Head’s Introduction
I have been incredibly impressed with the girls and with my colleagues this week – the intense heat has presented a wide array of logistical challenges, with adapted activities, postponed events, and room changes, but the girls have taken them all in their stride. Thank you and well done.
Congratulations to Betsy in Year 9, who has had some remarkable success on the tennis court. Last weekend, she took part in the Play Your Way to Wimbledon County and Regional Tennis Finals, she won the U18 Doubles and was runner-up in the U14 Singles! This means that Betsy will be playing in the National Finals at Wimbledon! Well done and good luck – we can’t wait to hear how it goes!
In the first half of this week, our students have been focusing on their futures. The Year 10 and 12 Sixth Form Experience days were a great success, with handson taster lessons and a preview of the new Lawrence Programme of enrichment – thank you to Mr Halsey for masterminding this. The Year 9s also enjoyed a taste of what their GCSE subjects will be like next year, along with careers-focused work with InvestIN, all overseen by Ms Boobis and Ms Earl. At the same time, Miss Bamford organised a brilliant residential in Dorset for the Year 7s and 8s, where they had a fantastic time. Well done to all the girls, and thank you to my colleagues.
They say ‘the show must go on’, and yesterday our Junior Drama Scholars, the Year 10 GCSE Drama group, the New Views co-curricular group, and the Year 12 A Level Theatre Studies students, 44 actors in total, performed short extracts or devised pieces. The Theatre is perhaps one of the coolest places in School, so they enjoyed a larger audience than they were expecting, but it all went very well.
Just over an hour later, we enjoyed the Sports Award presentation evening in the Cloisters. Awards were given in our four major sports for most improved player and Coach’s Player across the age-groups. It was also our pleasure to welcome back former Head Girl, Amelia Kortens, to present the awards. She is now at Cambridge, as committed as ever to sport, and she spoke about her experiences of sport both at School and at university. It was a lovely evening – thank you to the PE department for organising it.
I am looking forward to Sports Day tomorrow, and, of course, to Speech Day in the Dome on Wednesday, where we will celebrate the girls’ successes and achievements, and hear from Suzie Imber, Professor of Space Physics. I wish you all a cool and restful weekend!
Amazing Residential for Years 7 and 8
Golds in BPhO Physics Challenge
Congratulations to Roedean students who have again been highly successful in national Physics challenges organised by the British Physics Olympiad.
Well done to Year 10 students, Alice, Karina, Charisse, Lili, Chloe, Ying, and Abbey, who achieved Silver, and to Georgie and Zaina, who were awarded Bronze.
In Year 8, Juno achieved Silver, but particular congratulations go to Desire, Deema, and Sara, who were all awarded Gold.
Very many students leave Roedean to pursue undergraduate degrees in STEM subjects, this year including Theoretical Physics, Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science, and Engineering, and these brilliant achievements underline the fact that the foundations for this are laid early at Roedean.
Dr Mistry
Betsy’s Outstanding Tennis
Huge congratulations to Betsy (Yr9), who played the Play Your Way to Wimbledon County and Regional Tennis Finals this weekend. She was runner up in the U14 Singles, which is remarkable in itself, but she also won the U18 Doubles, so will be going to Wimbledon to play in the National Finals – outstanding!
Betsy has also been asked to represent Sussex in the Three Counties Cup next weekend, playing for the U18s. This exceptional success is down to Betsy's determination, perseverance, and relentless training. Well done, and good luck, Betsy – everyone at Roedean is rooting for you!
Ms Hine
A Level Geography students working on their Non-Examination Assessment (NEA) – the cooling marble floor made an ideal location!
Ms Hine
Geographers Journey to Jurassic World
The Year 12 residential Geography field trip to Dorset took place in early June, and, once again, the Jurassic Coastline World Heritage Site did not fail to impress or amaze.
We stayed and studied at Leeson House Field Centre, on the fringe of Swanage on the Isle of Purbeck, where we planned and prepared NEA (coursework), as well as visiting sites along this diverse coastline to build a detailed case study for next year's exams.
We visited physical sites, including Hurst Castle Spit, Barton On Sea (with its complex coastal management), the sand dunes of Studland Bay, Old Harry Rocks, Durdle Door, and Lulworth Cove. We also practised our Human Geography fieldwork methodology, by measuring socioeconomic inequality in Boscombe, and the concept of 'placelessness' in the rural new town of Poundbury.
The weather wasn't perfect this year, but the rain was only sporadic and the sunshine was not bakingly extreme. All in all, it was a great four days of being saturated in Geography, where Mr Carter's experience allowed us to access breathtaking locations that most A Level students will never get to see!
Mr Carter
Amazing Residential for Years 7 and 8
Sixty-nine girls in Years 7 and 8 enjoyed three wonderful days of excitement, sisterhood, and challenge, on their end of year residential.
