A short message from me this week at the end of a short week Please remember that the School is closed to students on Friday 28th November
and Monday 1st December We hope this is an opportunity for students to have a rest and recharge for the remaining 3 weeks of this calendar year During this long weekend, please take the opportunity to ensure that any School uniform issues are resolved, particularly school shoes and equipment. School opens as usual, from 8 00am, on Tuesday 2nd December with a whole school line-up at 8 25am
As I mentioned in a previous Parent Bulletin, we are changing our school management information system during the coming weeks, this may mean that the response to your phone calls or emails may take a little longer than normal over the next few weeks whilst the transition and training takes place Please note, there maybe some changes to your child’s class names, this is because the current names we are using for a number of classes are not compatible with the new system
Earlier this week we wrote to thank you for taking the time to complete our first parent survey of the year. We have analysed the feedback and created an action plan based on some of the common themes that have emerged In this instance we were very reassured to hear that your children feel safe and happy at school, that they enjoy coming to school each day and that we have high expectations of the students
It was also good to hear that as a school we respond swiftly and effectively to any instances of bullying and discriminatory behaviour Also interesting, was to see that parents are supportive of a more robust system for dealing with poor behaviour as it arises. The feedback was also discussed with our Local Governing Body and we plan to share an updated version of our Student Behaviour and Ethos Policy - subject to approval- with you before Christmas, reflecting some of the themes that came out of the survey
We will periodically send out further surveys over the rest of the year If you are able to spend a few minutes completing these we would be very appreciative as your feedback is incredibly helpful in helping to identify current strengths, priorities and inform policy on some of the most important matters.
On Thursday 4 December at 4 30pm we are hosting Roding Valley Sixth Form Open Evening Our Sixth Form is outstanding and we have achieved consistently outstanding results which continue to improve year on year Last year we had over 500 applications for 124 available places
This year we expect that number to increase significantly, and we have record numbers of visitors signed up to attend next week If you would like to attend and have not yet signed up, , please click on the click below. For further information about admissions and entry requirements ahead of the evening, please visit the school website
https://forms.gle/rPcadmaaG52sRmyY6
Well done to all students in Years 11 and 13 on their PPE 1 exams Their conduct was exemplary and we look forward to seeing some brilliant results from these examinations The results will be shared with students and parents once the mammoth task of marking, moderating and then reporting is complete
Finally a reminder from me that on 9th December is our Christmas Concert - tickets cost £1 00 and can be purchased via Parentpay We would love to see as many students and families as possible so please come along!
On Friday 12th December we will be serving Christmas Dinner - we will extend the lunch break to ensure that all students have enough time to eat and celebrate with their friends and the staff We will be decorating the main hall and will have festive songs performed by a variety of staff. We also ask for students to wear Christmas jumpers over their uniforms on this date and will be collecting money for charity - a suggested donation of £1 00 will be collected on the gates for those that participate
Stars of the Week
Year Group W/C 17th November 2025
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Year 12
Year 13
Warm regards
Mr D Charlton
Gracie Scott - Winning the Drama House competition with a fantastic recreation of a School of Rock poster
Helena Camley - For being such a fantastic role model in and out of lessons, and for her high amount of House Points
Aidan Bance - For a fantastic start to our Roding Valley Community
Darius Maree - 100% attendance and large number of achievement points last week
Daniel Graham Harris - For being so focussed and driven and for being the ideal RVHS student!
