To start with, a big thank you to all parents who attended the Parents' Forum on Monday. The session was run by Mrs Jenner, Mr Vermaak and Mr Naidoo and was focussed on the changes in the way that Maths is going to be examined in years to come. The Government has announced a number of changes in terms of the degree of difficulty of examinations and the type of questions that will be asked. I am glad to say that we have worked quickly on this and the Maths Department are well set to be able to deliver high quality teaching in the years to come, providing the students with every chance of achieving excellent outcomes. At future Parents' Forums we are looking to provide similar insights for the changes that are going to affect other subjects such as English and the Sciences so please do take the opportunity to come along as it will certainly put you in a better position to help your child succeed. It was great to get so many positive messages following the Forum stating how useful parents had found it and thanking the staff for their input and commitment. On a different note I would like to mention that we are having a crackdown on litter around the school at present. I have delivered an assembly to the students about the importance of looking after the school environment and taking a pride in the school as a whole. When I show visitors around they always comment on what an attractive place Roding Valley is and how lovely to have a river running through the middle of the site. However, at times there has been a considerable amount of litter which is totally avoidable. There are plenty of bins around the school and students must use them. Not only would this demonstrate that they take a real pride in the school and show that they respect the establishment, it will also mean that gulls will not be attracted. I'm afraid that the gulls and other birds swoop in picking up any food that is dropped and this could constitute a health hazard. I have warned students that if this continues to be a problem we will have to consider more stringent sanctions to be taken against those students dropping litter. On a more positive note I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Year 9 football team taking on Forest School on Wednesday evening. I saw superb finishing from Logan Simmonds and Jamie Grace and some calm and classy defending from Sidney Jethva to name but three. I spoke to Mr Jones who takes the team and he said what a delightful group of lads they are and how it is a pleasure to see them developing as footballers. The final score was a 10 - 1 hammering which was a tough lesson for Forest and I look forward to the Year 9s next game with eager anticipation. I wish you an enjoyable weekend. J Luck Headteacher
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