A Year in the life of Roding Valley High School
“Our vision is to be the school of choice for our local community, developing successful young people with high aspirations, who show respect for all and endeavour to become the very best that they can be.
RVHS celebrates another year of excellent outcomes at GCSE & A-Level, 2025:
As always, we begin this year’s ‘Year in the of Roding Valley High School’ with a celebration of our student successes at both GCSE and A Level.
Celebrating excellent A Level results
We kicked off the celebrations with our fantastic A Level cohort. 11 per cent of A Level grades were awarded at A*, with 31 per cent at A*-A and 65 per cent achieved at A* to B.
A quarter of all vocational grades were awarded at Distinction*, the highest possible grade. Results for the Extended Project Qualification were also exceptional, with 83 per cent of grades awarded at A* or A.
Almost all students secured places at their first-choice university to read subjects such as medicine, law, and English, with a further nine students taking on apprenticeships or degree apprenticeships with companies such as Aviva, Allianz and Barclays.
Our Headteacher, Dan Charlton, said: “I’m blown away every year by our students’ dedication and hard work, and I am pleased to see it reflected again in these amazing results.
“It has been a privilege to work with such a passionate group of young people, and to help each student find their path for the future.”
Among the highest achievers were Bella Eaton, who accepted a place at Birmingham University to study law with criminology, having achieved three A* grades and an A* in the EPQ (Extended Project Qualification).
Celebrating excellent GCSE results
A week later, it was time for our fantastic GCSE students to open their envelopes.
We were absolutely delighted with our GCSE outcomes this year and can comfortably say that in regards to statistics and data, this really was a landmark year for us!
Some individual student successes include:
● Amabel K. achieved 8 Grade 9s in English Language, English Literature, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Media, French and History and is going to study English Literature, Mathematics, French and Media Studies A Levels at Roding Valley Sixth Form
Other high achievers include Rosa Marshall, who achieved A*, A*, A in English, biology and chemistry and will go to Cambridge to study English literature, and Imaan Sattar, who will study medicine at Anglia Ruskin University having secured her place with grades A*, A*, A and A* EPQ.
This year’s cohort of GCSE students exceeded expectations with their outstanding results, improving in almost all measures and across every subject area. This resulted in a RECORD number enrolling in our fantastic 6th form:
> English AND Maths Grade 4+ = 68%
> English AND Maths Grade 5+ = 48%
> Total grades 4+ 78.4%
> Total grades 7+ 23.5%
● William B. achieved 7 Grade 9s in English Language, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History and Media and is going to study Maths, Further Maths, History and Politics A Levels at Roding Valley Sixth Form
● James M. achieved 6 Grade 9s in English Language, English Literature, Biology, Physics, French and Media and is going to study History, Politics and French A Levels at Roding Valley Sixth Form
We are beyond PROUD of this cohort, where the majority have stayed with us to continue their 7 YEAR JOURNEY at Roding Valley High School.
TRANSITIONING INTO SECONDARY SCHOOL LIFE AT RVHS
Summer School, 2025
Summer term wouldn’t be complete without our annual Transition Summer School!
This year we welcomed nearly 200 of our upcoming Year 7 cohort through the gates to take part in transitional and fun activities to help prepare them for secondary school life at RVHS.
It gave the students a fantastic opportunity to meet their future teachers and build friendships with their fellow peers.
Mr Anandappa, Assistant Head Teacher said - ‘This was one of our best summer schools yet! One of the highlights has to be seeing our new students taking part in the daily wake and shake!
I think our staff may have enjoyed it just as much!’
To any prospective parents and students reading this- do make sure that you consider joining us for summer school 2026. It really is an invaluable experience and means that students feel absolutely ready to start with us in September. All information regarding upcoming summer schools can be found on our school website.
TRANSITIONING INTO SECONDARY SCHOOL LIFE AT RVHS
Open Morning
On the 28th September, 2024, we welcomed hundreds of prospective parents and students into our school for our annual Open Morning.
Families were guided around our school campus by a team of friendly tour guides from across all year groups. It was amazing to see current Year 7 students feeling so confident at such an early stage to show parents and future students around their school.
Highlights included a ‘Yellow brick’ road tour through our fantastic Drama Dept, Science experiments led by our Science Team and of course some impressive sporting demonstrations over in PE.
