I very much hope that you all managed to have an enjoyable and restful half term. During the break a large group of our students travelled to Valencia to train with La Liga coaches, attend a First Team game and play football matches against Academy sides from Spain. It has been great to hear how hard the students worked on their skills and see the photographs of our students making the most of the fantastic facilities as well as embracing the local culture and cuisine. I would very much like to thank Mr Jones for leading and organising the trip and the other teachers, Mr Naidoo, Mr Perera and Mr McManners for giving up their holiday to accompany the group. I am delighted that we are providing these sorts of opportunities for our students as I believe this is an essential part of educating and developing the whole child. There are a number of other trips and opportunities for our students in the months to come at a time when a number of other schools are reducing their offer in this respect so well done to all of those involved at Roding Valley. We've got straight back into the swing of things after half term and I would like to mention how pleased I was with the parental feedback from the Year 10 Parents' Evening on Thursday 5th November. The evening was very well attended and this was a chance for teachers to discuss with parents how their sons and daughters were progressing at the start of their GCSEs. We took the decision to calendar this event early on in the year to ensure that any issues or concerns could be addressed as soon as possible and I very much hope that this has had a positive impact on the students' progress. I am delighted with the start that the Year 10s have made with their GCSEs and I am pleased to note that as a year group they are hard working and ambitious which is an excellent combination. This is a busy half term in the run up to Christmas and it is a challenging time of the year with the nights drawing in and the weather getting colder. We will make every effort to support our students' learning and I hope that the snow stays away as I do not want us to lose any teaching time. Fortunately we did not have to close due to severe weather conditions last year and I hope the same will be the case this time round. J Luck Headteacher
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