Lucy Compton - For helping on a daily basis with our festive fundraising efforts
Warren Schroder - For exceptional progress in Biology, showing how hard work truly pays off
W/C 24th November 2025
Isabelle Tudor - Fantastic Attendance poster and massive amounts of House Points achieved
Lucas Tapply-O’Connor - For his dedication, and hard work in every lesson
Myla Cordes - For her consistent positive energy that shines and being such a positive role model for everyone around her
Sofia Passat - For working really well with Year 7 students
Harri Collischon - For helping on a daily basis with our festive fundraising efforts
Samuel Caffall - For sustained commitment to his studies and making regular use of the Brook library staying open late
Messages from Our Heads of Year Messages from Our Heads of Year
Our team is proud to be your child’s Head of Year and very much looking forward to supporting your child and with such a great cohort of students, we are sure it will be a great half term To ensure that you are aware of who your child’s Head of Year is and who to contact, please refer to their details below:
Year 7: Mr John
To contact Mr John, please email bjohn@rodingvalley net
Year 8: Miss Aston
To contact Miss Aston, please email caston@rodingvalley net
Year 9: Miss Burke
To contact Miss Burke, please email tburke@rodingvalley net
Year 10: Ms Wills
To contact Ms Wills, please email rwills@rodingvalley.net
Year 11: Mr Ryan
To contact Mr Ryan, please email fryan@rodingvalley net
YYear7News ear7News
Message from Mr John
Last week we welcomed David, fromThe Jack Petchey Foundation "Talk theTalk" programme, who worked with a specially selected group ofYear 7 students across two dynamic sessions "Talk aboutTransition" workshop.
The students learned vital oracy skills, the ability to articulate ideas, develop arguments and speak confidently in a public setting.
We are incredibly proud of all the participants, and a special congratulations goes to the four students chosen by David as ourYear 7 Oracy Champions: Esen Coskunner, Maryam Hussain, Aisha Hussain and Alexia Kyriacou. Well done, girls! We look forward to seeing you use your new public speaking skills in school and beyond
7Be - 97.1%
7Ne - 96 9%
7Li - 96.9%
7Ca - 96 6%
7Ar - 95.7%
7Ox - 95 6%
7Ma 95.6%
7Fl - 95 2%
Year 7 total - 96 29%
Attendance matters! As we settle into the school year, let's remember that being here every day is the foundation for a successfulYear 7 experience While our goal is always 100% attendance, every single day your child attends school is a crucial step toward achieving it. Build the foundations of the house you want to live in: consistent attendance ensures they don't miss out on vital lessons, social interactions and opportunities, helping them to solidify the knowledge and habits needed for their future
Congratulations to 7Beryllium for smashing it!
Let's work together to make sure they are in school, on time, every day.
Argon - Katy Adamchuk
Beryllium - Evie Smith-Galer
Carbon - Sophie Keen
Fluorine - Eren Yucel
Lithium - Sherman Cai
Magnesium - Becca Smith
Neon - Alexia Kyriacou & Winne Duffy
Oxygen - Teddy Donovan
It is important that parents register their children for free school meals if they are entitled as the school receives additional funding known as the Pupil Premium to support the children’s learning. The use of the pupil premium is personalised to meet the needs of the children who are entitled to support, such as 1-1 tuition, additional LSA support and intervention groups, access to school visits, Learning Mentor, speech and language assistants, Family Support and counselling If you believe that your child is eligible for Free School Meals, please click here to use our Free School Meals Checker Your Certificate of Eligibility will then need to be emailed to finance@rodingvalley net
YYear8News ear8News
Message from MissAston
As we prepare to move into the fifth week of the Christmas term, please can I remind students of the importance of staying focused in lessons, showing respect to all staff members and following instructions promptly and calmly
As well as the above, I would like to remind students the importance of being punctual to every lesson.This also means being punctual to school every day, and ensuring that we are present to school everyday
I would like all students to wear our uniform with pride This means that our blazers are worn at all times and the remainder of our uniform is exceptional. Many students are showing real maturity, and we want to keep building on this positive momentum as we move toward the end of term
I would like to take some time to reflect on some positivity, and congratulate the following students:
1 Ellie Sau
2 AyazAlici
3 Christopher Jones
4.Thomas Kershaw
5 Ralph Poett
Argon - Nimrit Diocee & VladTicau
Beryllium - Helena Camley & Finn Hobbs
Carbon -Thomas Kershaw, Charlie Ellis & Georgia Parker
Fluorine - Eva Mondesir-Elliott & Raffy Kemp
Lithium - James Beard & Matthew Hin
Magnesium -Anastasia Criscone & Mason Sayer
Neon - Maddie Smith &Alex Jajodia
Oxygen - Bridgette Raynor &Abe Downes
Also a huge congratulations are in order after ourYear 8 FootballTeam who beat Passmore's 2-1 are now into Round 2 of the Essex Cup - Great goals from Daniel Bah and Ollie Foot!