Every year our Open Morning continues to be a highlight in our school calendar. It gives us a great opportunity to show our local community what Roding Valley High School is all about.
SPORTING SUCCESSES
Year 10 Football Team - Essex Cup Champions
A successful season in the Essex Cup saw the team only concede 2 goals on their route to the final hosted at Aveley Football Clubs Stadium. A fantastic achievement which saw them lift the 115-year-old U15 Essex Cup for the first time in the school’s history at this age group.
Year 7 West Essex Basketball Champions
A successful season for Year 7 basketball with both the A team and the B team winning their 3v3 competitions at the West Essex District Basketball tournament. This comes after attending basketball club every Wednesday lunchtime.
Year 7 & 8 Girls Tennis Team – Essex Cup semi finalists
The Year 7 & 8 team qualified through to the semi finals of the Essex Cup after winning 2 out of their 3 group games during the early summer months. Unfortunately, they came up against a very tough opposition in their semi finals in Southend and lost 4 matches to 2.
Year 7 Rugby Team – West Essex & Harlow District Champions
The Year 7 rugby team had a great first year of school rugby at Roding Valley, winning the West Essex and Harlow District cup final after beating St Marks 30-0 and finishing runners up in Essex Schools Rugby 7s Shield competition in Chelmsford too.
Year 9 Netball Team – West Essex & Harlow Champions
After successfully winning the West Essex Netball league and then going on to win the West Essex Netball Rally, the Year 9 Netball team qualified for
the West Essex and Harlow Netball Final at St Marks School in Harlow.
After narrowly missing out on qualifying for this final last year, the girls made sure they came away with the win, winning 22-18!
SPORTING SUCCESSES
Sportability Team - Essex Panathlon Swimming Competition Winners
Sports Awards 2025
Sports Awards is an annual awards evening hosted by the PE department for all the students who have represented the school over the year.
Swimming competition for SEND students. The team won their qualifying round at the Olympic Swimming centre in Stratford which put them into the regional final at the same venue. The team went onto win this competition too with some brilliant performances.
This is the first time they have won this event.
Sports Day
Is a two-day affair at Roding Valley High School, which showcases students involvement in Athletics and inter house competition.
The format of day 1 includes competing in the field events (long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus, javelin and high jump), the long and middle distance track events (1500m and 800m) as well as the 50m hurdles and 300m/400m sprint events in their morning lessons and then competing in the tug of war in the afternoon.
Students are awarded representation badges (bronze, silver, gold, platinum) as well being nominated for other awards such as each year groups boy and girl outstanding achievement in PE award, team of the year, The Moncur award, Sports leaders award and the Overall Outstanding Achievement in PE winner – which was won by a Year 7 student for the first time this year.
Day 2 includes the sprint athletics programme of 200m, 100m and relays with the whole school attendance on the field. Alongside these events students could also take part in the same activities as previous years on the other field such as the darts throw, bean bag toss, welly boot throw the chest push and archery.
SPORTING SUCCESSES
West Essex & Harlow District Sports at Chelmsford Athletics Stadium
Friday 20th June saw the PE Department take a squad of 67 students from Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 to the West Essex and Harlow District Sports at Melbourne Park, Chelmsford. As one of the highlights of the school calendar it is always great to go back to a fantastic athletics venue.
It is a Year group and whole school event where every point matters from where students finish in their events. We had a number of students finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd as well as students who helped contribute to our point total by finishing 5th, 6th and 7th too. This led to Roding Valley finishing 7th out of 14 schools competing on the day at the West Essex and Harlow District Sports.
Representing West Essex & Harlow at the Year 7 Essex Schools Athletics Championships at Chelmsford Athletics Stadium
Students in Year 7 who did well at the West Essex and Harlow District Sports were selected for the West Essex and Harlow Schools team to compete at the Essex Schools Athletics Championships. We had 4 representatives taking part in the 100m, High Jump and the 800m events.
Trips and Visits
Throughout the year the PE department try and give students the opportunity to visit a sporting occasion or environment to see how the professionals train or compete. Last year we took Year 7 and 10 Students to Chelsea FC’s training ground for a tour and training session and a group of girls from Years 7, 8 and 9 to a London Pulse Netball fixture at the Copper Box.
