I would like to start this week’s bulletin by taking the opportunity to wish Mr Davies (Deputy Headteacher) a long and happy retirement when he finishes his teaching career next Tuesday after over 30 years of service. On a personal note, I would like to thank him for everything he has done for the school, in particular the support he gave me when I started as Headteacher. He is a popular, successful and hugely respected professional and his presence in the classroom, corridors and playground will be missed by everyone at the school. We started the week with the Year 11 Final Assembly and Prom and both events went incredibly well with over 200 students attending the prom on Monday night. I thought I had seen every type of sports car or novelty vehicle there was that could drop students off at a prom but the fire engine, complete with sirens, was a new one for me! The students were a credit to the school in the way in which they behaved and a great night was had by all. We took the decision yesterday to postpone the Year 9 Sport Day until Monday 21st July when temperatures were due to be cooler. There was no way we could safely have students participating in a Sports Day in the heat and humidity of today and I am sure parents will understand this. Whilst the forecast is cooler for Monday, can I please remind parents of Year 9 students to ensure they have sun cream and water for the day. Congratulations to our Year 10 students who undertook their ‘Mock Interviews’ this Wednesday and the feedback from the employers who came in and interviewed our students was incredibly positive. Year 10 Media Studies students were visited by BAFTA Screenwriter and Director Paul Viragh yesterday afternoon. Paul came to us as part of the ‘Speakers for Schools’ programme which we have signed up to (http://www.speakers4schools.org/) and spoke to students about his career writing scripts and directing movies. It was a fascinating presentation and we are delighted that he could join us. The strong tradition of successful debating teams at the school continued as our next generation of debaters travelled to Burnt Mill School in Harlow to compete against Burnt Mill and Bishop Stortford Boys School. Olivia Tinker(10S) and Hannah Smith (10V) stole the show in what turned out to be a battle of the sexes with an allgirl opposition team against the boys of Stortford. Olivia Biddle (8V) and Zoe Donnelly (8V) came second in the competition while Year 7 boys Tariq Riaz (7U) and Samuel Copeman (7V) also made an excellent impression on the judges. Once again the fine tradition of successful debating teams at Roding Valley continues and we now have an enviable reputation as one of the strongest schools in Essex for debating. Well done to everyone involved! Congratulations also to our Head of History, Mr Goodall, who, writing under the alias Anthony Fitzgerald, has published a novel. ‘The Harvest’ is a Science Fiction novel aimed at adults and is available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Harvest-Anthony-FitzGerald-ebook/dp/B00LG74EAS I have written to parents this week detailing the arrangements for the start of next term. This letter is being posted home with your child’s report and the updated version of the school badge which is to be worn on blazers from September. Term ends on Tuesday 22nd July and students will be dismissed from 12.20pm. Periods 1-3 will be normal lessons on this day and students are required to bring any necessary books or equipment for these lessons. Finally, I would like to ‘sign off’ my last parent bulletin with a few words. It has been a real honour to serve as Headteacher at Roding Valley High School since January 2010. The school has come a long way in the last 5 years and I am immensely proud at what we - staff, students, parents and governors -have achieved together. I would like to firstly thank all the staff at Roding Valley. They all work tirelessly to ensure that the students get a superb education and I have been very fortunate to work with such talented and dedicated professionals. I would also like to thank the Governors who have supported the school in making the changes we needed to make in order for us to be where we are today. Finally, I would like to thank every parent for their support over the last 5 years. Without us all working together, we would not be in the strong position we are in now. I look forward to hearing about the future success of the school as it moves into its next exciting phase with the establishment of the new 6th Form. With my very best wishes Paul Banks Headteacher
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