I would like to start by thanking all students and parents who attended the Sixth Form Open Evening on Tuesday this week. There was an excellent turn out and it is always reassuring for me to be speaking to a packed School Hall. I am delighted with the start that our current Year 12s have made and we are certainly looking to build on this for next year. I've spoken to a number of the Year 11s who have already made their subject choices having discussed the issue with the Heads of Faculty and other teaching staff. However, there will be many students who will need more advice and guidance on their options so we will be putting in lots of opportunities for them to enjoy taster sessions across a range of A Level subjects as well as providing meetings with current Year 12s and teachers to discuss the best ways forward for them. We appreciate that this is a decision that could well have far reaching consequences in terms of career aspirations so we want to provide every support so that they choose wisely. Thanks also to the parents who came along to the Parents' Forum on Monday evening. The subject matter was Child Sexual Exploitation and Radicalisation; two tough subjects but it was clear from the responses of those present that we need to keep parents fully updated with these issues. Several parents commented that they were very grateful for the hard work that the school is doing to keep the students safe both in and out of school but we must remember that vigilance is the key. If anyone has any concerns with regard to these aspects of Child Protection or any other more general concerns about the safety of our young people please do not hesitate to contact the school. Our Child Protection leads are June Cordwell, Sam Dyer and Jeanette Low. This morning at 4.45am 35 students and 4 staff mustered to go on the football trip to Valencia. I am sure that the players will do Roding Valley High School proud both on and off the field and I wish them every success as the standard of matches will be very high. They were certainly excited with this opportunity and Mr Jones has put together an excellent itinerary. Finally I would like to mention the Year 7 Boys rugby team who I had the pleasure of watching this week. On Thursday afternoon they took on the local rivals from Debden Park and were very impressive victors. The team played with real spirit and their tackling and rucking was fearsome. There was also some superb elusive running from the backs and I very much hope that this is the start of things to come from our Rugby teams. As a Rugby man myself I am very keen for us to develop the sport at Roding Valley High School as I think that the "play hard but play fair" ethos is something that we should be promoting. The boys clearly enjoyed their first game and I think we've got a squad in Year 7 who could be very competitive for years to come. May I wish you all an enjoyable half term. J Luck Headteacher
Zambia non-uniform day has so far raised a grand total of:
ÂŁ1994