CREATIVE SUCCESSES
Creative Successes
As ever, Roding Valley had a tremendous year when it came to our creative endeavours. Every year, hundreds of students from across all year groups participate in the many opportunities that are given to them by our Creative Arts department. Some of the events included:
● School production 2025: Wizard of Oz, cast of 40, but this year we had a cast of 100 who auditioned, plus a large team of Year 12 and 13 in the production team, plus over 40 students ho want to support backstage!! This year we are going from one to two matinee performances, to allow more primary schools to see it. Tickets for Matilda can now be booked online by the public, see the QR codes around the Creative Arts Faculty.
Art exhibition and Winter Concert
● Art exhibition & Winter concert: This was a brand new event for 2024! Our art & music departments came together for a collaboration to celebrate all of our student’s musical & art achievements.
● Year 10 Christmas Pantomime, performed in school to visiting primary schools then to parents in the evening, part of their GCSE curriculum. What a show!
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CREATIVE SUCCESSES
● National Theatre Connections, run since 2021, Years 9 to 13, performed at school and Queens Theatre Hornchurch. Students gain the experience of working in a professional setting. Always a brand new, contemporary play - providing a challenge for our students.
● Exam showcases - GCSE and A Level performance work always performed a week ahead of the exam to an audience of parents and peers. This allows us to share the next stage of our exam work with other year groups (A Level students modelling best practice to GCSE, etc), while also ensuring that they are “show ready” a week prior to their actual performance exams. Last year included an adaptation of The Madness of George III in the style of Steven Berkoff, A Devised piece entitled The Four (useless) Horseman of the Apocalypse and an extract from Sartre’s In Camera
● Year 7 & Year 10 GCSE drama trip to see Jack & the Beanstalk on 27th November. Both year groups explore pantomime in the autumn term and will learn the conventions of pantomime in lessons.
ENGLISH AND LITERACY
English and Literacy Events
The fundamentals of Literacy consist of reading, writing, speaking and listening and here at Roding Valley High School from Years 7-13. We provide a safe space for all our students to experiment, explore and enjoy all these different elements; building their confidence and understanding of the world around them.
We promote these key skills using a huge variety of activities and events throughout the year to engage students in exciting topics and allow them to develop their Literacy abilities. Most importantly - we want our students to fall in love with reading
Here are some examples from last year:
World Book Day
Who says a Secondary School can’t celebrate World Book Day? Not Roding Valley High School!
On WBD we celebrate the magic of books - their power to transport us to new worlds, spark our imagination, and shape our future. From Hogwarts, to Wonderland, from Middle Earth to 11th Century Scotland - we recognise that stories inspire us to dream and think big. WBD 2025 was our biggest celebration - our students loved seeing teachers from across the school being transformed into their favourite literary characters. Year 7s took part in an exciting treasure hunt and discovered their teachers favourite books. The icing on the cake is that you also receive a book token so you can start exploring a new read! Which genre would you like to explore?
Reading for Pleasure is Key
Year 7s begin EVERY lesson with 5 minutes of reading. They can use this time to read their chosen genre. Teachers also read their personal books during this time.
It is such a glorious start to a lesson. Year 7s then complete the ‘Reading Passport’ and students really enjoy logging their reading time and seeing how many pages they get through. Prizes are given for completing a passport and this nurtures a real excitement for reading. Year 7s even read in assembly!
Library Lessons – In Year 7, we have a special hour embedded into the timetable in which students focus on building their reading skills with a huge focus on expanding the students’ knowledge of literature and its broader implications in the world. There are prizes for book reviews and book presentations. One of the opportunities based on their performance throughout the year is a school trip during the Summer term – a brilliant way to end Year 7!
Word of the Week – We have a new keyword of the week, every week, to help build our students’ vocabulary and encourage them to have an understanding of word etymology. Do you think you’ll be able to use our word of the week in your written work or within an answer to a question to impress your teachers?
Oracy – We promote oracy in our lessons, within assessments and as part of our extracurricular activities such as Debate Club and Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge. It’s okay if you are a little shy at the beginning – by the end of your time here at Roding Valley you’ll be able to speak clearly, confidently and calmly!
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ENGLISH AND LITERACY
English and Literacy Events continued...
Creative Writing Club – Would you like to be published in our next Creative Writing Club Compilation Booklet? You can attend our lunchtime sessions and get your imagination flowing with freedom to write your own stories and poems and meet other students who love writing too! With all these exciting opportunities and activities, we hope you can’t wait to get involved in our Literacy initiatives in September 2026!
