, and immerse myself in the traditions of others, as we are all so fortunate in this School to be surrounded by students from different backgrounds that we might learn from.
Growing up primarily in Nigeria, the concept of our Culture Day and being exposed to differing cultures is very important to me. In Nigeria alone, we have a vast population of over 220
million people, consisting of more than 200 ethnic groups and 500 hundred languages, with people who have their own cuisines, stories to tell, and celebrations. In Nigeria, Culture Day was a day to blur the geographical lines between one another and enjoy the sweet aroma and flavours in our dishes, like Jollof rice and Akara, and be mesmerised by the beautiful patterns in our outfits which can represent either a celebration like a wedding or a part of Nigeria where you are from.
When I started boarding school in the UK in Year 5, it was a shock to the system for me, but I definitely found refuge in shared experiences.
Haewon: Culture Day to me is a day which shows how we are respecting each culture by letting everyone participate in and share their own.
One of the key features of Korean culture is the fast pace and the convenience. Parcels are normally delivered the day after your order, and convenience stores are located on every block. The Internet, fashion, transport, in fact everything in Korea, works fast, and I was very used to this fast-paced world. With all the work I had to do as a student back in Korea, I barely had time to think or look after myself.
Moving to the UK was a big change of lifestyle. Everything is further away compared to in Korea, and I got used to walking around much more. England has fewer high-rise buildings, but it makes the green spaces and the sky more visible. Since I came to England, I have had more time to myself, and I love the surrounding nature. Thanks to England, I think I now know myself better.
Liv: Culture Day, a day that celebrates the various cultures and communities that exist in our world, is a time to learn about and appreciate other people’s experiences. I imagine that this is usually shown through sharing memories and meals with family and friends.
One of my favourite meals to share with my family is a roast dinner, especially around Christmas time, as we can all appreciate a hearty home-cooked meal with music and
conversation. When summer arrives, we move outside and are able to enjoy things like cream teas and picnics, most importantly scones with cream and jam. My family and I like to get together with our neighbours to enjoy the outdoors and connect with one another.
I have also had the pleasure of learning more about other countries' cultures, particularly Spain, as I am taking Spanish A Level – I have developed a love and appreciation of flamenco music and Spanish traditions, such as eating 12 grapes on New Year’s Eve, representing the 12 months of the next year.
Eva: To me, Culture Day is about celebrating the unique blend that makes each of us who we are. It’s about finding pride in your roots while being open to learning from others and their experiences. Though my parents are both Greek, I grew up in England and have always lived here, and blending these two cultures has not always been easy, but, over time, I’ve come to love sharing my culture with others and celebrating differences and diversity.
Being separate from my Greek family yet having non-British heritage sometimes left me with the feeling of being not Greek enough, but not British enough either – feeling constantly different is something that’s difficult to overcome and can feel very othering, but over time I’ve learnt that being from different cultures isn’t about choosing one over the other – it’s about embracing both as part of your identity.
One of my favourite Greek traditions is around easter, when we dye hard-boiled eggs and crack them against each other to see which egg is strongest. I personally love to share traditions with my friends and learn about theirs too.
RB: In modern society, where people often find themselves working with colleagues in a different country, or even on the other side of the world, being open-minded and aware of cultural idiosyncrasies is truly a life-skill. However, I would say that this should not simply be a passive thing, but instead that we should be proactive in finding out about others, and also that we have a responsibility to share our culture.
Netball vs Brighton College
U16A 31-28 Victory
On Friday evening, our U16A team stepped out against Brighton College. It was a physical, well-contested match, which was great practice ahead of the U16s' next round in the SNS Plate competition.
We started strongly, with slick attacking movements and very accurate shooting; in our defensive end, we forced the ball off the backline, but struggled at times to transfer it to our attack. As the game went on, we became smarter with our decision-making, and drove the ball through their zone defence. It was a fantastic performance, securing the win 31-28.
Well done – it was a full squad effort!
Miss Hammond
2nd VII
The second team lost 27-5 to Brighton College, but were highly competitive in two of the four quarters. Brighton raced into the lead and, at the end of the first quarter, were 11-1 up. From then on the game was much closer. Roedean passed the ball with more accuracy and control, and Onose and Amy were excellent in defence against a particularly strong shooter. Aisling was accurate, and the centre court players – Gabby, Ellie, Fen, and Trinity – began to put some nice combinations together. The fourth quarter saw the teams separated by just two points, a measure of the improvement Roedean made during the course of the game.
Mr Smethurst
U16D
The U16D team had their first match against Brighton College this Netball term. In the first quarter, we stormed ahead by 2 and we were playing some brilliant Netball, moving up the court. Poppy was resolute in the attacking circle and found her groove, netting 5. The defence then were put under huge pressure for the remainder of the game as Brighton turned up the heat and took it to the girls. Michelle played outstandingly well at GK, positioning herself well to inhibit circle entry and intercept balls into the shooters. The final two quarters saw Brighton extend the lead, with the match ending 14-7 to Brighton College.
Mr Campleman
U12D Excel in their First Netball Fixture
The U12D team marked their first-ever netball fixture at School with an impressive performance against Brighton College. Right from the start, Roedean's players demonstrated their ability to transition smoothly through the court with speed and precision. Tabitha and Deema formed an outstanding partnership in the attacking third, showcasing excellent communication and teamwork to keep the opposition's defence under constant pressure.
On the defensive end, Cara and Daisy were a formidable duo, neutralising numerous attacking threats from Brighton College. The player of the match was Hannah – acting as the crucial link between defence and attack, she orchestrated plays with poise and confidence, ensuring a seamless flow across the court. The final score of 9–5 to Roedean reflects the team’s well-rounded effort and determination. This victory is an exciting glimpse of the potential this talented team holds for the season ahead. Congratulations to the U12 D team on a fantastic debut!
Netball vs Great Walstead
U12A
'On Wednesday, the U12A netball team played their first match of the season against Great Walstead School. The match took place in C Hall.
The game was fast-paced, but we managed to stay steady, with strong attacking by Lara, playing Centre. Also, there was great defence by Tilly, playing Wing Defence. We had some consistent shooting from Chloe and Sara, and, even though Great Walstead was a strong team, we were in the lead by half time. The second half og the game contained more confident skills from our team and some more excellent goals from our shooters. Girls of the Game were Lara and Chloe. It was a tough match and the final score was 12-8, with Roedean taking the win.' – Lottie (Captain)
Sports Stars of the Week
Well done to this week's PE shining lights!
U13A
The U13A had a tightly-contested match against Great Walstead last Wednesday. There was excellent shooting from both teams, and they kept fighting until the final whistle. Roedean had patient passages of play, with defence providing a calm reset option. We stayed tight to our players, forcing errors form Great Walstead which allowed us to build a good lead by the end of the third quarter. The final score was 19-13 to Roedean. Well done all!
Mrs Hammond
Keep it up!
Year 7
Elva, for a fantastic start with lots of effort and progress in the Netball term
Year 8
Isabella, for an excellent effort and determination in these first few weeks of sport
Year 9
Roxane, for outstanding progress in Netball at the start of term
Year 10
Liv, for a superb start to Netball this term Year 11
Michelle, for her excellent performance against Brighton College in a Netball match
Year 12
Aisling, for fantastic effort in Games lessons this term Year 13
Kate, for outstanding effort and focus in Games
Mr Campleman
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