Lastly, let's keep aiming high, supporting each other, and taking pride in our achievements.
"Success begins with Effort".Together, we have got thisYear 8!
Punctuality to School
Dear Parent/Carers
If your child is late, you must ensure you call the school before 8.30am. We understand there may be heavy traffic on the road from time to time, please allow enough time to navigate the traffic. When a child is absent or late for school, this causes disruption to the rest of the class and causes your child to fall behind. Many thanks - Attendance team
YYear9News ear9News
Message from Miss Burke
This half term has started extremely positively, and I want to share how proud I am of our Year 9 students We have received excellent feedback from teachers across a range of subjects, particularly about the thoughtful and mature conversations taking place in classrooms around exams, aspirations, and future success It is wonderful to see students engaging so well and taking real ownership of their learning.
As a year group, we continue to follow our mantra: “In a world where you can be anything, be kind ”This has felt especially important over the past few weeks. DuringAntiBullying Week, Remembrance Day, and through our recent focus on empathy, students have been reflecting on the importance of understanding others and demonstrating kindness in and around school Their response has been extremely encouraging and has contributed to the positive atmosphere we are experiencing this term
Our expectations forYear 9 remain high, and we appreciate the continued support from families in reinforcing these standards We expect pupils to maintain excellent uniform, demonstrate a positive attitude to learning, and show exemplary behaviour both in school and when representing our wider community.These expectations help ensure that every student can thrive in a safe, respectful and ambitious environment.
This focus and maturity are particularly promising as we approach ourYear 9Test Week, which begins on Monday 8th December Further information, including the full timetable for the week, can be found on the school website
I look forward to continuing to work hard and support ourYear 9 students in this positive way as we head towards the Christmas break
As always, thank you for your continued support If you have any concerns, please contact your child’s form tutor in the first instance.
RVHS Pre Loved Uniform
Any parents/carers wishing to purchase some RVHS preloved uniform, please use this link to select & pay for any uniform you wish to purchase.
The process is quick and easy to use. You will be notified once your order is ready for your collection.
All orders will be processed during term time only Do you have any old uniform your child has outgrown or no longer uses?
Please wash and donate back to our pre-loved uniform. This can be dropped into our main reception.
Message from Ms Wills
It was lovely to see so many of you at parents’evening lastThursday I hope that you had some purposeful conversations with your child' s subject teachers and were given guidance as to what they should be doing as they now prepare for the next set of assessments
As we now start to look at how to be successful at the end ofYear 11, we will be asking all students to do a reflection exercise in form time next week, whereby they review their most recent report and think about what they need to do to improve. I will also be meeting with students to discuss their progress and achievement in this first half term
This weekYear 10 were given the opportunity to watch a performance ofAChristmas Carol I am pleased to say that the year group behaved really well and watched with interest. I hope that this will help the students as they study the text, which will be on the GCSE English Literature paper next year
Congratulations to the following on having the mostARE points last week:
Adam Findley - 10Ox
Neve Gardner - 10Ox
Darius Maree - 10Be
Nathaniel Hughes - 10Be
Joshua Crutchlow - 10Fl
I hope that you have a good long weekend as we prepare for the final few weeks of the term, which are as always very busy.
Message from Mr Ryan
Is it me or has Christmas arrived far too quickly this year? We literally have three weeks until the end of term and then year 11 will have completed 1/3 of the academic year! The feedback I have received from the invigilators in the exams was really positive with many saying that the behaviour was really good
Students are starting to have papers returned. This takes a while as certain subjects need more time to mark. If your child's teacher has any concerns they will be in touch to discuss concerns and how to plan for the next round of PPEs
Please remember that we have Sixth Form Open Evening on the 4th December and the deadline for application is 12th January
I have sent a link to your child's gmail to gauge interest in aYearbook, so far only 50% of the year group have responded.