GCSE English in Action – This trip is an exciting day out of the classroom and into an auditorium where you will hear real writers and English experts discuss ideas about all the texts you will study at GCSE. I know this probably seems far away at this point for Year 7, but it is good to know you will get to meet some of the poets you have studied in the future and ask them all your questions!
In School Performances – Every year, twice a year, we bring the theatre to you! We have professional actors who come into school (usually in December and in April) and they will perform one of the texts you have been studying. You get to be up close to the action in our main hall and watch the stories you love come to life.
GCSE Support Sessions – We are always here to help so as you move up in the school and approach your GCSEs, you may decide to spend a lunchtime or two with our fantastic English teachers who will help you revise and prepare for your exams.
A Level English Literature
We believe strongly that students benefit from a range of experiences outside of the classroom. It is imperative that we facilitate opportunities for our learners to gain a more nuanced appreciation of literature through clubs, trips and general educational visits.
Our recent trips include:
● The Battlefields Trip - exploring the trenches, battle sites and graveyards of World War 1 in Belgium.
● Drama productions: we target productions that resonate with the texts that our students study. Recent examples include: The Great Gatsby (The London Coliseum); Oh, What a Lovely War (Southwark Playhouse); Othello (Haymarket Theatre Royal).
Right: Our students are sitting in the London Coliseum, waiting for the 2025 production of The Great Gatsby to commence.
● Lecture days, where students have the opportunity to listen to leading academics offer their critical readings of the books studied on the KS5 course.
● Visits to museums that are significant for A Level studies including The Imperial War Museum and Westminster Abbey.
REMINDER: Flynn to provide images for Macbeth, image from Gram, and add Speak Out ???
● Statue commemorating Edith Cavell, a World War 1 nurse who was executed after being caught helping to smuggle British Prisoners of War out of a German military hospital. This featured on a recent walking tour of World War 1 monuments, conducted by Mrs Routledge.
We also offer the following opportunities in school:
1. Literary Culture Club - a lunch time group where we explore a range of media, broadening students ideas and cultural awareness. Examples of featured culture include “Barbie Girl” by Aqua, Men Behaving Badly as well as Shakespeare’s sonnets.
2. Year 13 Intervention - an after-school weekly session where students can practice their exam skills and revise targeted content, with the support of A Level teachers.
LANGUAGE ENRICHMENT
Language Enrichment
Roding Valley High School is a very, and increasingly, diverse community. We have a wide variety of different languages spoken and cultures within our school. To celebrate this, we have a number of events that we celebrate throughout the year. One that we have celebrated over many years is Home Language and Culture Day, and one that we have successfully introduced over the past two years is our Fusion event.
We also have been welcoming Chinese visitors over several years. These visits are a real highpoint in the school year as students are partnered with visiting Chinese pupils and can create lasting friendships
Home Language and Culture Day
This day, celebrated in the summer term, is an event in which all Year 7s go off-timetable for the day and instead, attend sessions in different languages run by our teachers and pupils who speak another language. The key to this day is that students and teachers get the chance to celebrate their home culture and language in a way that might not happen during a normal school day. They also get the chance to wear traditional costumes from their home culture.
This year the day coincided with a visit to our school by a Chinese school and its pupils, so these pupils also got the chance to get an introduction to different languages. We also invited Year 4 students from a local Primary school, Staples Road to participate in events. This year, we had eighteen languages being taught, including Urdu, Arabic and Lithuanian, and the outfits, along with the songs and dance in the sessions made it a fantastic
RVHS Fusion
RVHS Fusion is a fantastic event that celebrates the different cultures and languages in our school through dance, spoken word, and music. The first Fusion event was the idea of a Year 12 pupil, as she wanted to create a concert that celebrated our diversity.
Our pupils put in so much work to prepare for our first Fusion event that took place in March 2024. The event took place during the day for Year 7 and 8 pupils and in the evening we had a concert which celebrated Afrikaan poetry, Bollywood dance, and Urdu song, amongst many other things. It was such a success that we have now celebrated two further events. Each one more successful than the last. The most recent event, that took place in June 2025 was titled Around the World in 80 Minutes, and was a fantastic showcase for our talented students.
