The first thing I should mention is to remind everyone that there is no school for students on Monday, 1st December. The school is closed as staff will be involved in an INSET day designed to provide ongoing training for all staff. On Thursday 4th December we are holding our annual Key Stage 4 Awards Evening where our former students will be returning to the school to accept their certificates and prizes. Since these are the students who achieved the school's best ever examination results it should prove to be a real celebration. I'm looking forward to meeting our alumni and hearing about how they are getting on with their lives after Roding Valley. I am also pleased to be able welcome back Mr Banks who was very keen to see his former students again and applaud their successes. It has been another busy week for our current Year 11s as they are working hard in lessons and with Controlled Assessments. They have also been given the opportunity to attend 6th Form Taster Lessons across the range of subjects to help them make their decisions about which A Levels they may choose to study next year. I would like to thank the teachers who have planned and delivered engaging, entertaining sessions to whet the appetite of the students and the feedback that I have had has been very positive. Students have informed me that they enjoyed the opportunity to work in smaller groups and be challenged to discuss concepts at a higher level than they are used to at GCSE. The teachers have also told me that they have been impressed with the enthusiasm of the students and their mature approach to these extra sessions. I very much hope that these students will prioritise attending the 6th Form Open Evening on the 11th December where they will have the chance to speak to the teachers and Senior Leaders about their subject choices and will learn more about the exciting times ahead for themselves and the school. I would also like to congratulate a number of students for some excellent performances on the football field this week. I was delighted to hear about the Year 10 boys' ongoing success in the English Schools FA Cup. This is a fiercely contested competition and the team have already been pitched against some strong sides. To travel to Luton and come away with a win is a tremendous result and I would like to congratulate the team and Mr Fitch for their efforts. In addition to this I would like to mention that we have also had students representing Essex at Football in the last week. Sidney Jethva and Jamie Grace represented the county at Under 14 and both played with distinction. At Under 15 Conor Tyrrell and at Under 16 Darnell Ramsey were selected in strong county line ups and deserve a mention. It is great for Roding Valley to have such talented individuals playing at this level and they are a credit to the school and to their parents. Have a lovely weekend and thank you for your ongoing support of Roding Valley High School. Mr J Luck Headteacher
You can follow us at www.rodingvalley.net , on Facebook at the ‘Roding Valley High School Official’ page or on Twitter (@RodingValleyHS). You can also sign up to our free electronic media release service at rodingvalleymedia@gmail.com