This evening we are hosting the Key Stage 4 Awards event in the School Hall. This is an opportunity to celebrate the successes of the last cohort of Year 11s and highlight their excellent performances in the GCSE examinations. It is always a positive evening and I am looking forward to seeing a number of old faces who have moved on to pastures new. This year though is a first for the school as many of our students stayed on to do their Post 16 study at Roding Valley. It will be a good opportunity for them to meet old friends and share experiences of life beyond GCSEs. I am sure that they will be giving a strong message that they are enjoying their studies in our inaugural Sixth Form and long may this continue. This has been a busy week with two Drop Down Days where students were off timetable to take part in specific events. On Wednesday the Year 9s were involved in "Prison, Me? No Way!" which is a cross curricular experience involving a range of workshops, presentations and seminars highlighting the importance of making the right decisions in life. Speaking to a number of the students throughout the day I was delighted to hear them extolling the virtues of the speakers. Our visitors were all volunteers who give of their time generously and make a real difference when they go in to schools up and down the country. I very much hope that this was a thought provoking day for our students and made them stop and think about what they want to achieve in life. On Thursday we held our Year 7 Drop Down Day focusing on Zambia and our "Beyond Ourselves" commitment to the Greater Joy School. It was a packed day with the students engaging in a range of activities. There was film making, fund raising and seminars based on the differences between life in Zambia compared with this part of the world. The students appeared to enjoy their close encounters with a range of creatures including snakes and tarantulas and it's fair to say that the twitter feed was buzzing all day, so do log on and have a look if you have the chance. Hopefully some of this group of students will have the chance to visit Zambia with the school in years to come. Our Years 12s are certainly looking forward to their forthcoming trip there in July and are busily fund raising and putting all preparations in place. Finally just a reminder that tomorrow, Friday 27th November 2015, the school is shut. I do hope that you all enjoy the extended weekend. J Luck Headteacher
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