Visits of students from China
These have become a regular part of our school year, and a part that our students seem to very much enjoy.
In the year 2024-25 we welcomed three visits from China - one in February and two in July. The last of these visits involved 47 visiting students and over 100 Roding students. Friendships were made and our students were very sorry to see the visitors go.
REWARDS FAIRS
Rewards Fairs
RVHS hosted the first ever Rewards Fairs this year, where students who had excelled in a number of areas were invited to spend a few hours taking part in a variety of activities and games as well as enjoying food and drink provided by the school.
Students were invited for various reasons, such as
● House Point totals
● Excellent attendance
● Fantastic behaviour in school
● Recognition for their achievement in subjects
● Recognition of their extracurricular achievements
● Achievement in Bedrock/ Sparx
● Nominations from their HOY and the SEND Team
We were delighted to welcome around 150 students to our recent summer Rewards Fair, where they had the opportunity to have their hair styled, play Nerf games, make bracelets and even enjoy a complimentary ice cream - among other things!
Activities have included -
● Pick and Mix
● Hot food
● Video Games
● Table Tennis/Badminton
● Paper Throwing
● Speaker
● Nerf stall
● Battleships
● Photobooth
● Bracelet Making
● Hair Braiding
● Mehndi
● Cup Basket Game
● Chill out zone
● Biscuit Decorating
● Balloon Pop
● Dennis and Dyer - Boxing workshop
● Ice Cream Van
● Mehndi
● Guess the Coins
We are always looking to make this event bigger and better - More information on our next Rewards Fair at Christmas time is coming soon!
Being a Sixth Former @RVHS
Year 13 Geneva Trip - STEM
During the October half-term, our Year 13s went on a funpacked trip to Geneva! We toured the United Nations Palace, explored the botanical gardens, learnt about what goes on at CERN, had a traditional Swiss dinner with cheese fondue and live music, made cloud chambers showing the trails left by subatomic particles, climbed the highest church, explored the city some more, and took a boat across Lake Geneva… Wow, we never stopped moving! It was a brilliant trip with a truly wonderful group and we can’t wait to go next year!
BEING A SIXTH FORMER @RVHS
Drama Production led by our Sixth Formers
A school year at Roding Valley wouldn’t be complete without our school production!
#TeamDrama (you will get used to calling them this!) get us really excited, every year, with a fantastic build up to the official announcement of the school show!
Last year, a special ‘reveal’ video was shown to all students during their assembly, created by our fantastic 6th form Drama production team, who go the extra mile to involve as many students across the school in the production and get them fired up about the performance. For those that don’t want to get on the stage, there are plenty of other roles to get involved in, from choreography to backstage!
Mary Poppins JR really was a fantastic show. Highlights included the fantastic Cockney accents and brilliant costumes.
Super-curricular Lectures
As part of our Challenge and Enrichment offer at RVHS, Year 12 students were invited to take part in this year’s Super Curricular Lectures. Students were tasked with delivering a 30 minute presentation to impart knowledge onto their younger peers. The students taking part from Year 12 were allowed to select their own topics and therefore, these ranged from lectures regarding time management and extra-curricular opportunities to politics and parliamentary reform. It was noted that the Year 12 students involved within this programme were delivering high quality lectures with passion and were engaging our younger students in thought-provoking concepts.
These were some of the topics:
n Diversity and Fusion.
n How to manage time effectively.
n Is Literature dying out?
n The impact of technology on mental wellbeing.
Roding Valley High School and #TeamDrama presents
Science Clubs
Sixth Form Scientists lead a range of Science-based activities. They plan sessions based on their interests, to motivate and engage lower school pupils. Recently, our Scientists have carried out experiments including hatching and raising quails, making citrus batteries, and testing the structural capacity of different food items. Our prospective medical students have also organised first-aid training, dissections and ethical debates.
Academic Officer, who delivers workshops, reviews personal statements, and carries out mock MMIs.
We access webinars focussed on a range of diseases, participate in essay competitions, and the annual conference.
Sixth-form STEM students lead an eco-friendly club for the lower school where they recycle and reuse waste to create a range of items.
Our STEM students plan and organise builds according to their interests and the recycled materials available. Recent construction projects include clocks, lava lamps, and badges.