Finally, I would like to draw your attention to the careers information which is shared by Mrs Mason She is running workshops with year 11 and the 6th form at the moment and is also sharing information about Oxbridge applications in this week's bulletin
Message from Ms Wheaton & Mrs Curling
Employer Talks - The Observer, Sports Journalism - 18 November th
30 minutes was all it took this morning at Roding Valley High School to inspire so many sixth form students at one of our weekly employer talks! Jessica Hayden, assistant sports editor, award winning author, rugby pundit and alumni student came to speak to students about her journey into sports journalism. Jess has offered students support with work experience, networking and even job applications As one of the most senior women in newspaper sports journalism, we are all incredibly proud of her achievements It was so nice to see how many teachers stopped us on our walk through the school to give Jess a hug and welcome her back
Last week Year 12 students took part in Epping Youth Conference at the civic offices in Epping. Students from schools across Epping Forest took part in a range of discussion groups on issues affecting young people There was also a formal debate on the impact AI is having on society. Our students were able to speak with confidence in the debates and contributed to all discussion groups with selected students feeding back the assembly, local councilors and Dr Neil Hudson MP.
A special commendation for Abigail Burger and Eylul Ugur for their role as Youth Councillor in preparing the debate and feeding back on youth council survey of issues affecting young people. Next years focus will be about the impact of violence against women and girls This was voted in by the whole youth conference I look forward to the elections for new youth councillors next year.
Epping Youth Parliament - 21 November st
66thFormNews thFormNews
Investment 20/20 - 25th November
Applications Workshop was the title and today Investment2020 showed students how to make their CV shine and stand out to employers. Key skills were discussed and how to research a Job Description. Possibly 40 applications before you are successful and some great examples of how to demonstrate you have the skills they are looking for!Another brilliant workshop from Investment2020!
BGC - Wednesday 26th November
It was so lovely to welcome back two students Alfrid and Luca today Both of them left to join the School Leaver Programme at BGC We are incredibly proud of their achievements, BGC is one of the largest Brokers in Canary Wharf and we have been working with them for the past 6 years As one of only 5 schools who they work with we are so grateful for their continued support Each year they offer students the opportunity to apply for a two week work experience placement as well as the one year school leaver programme We now have 5 students in employment there
Sixth Form Open Evening
Our sixth form open evening takes place on Thursday 4th December, from 4 30-7 30pm We have more than 700 people signed up so far and look forward to meeting our future sixth formers and their families If you would like to come along, please do sign up. We have more space available in our later talk at 6 45pm
Message from the Flu Immunisation Team
RVHS
OurYear 12Art Students showcasing their pencil graphite and painting skills as part of their personal investigation mini project.
Emma Vorobjov
Edie Bradley
Imogen Piper
Ellie Wakinshaw
ImogenYeoland
Lois Togwell
Victoria Babiac
Over the last two weeks, Y5 pupils from Staples Road and Y7 Messy Science club, have been busy making lava lamps, building towers, and making slime.
The MedSoc investigated how glycol affects the surface tension of water droplets.This was achieved by first making a serial dilution with food colouring and then observing the effect of different concentrations of glycol.
Women in STEM Year 8 Competition
Well done to all Year 8’s who participated in the women in STEM competition earning lots of house points for their respective houses! Please see our top 3 winners below.
SilanAygun - 8 Ne
Daniel Kavazov - 8Li
Caden Kellett - 8Ar
Year 13 English in Action Trip
On Monday 24th November, our Year 13 English Literature students journeyed into the heart of London to attend specialist lectures on two of their key texts for their upcoming exams.
They arrived at the Emmanuel Centre, where they heard from Professor Emma Smith who explored the themes and perspectives in Othello, focusing on his final speech and modelled how to analyse in detail which will be a huge help to our students when it comes to their Paper 1 exam
They then heard from Luke McBratney who offered a different analytical lens to discuss The Great Gatsby - by considering class, wealth and social standing rather than just perceiving the novel as a love story He raised several interesting ideas and framed the narrative in a way which had all our students re-evaluating their interpretations of certain scenarios in the novel
After lunch break, students heard from a number of other speaker including poet laureate, Simon Artimtage, who read a selection of his poems and explained the inspiration behind them. He answered questions from the audience which gave insight into his creative processes and his ideas about the power of poetry
Our fantastic students were writing notes furiously throughout the day and came away buzzing with ideas and enthusiasm. A delightful and insightful day for all!
