What a week it has been. Firstly I would like to thank all the parents and students who attended the Sixth Form Consortium Launch evening last night. I was delighted that the turn out was so high and the feedback from students and parents was enormously positive. Large numbers of students expressed their desire to stay on to complete their A Levels at Roding Valley which is clearly a ringing endorsement for the school. So many students referred to the positive relationships that they have developed with their teachers and stated that their teachers go above and beyond the call of duty to support them with their studies. We were joined on Thursday evening by the Headteachers from Debden Park and Epping St John as these schools are forming the Consortium along with Roding Valley. Both Headteachers said how impressed they were with the turn out on the night but also on the way that current and former students spoke with such passion about the school. Head Girl Carina Sander and Head Boy Naru George spoke from the stage and were fulsome in their praise of the teachers' energy and efforts to support all students and were fantastic ambassadors for the school. We also welcomed back Jess Hayden, Patrick Haslam and Jonathan Schroder, all former pupils who had to go elsewhere for their Sixth Form experience. I was hugely impressed with their speeches. Not only did they speak from the heart about how much they would have relished the chance to stay on at Roding Valley, they also spoke eloquently and confidently about their own experience of Sixth Form life at other schools. I know that their powerful arguments were warmly received by those in the Hall. All in all the evening was a roaring success but is only the first stage in our preparation to get everything in place for the new Sixth Form in September 2015. Please do watch this space for the Taster workshops and the Subject Focus evenings that are coming up. In addition to this, we have also invited a group of professional dancers in today to lead the Year 7 Boys' Day of Dance. I was lucky enough to spend some time going round the different sessions and saw our boys rising to the challenge and making fantastic progress in a short space of time. The boys informed me that they have had a really enjoyable day and I'm looking forward to seeing the photos and videos up around the school. It was lovely to hear from the dancers leading the sessions, all of whom praised our students for their politeness and their willingness to give it a go. One of the dancers said that they had been into schools regularly for the last 2 years and he had never come across such a lovely group of students. Clearly great ambassadors for the school and for you as parents. I hope that you all have an enjoyable weekend. Mr J Luck Headteacher
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