Issuu

HEAD’S REVIEW

Head’s Introduction

I am delighted that we have heard today that Roedean has been named as a finalist in not one, but three categories in the Education Choices Awards for 2026 –it is wonderful that the School's work has been recognised in this way.

It was such a pleasure to welcome the girls who will be joining Roedean in Years 7 and 8 to the School yesterday – it was clear that they are all very excited about becoming Roedeanians, and today was just one more stepping stone to that dream. Today, those joining in Year 9 also came to School, on a brighter day than yesterday, and I have no doubt that they will make their mark at Roedean next year.

This morning, the School marked the 82nd anniversary of World War II's D-Day, standing in the Front Quad together, facing the sea. Together, we remembered how the members of the Royal Navy who occupied the School in 1944, called HMS Vernon at the time, also looked out to sea on this day, watching boats pass on their way to the French beaches to rescue Allied troops. It was a poignant, shared experience, and it reminded us all of Roedean's strong connection with the sea.

In the first weekend of half-term, a group of four Year 11s travelled to Goodwood to race the School's F24 car, and I am delighted to hear that they had a wonderful day, and that their car performed so well.

Earlier in the week, our current Year 10s engaged brilliantly with an opportunity to look ahead to starting Year 11, during which Mr Wriglesworth outlined the timeline for the year as its builds towards their GCSEs. Mr Halsey, our Director of Sixth Form from next year, provided the girls and their parents with a strong impression of what the Sixth Form has to offer, including the new and exciting Lawrence Programme, and Ms Boobis gave an overview of the targeted preparation for a range of post-Year 13 options. It was great to see how engaged the Year 10s are, with a clear focus on their futures.

Good luck to our Year 12 Geographers who are away on their fieldtrip in Dorset this weekend. I also hope that those completing their Bronze and Silver DofE expeditions this weekend do well, and congratulations to five Roedeanians, current and recent, who have recently achieved their Gold DofE – this is a remarkably impressive achievement!

I wish you all a restful weekend.

Roedean Marks the 82nd Anniversary of D-Day 2026 Finalist

F24 Electric Car at Goodwood

Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Celebration at Buckingham Palace

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.

Natasha (Yr7), Eve (Yr8), and Tilly and Lily (Yr10) – for speaking with such great poise and confidence at the Year 7 and 8 New Girls' Day – well done [Dr Barrand]

Nathania and Victoria (Yr12) – for a very engaging and informative Academic Lecture on X-Rays [Ms Ibanez-Barcelo]

Roedean Marks the 82nd Anniversary of D-Day

Ballet Success for Sophia

Congratulations to Sophia (Yr9), who successfully auditioned for the Royal Ballet School Senior Associate Programme; she has been offered a place to train with Royal Ballet School in Covent Garden on Saturdays.

Over Easter, Sophia achieved a High Distinction in her RAD Intermediate exam, which is excellent. She has also qualified for the Royal Academy of Dance South East Awards Finals, where, despite being one of the younger dancers in the 13-17 category, she placed second, receiving the runnerup prize.

During half-term, she gave a beautiful performance of her ballet solo, and consequently

qualified for the biennial All England Dance South East Final. Once again, despite being one of the youngest candidates, she was selected as a UK Young Dancer 2026 Finalist.

Sophia is now focusing on rehearsals for an upcoming show, in preparation for UKYD 2026 Workshop at the Royal Opera House, as well as working towards RAD Ballet Grade 7 and her vocational Advanced Foundation grade.

Congratulations!

In 1940, during World War II, the students and staff of Roedean were evacuated to Keswick in the Lake District and to Nova Scotia in Canada, and the school site was taken over by the Army for 6 months, and then by the Admiralty. From that point, Roedean became known as HMS Vernon, the Training School for Torpedoes and Mining and for the Electrical Branches of the Royal Navy.

On 6 June 82 years ago, the occupants of Roedean, then known as HMS Vernon, stood in the Front Quad of the School and watched hundreds of ships, containing men and supplies, depart for the attack on Normandy. The assault on the beaches was terrifyingly brutal, with 425,000 Allied and German casualties. Despite the enormous suffering, and loss of life, the attack was ultimately a success.

Standing as a school community in the Front Quad today, we remembered those who took part in the D-Day landings, and honour their bravery and sacrifice.

Miss Orrells

F24 Electric Car at Goodwood

Our F24 team travelled to Goodwood to compete with the Roedean F24 car, putting their technical skills to the test on the famous 3.8 km circuit. Following scrutineering and a one-hour practice session, the team took to the track for a 90-minute endurance race, with three drivers sharing driving duties and the pit crew managing seamless changeovers.