Politics Project
As part of our enrichment for A Level politics students take part in two digital dialogue sessions a year with serving MPs either from the House of Commons or the House of Lords.
Students get to plan their sessions and have freedom to ask the questions that matter most to them.
Mario Kart Tournament
As part of our house competitions, the computing team organised a Mario Kart Tournament across Year 7 - Year 12.
Capgemini Trip
Every year the school organise a sixth form trip to Capgemini in central London.
The Year 12 Computer Science students designed the posters and forms to capture interest from participants. We had a large number of applications and from this we saw a number of Roding Valley sixth formers take part. In the finals we saw two of our Year 12s go head to head in what was a thrilling and close competition. It was lovely to see such enthusiasm from the older groups and playing and engaging with lower school students. We look forward to organising our next tournament after the October half term.
Year 12 Geography Field Trip
In summer term, Mr Cocker and Mrs Curling took 17 Year 12 Geographers to Dorset to explore the human and physical geography on offer there.
Dorset is always such a great place to look at the coastal features and landscapes, including Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove. We looked at regeneration and inequality in the coastal town of Boscombe. We stayed for 3 nights at Leeson House, where students analysed their findings using some sophisticated tools, including ArcGIS. The students had a little bit of free time to spend in nearby Swanage, enjoying some fish and chips and the arcades.
This day is organised to give students an idea of what a regular working day may look like. The day also gives students the opportunity to speak to successful apprentices who are currently in full time jobs.
BTEC Business - outside the classroom
As part of the BTEC Business Unit 4 students need to plan and run their own event. The event must raise money for charity and must be done within their groups. In recent years we have events such as:
n Badminton tournaments
n Obstacle courses
n Cake sales
n Fifa tournaments BEING
CTEC Sport - outside the classroom
Netball/Sport Coaching
As part of the CTEC Sport Course students need to plan and deliver 6 coaching sessions on a sport of their choice. The students then deliver these sessions over a 6 week period to a Year 7 class as part of their work for Unit 2.
Lea Valley Water Centre
University of Essex trip
There is an opportunity to visit the University of Essex Human Performance Unit and take part in a number of Sport Science fitness tests inside their Performance laboratory and their fantastic indoor arena. Students work closely with current University students and lecturers on the day and produce data which can be used as part of their Unit 5 section of the course. The day also includes a tour of the University with a chance to see how the campus works.
Students also have the opportunity to visit Lee Valley Water Centre to complete the Outdoor Adventurous Activity element of their Unit 18 section of the course. Students undertake instruction on how to Kayak and replicate certain skills to show competency to gain the marks they need to be signed off for this element of Unit 18.
Year 12 University Visit
As part of our Beyond 18 Programme, students get the opportunity to visit a university
We typically choose a campus uni so that students get a taste of the university lifestyle. In the past we have visited the University of Kent and it has been a great opportunity to hear from admissions tutors, tour the campus and view the accommodation choices. This trip is an invaluable opportunity for sixth formers to engage with their future pathway and support them in deciding if university is the right choice for them.
Visit to Emmanuel College, Cambridge University
As part of our Beyond 18 pathway, we run an Oxbridge Programme which supports students who want to make applications to Oxford and Cambridge.
This trip is an important part of this offer as it allows students to visit one of the colleges at Cambridge and see the university in action. Students get to meet admissions tutors and current students. They are advised about the application processes and have the opportunity to ask any questions they might have. Students are sometimes, understandably, nervous about making these types of applications and this trip really helps with breaking down these barriers and encouraging students to put themselves forward for this aspirational pathway.
Our students’ comments on these sessions: “Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the Cambridge trip as it was really insightful into the different opportunities available within the university and helped to demystify the whole process of applying. The students gave us some really helpful tips and suggestions to prepare ourselves for the interviews and we did an academic session to show how the university assesses our ability to infer from a text and then articulate our ideas. I would highly recommend the trip to anyone looking at Oxbridge!” Amber
Bancroft Support
Throughout the year there are a number of occasions where our students are invited to attend events at Bancroft’s School to support our Beyond 18 programme. Most notably all students attend their university and apprenticeship fair which is an unique opportunity to have one to one chats with representatives and to explore their future pathways. In addition, groups of students also have the opportunity to attend sessions on competitive universities, undergraduate Mathematics, Oxbridge and law pathways.