From kayaking and Mega SUP (stand up paddleboarding) to taking on the Leap of Faith and Jacob's Ladder, along with team-building challenges, our students embraced new challenges, supported each other, showing both courage and kindness.
Well done to every single student, and thank you to Mr Wilson, Miss Abaza, Mr Forte, Mr Campleman, Miss De Jesus, and Miss Webster, who all helped the girls to challenge themselves in a safe and supportive context.
Miss Bamford
'We really enjoyed the trip this year! It was an amazing experience and there were so many fun activities! The high ones, like the leap of faith and Jacob’s Ladder, were scary and made us face our fears! But we’re proud that we did it! The water activities were a fun break from the heat to swim and enjoy ourselves! The facilities were amazing and the food was delicious! The staff were lovely we made so many memories that we will never forget!'
Holly and Izzy (Yr8)
'The Mega SUP was amazing, because we had to paddle through the lake together with everyone. We had two boards, so we stacked them together to make a water slide. It was so fun. I had a great time.'
Fifi (Yr7)
'Personally , the groups and tents were pitch perfect – everyone was with a friend. There was a really good range of activities, and I especially enjoyed the water sports. There were lots of breaks to rest, and the camp had a really calm and happy atmosphere. Overall, I loved this trip and can’t wait for more to come – I know I have made memories and friendships I will never forget.'
Eve (Yr8)
'I think the trip was really, really good, because all of the activities were so fun, especially the water activities. In the Mega SUP, we got to jump off into the water the whole time. It was really refreshing. In the evening, the tents were really fun. We got to hang out and chat until midnight, which was really fun.'
Ines (Yr7)
Roedean at Graduate Fashion Week
Our Year 10 students recently enjoyed an inspiring trip to Graduate Fashion Week, where they were given a valuable insight into the exciting world of fashion and creative industries.
The day began with the Collective Catwalk Show, showcasing an impressive range of innovative designs from emerging fashion talent across the UK. Our students were captivated by the creativity, craftsmanship, and individuality displayed on the runway.
Following the show, the students explored the exhibition space, where they had the opportunity to view graduate portfolios, garments, and creative projects up close. This provided a fascinating insight into the diverse pathways available within fashion, textiles, marketing, styling, photography, and other creative disciplines.
One of the highlights of the visit was the chance to speak directly with university students about their experiences, creative journeys, and future aspirations. These conversations helped our students gain a deeper
understanding of what studying a creative subject at a higher level can involve, and the wide range of career opportunities available.
The girls had a fantastic time throughout the day, engaging enthusiastically with the exhibitions and taking inspiration from the exceptional work on display. The trip was both enjoyable and informative, encouraging our students to think creatively about their own futures and the many exciting possibilities within the creative industries.
Thank you to Mr Ford, and Mr Halsey for going on the trip.
Mrs Silburn
Sports Award Presentations
Roedean Junior Diploma Graduation
On Friday 12 June, we had our first ever Junior Diploma Graduation Evening for our Year 8s.
An impressive 25 students in Year 8 have completed the diploma, including 15 who fulfilled 17 elements or more, meaning that they have all been awarded a Distinction.
Every student in Year 8 received an award, in recognition of their contribution to our school community. The ten categories for prizes were the following: Heart of Kindness Award, Try Everything Trophy, Sisterhood Spirit Award, The Ray of Sunshine Award, Courage to Grow Award, Always Ready to Step Forward Award, Creative Spark Award, Community Champion Award, Open Door Award, and The Golden Thread Award.
We also celebrated the appointment of our first ever Junior Prefects. The applications from the current Year 7s were of an extremely high quality, and all those who applied deserve to be very proud of themselves. The following were appointed:
Sport Scarlett
Co-Curricular Ianthe
Academic Phoebe
Boarding Amanda
Charity Arianna
Pastoral Bella
Diversity and Inclusion Shalom
Lower School Fun This Week
Some of our Year 7 and 8 students remained in School while the others in the Lower School were away for their residential.
The few days saw us having so much fun, taking part in a variety of activities. We looked at some of the Roedean Archives and found incredible drawings, recreated some of the older photographs, and explored parts of the School we had never been in before! We also baked, had a pyjama party with a movie, and tested our forensic skills to solve a crime in Science!
Thank you to all the girls for such a delightful few days.
Miss Orrells and Mrs Allen
This Week in Boarding!
Over the past few weeks, the boarding houses have celebrated National Boarding Week. Each House has put on a range of different activities for the boarders, from summer wreath-making to baking, the viral dot cakes and cinnamon swirls. One House even put up a Net To Ball, a game of bat and ball.
A few girls were lucky enough to get the opportunity to go and see Harry Styles last weekend at Wembley Stadium, where Shania Twain was also a supporting artist.
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
Miss Frank-Keyes