Working together, the team completed 13 laps, overtook several competitors and successfully reached the finish line. Beyond the track, our students impressed by confidently explaining how the car works and the modifications they had made this year.

The experience provided invaluable insight into engineering and problemsolving under pressure, while giving the team plenty of ideas for improving the car before the next event. We are incredibly proud of their achievement and excited to see how they build on this success at their next race. Well done to

Phoebe’s Success in Athletics!

Over half term, Phoebe (Yr9) represented Brighton and Hove AC in several athletics competitions, achieving an impressive new Personal Best in the 1500m. She also competed as part of a 4x300m relay team, helping them secure first place in Sussex. This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to her hard work and dedication. Well done, Phoebe!

Miss Bamford

Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Celebration at Buckingham Palace

Congratulations to Mary and Xena (Yr12) and Fen (Yr13), and to ORs Holly and Merla, for achieving their Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award.

To mark this special occasion, each Gold participant is invited to attend a prestigious garden party at Buckingham Palace, where Gold Award holders from across the country gather to celebrate their success.

This year’s event was particularly significant as it coincided with the 70th anniversary of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Since its founding, the Award has inspired millions of young people to develop new skills, support their communities, and challenge themselves through adventure and service.

Achieving the Gold Award is a tremendous accomplishment, requiring dedication, resilience, and commitment over an extended period. We congratulate all three students on their remarkable success and for representing Roedean so proudly at such a memorable national celebration.

We look forward to seeing Mary and Xena's photographs when they attend their celebration event next year, as participants have to be 18 to attend.

Mrs Finn

Success Again in the Anthea Bell Translation Competition

Each year, Roedean students are successful in the Anthea Bell Translation competition, run by Queen's College, Oxford, which sees hundreds of students attempt to translate poetry and prose from foreign languages into English.

This year is no different, and congratulations go to three linguists who have been commended for their renderings in English from French, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish –congratulations to Athena (Yr13), who translated pieces from both French and Mandarin, to Faye (Yr11), who translated a piece of long piece of prose from Spanish, and Molly (Yr11), who translated a Russian poem.

Well done to all three!

–

All my “I”, how the pendulum swings

In long, long sweeps.

It swings, it glides, it alternates –

Sometimes hope – sometimes in fear.

From knowledge, ignorance, a glimmer

My flesh dies.

Insane, swinging, suffering

Are you judging, Lord?

Interrupt it, and the unstable torment Stop! Stop!

But only fall in horror, But on ascent, in love.

Zinaida Gippius – February 1919, St Petersburg

The Mani Stone Quietly Knocks – translation by Athena (Yr13)

Lobsang is truly deserving of the title of a drunkard. One can find him drunk twenty days out of thirty.

He’d also been drunk when his Ma passed away. She had suddenly died one afternoon last month. There had been no premonition: she’d even had a large bowl of buttered tsampa for lunch.

Lobsang’s wife Samu had tried to persuade her not to have so much, saying that it was hard for the elderly to digest. Lobsang’s old Ma was furious. “I’ve already gotten to this age! Who knows how much longer I have? I’ll eat as much as I want while I still can!”

She’d even drunk a large bowl of tea after that.

Then, she was sleepy, so she laid down on her sleeping mat, fell into a slumber, and never woke up.

After the death of Lobsang’s Ma, the elders all joked, “At least old Gran hadn’t left this world on an empty stomach; very fortunate of her, unlike the ones who starved to death in ’58. Bunch of poor hungry souls, starving into the afterlife.”

，地嘛呢石静静敲

洛桑是个名副其实的酒鬼，一个月里几乎有二十天他都醉着。

他阿妈去世的时候，他也在醉着。他阿妈是在一个月前的某个午后突然去世的，没有任何预兆，午饭时还吃了一大碗酥油糌粑。

当时，洛桑的老婆桑姆劝她不要吃得太多，说老人吃多了不容易消化。老阿妈却很生气，说：我都这把年纪了，谁知道还能活多久，能吃就多吃点！ “” 吃完那一大碗酥油糌粑后，她还喝了一大碗茶。之后，她觉得很困，就侧身躺在卡垫上，呼呼地睡着了，再也没有醒来。

洛桑的阿妈死后，老人们开玩笑地说：至少这个老太婆没有饿着肚子离开人世，还算 “ 有福，不像五八年那些个饿死的，死了都成了饿鬼了。

Sport Stars of the Week

Congratulations to our sporting stars of this week:

Year 7

Izzy, for her progress in Cricket

Year 8

Juno, for her consistent hard work in both Athletics and Cricket

Year 9

Phoebe, for achieving a PB in 1500m

Year 10

Yasmin, for her great bowling in Cricket

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