Bancroft Competitive Futures Options event
We were invited by Bancroft to take just 10 students to attend their annual Competitive Futures Options event. The majority of the day was sitting and listening to different speakers from University of Oxford, Warwick, UCL and Queen Mary with PWC.
Our students’ comments on these sessions:
“It was a great experience and allowed us to hear about many different post 18 options!”
Louis
“Recently Bancroft has provided me with the opportunity to attend a talk, run by a Cambridge alumni. He enlightened me about the maths courses run at the Russell group universities. This talk also explained the reality of working through a Cambridge mathematics course, as the speaker spoke about the hours of work he put in, and what paths we could take within the subject, as well as the journey we could take on after graduating. Overall, this event was extremely inspirational, and I hope to one day achieve something half as impressive as what he did”
Luka
Employer Talks
Throughout the year sixth form students were able to attend a variety of employer talks. We had visits from:
n EY
n Deloitte
n PwC
n Journalist at The Times
n Higgins Group
n BGC
n OMD Media
n Investment2020
n Hill Group
n Media 10
n Attwaters
Jameson Hill Solicitors
n Salesforce
n A Physiotherapist
n Capgemini
n VCCP
n Lockton Insurance
n Millers Insurance
Students can choose which talks they would like to attend by signing up in Brook Library. The aim of the talks is for students to find out about future career pathways and the routes into them. They receive information about how to apply and what to include in their applications. These talks have led to students being offered work experience opportunities as well as employment.
Work Experience Week
All students complete a week of work experience at the end of Year 12. This is launched in the Autumn Term and students work to secure a placement in their chosen field. This is an invaluable experience which allows students to get a real taste of what working life is like. Some professions require considerable work experience in order to be able to make successful future applications and others use it as an opportunity to try out if a career pathway is for them. Students learn transferable skills, get to operate in a more mature environment and often have the opportunity to network and make important contacts which are useful for future applications.
CHARITY AND COMMUNITY
Team Building Day
In the first few weeks of Year 12, all students attend a team-building day at Lambourne End.
This is an opportunity for form groups to bond and for all students in the sixth form to form new friendships and connections. Students get stuck into a range of activities, testing their problem-solving, teamwork and determination. It’s always a great day and an opportunity for students to shine in a different setting.
Lower school student mentoring
It is really important at Roding Valley that sixth formers play an important role in the whole school community.
One part of this is through our lower school mentoring programme. Sixth formers volunteer to support Year 7 and 8 students with their transition to secondary school. Students are safeguarding trained in order to participate and then meet with their mentee on a weekly basis. We have seen some brilliant relationships blossom over the years and it is lovely to see the support network that grows out of these opportunities.
Our new Sixth Form mentors having a chat with their mentees, what a way to start a Friday morning! Enjoyed by all, looking forward to every Friday.
BEING A SIXTH
Duke Of Edinburgh Gold award
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award was voted by the United Learning Trust (a consortium of major employers) as the extra-curricular Award they see as most important for potential applicants to have attained at school. It encourages young people to develop independence, commitment, leadership and teamwork through being involved in a personalised programme of activities. The school fully supports the Award and recognises its unique value for developing skills and attributes in young people.
At Roding Valley High School, the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award is only open to Sixth Formers. Students choosing to participate will have to complete 5 sections, which will then be assessed by their Assessors. The 5 sections are: Physical, Skill, Volunteering, Residential and Expedition.
CHARITY AND COMMUNITY
Awards Evening for Summer Leavers in December
In the autumn after completing Year 13, you will be invited back to celebrate your successes.
For those at university, we ensure it is late enough into December that term has finished. Awards are given to students with exceptional progress or attainment. Special awards are also given, including the Governors’ Shield and the Murray Cup for outstanding contribution to school life. This is also used by students as an excuse for a whole year reunion!
The Peter Cross Memorial Shield Charlie Ruse
The Murray Cup Lili Warden
The Governors’ Shield Daniel Mehr
BEING A SIXTH FORMER @RVHS
Annual Sixth Form Vs Staff Football Match
Every summer sixth form students take part in a charity match Vs RVHS teachers.
This is organised and run by the BTEC Business Studies students. All students from Years 7-13 are invited to come and watch the match, which takes place on the school astroturf. The money raised is donated to the local food bank.
Epping Food Bank / 3food4u
Each