“It was interesting to hear about the original and modern adaptations of staging for Shakespeare’s plays I also enjoyed Luke Mc Bratney’s framing of The Great Gatsby as a novel about wealth rather than love.” - Macie
“I gained a new valuable perspective on The Great Gatsby exploring how the disillusionment some Americans were experiencing after the First World War was already an experience that was endured for African Americans ” -Tomi
“It was a very interesting and informative day with lots of valuable knowledge ” - Hannah
“It was really interesting to discover different perspectives and critical views of the book I especially liked Nick Hutchison’s ideas about Othello as a play and the way it was acted and directed in Shakespeare’s time ”Bethany
“I really enjoyed the idea that the audience are accomplices in Iago’s plotting as he asks rhetorical questions and the audience doesn’t question him.” - Lucja
“I really enjoyed the interpretation of the stage director about the visual aspect of Desdemona’s slap during the very first plays in Shakespeare’s times ” - Khrystyna
StudentAbsence
If your child is unable to attend School for any reason, please report their absence by phoning the school number by 8 30am at the latest, you must also ring in each day of your child’s absence.
0208-508-1173
On their return to School, please ensure your child brings with them a letter or medical evidence if requested explaining the reason for the absence for our records.
MedicalAppointments
Please make sure you make any medical or dental appointments outside of school time If this is not possible then please try to ensure that your child attends before and/or after their appointment.
Holidays in Term Time
The school does not authorise any holidays during term time except if the Headteacher deems it an exceptional circumstance.A‘Leave ofAbsence’form must be completed (these are available at Student Reception) detailing your exceptional circumstances
Please be aware if the absence is not authorised and the holiday is taken, the case will be referred to the LocalAuthority who may issue a Penalty Notice for £160 (or £80 if paid within 21 days) to each parent for each child taken out of school.
For full details regarding attendance, please see ourAttendance Policy.
Who to contact
Should you have any concerns about your child’s attendance or punctuality please contact your child’s Head of Year or ourAttendance Officer MsAParsley (aparsley@rodingvalleynet)
Explore together: Ask your child to show you their favourite websites and apps and what they do on them. Listen, show interest and encourage them to teach you the basics of the site or app
Chat about online safety little and often: Young people are likely to want to explore new apps and websites this month, whether that is for learning or for fun Take this opportunity to talk to them about how to stay safe on these new services, and in general Ask if anything ever worries them while they are online Make sure they know that if they ever feel worried, they can get help by talking to you or another adult they trust.
Help your child identify trusted adults who can help them if they are worried: This includes you and other adults at home, as well as adults from wider family, school or other support services who they are able to contact at this time. Encourage them to draw a picture or write a list of their trusted adults
Be non-judgemental: Explain that you would never blame them for anything that might happen online, and you will always give them calm, loving support.
Talk about how their online actions can affect others: If your child is engaging with others online, remind them to consider how someone else might feel before they post or share something If they are considering sharing a photo/video of somebody else, they should always ask permission first
Parental controls: Make use of the parental controls available on your home broadband and any internet enabled device in your home You can find out more about how to use parental controls by visiting your broadband provider’s website
Direct your child to age appropriate information about relationships and sex: It’s natural for young people to start exploring their sexual feelings online and adolescents are more inclined to take risks. It’s important to understand this and to talk to your child in a positive way. Thinkuknow, Brook, The Mix and Childline all provide age appropriate information about relationships and sex that you can signpost your child to
Make sure they know about CEOP: Young people can report a concern about grooming or sexual abuse to CEOP at www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/ and get support from a specialist Child Protection Advisor 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Support your child with CEOPEducation website
The age appropriate CEOPEducation website is a great way to start and continue chats about online safety and other issues. Click on the CEOPimage to access the site
The website provide open and honest guidance for young people on friends, relationships and the internet, covering topics like dealing with pressure; consent; and getting support when you are worried
If you are worried that a child or young person is at risk of harm online, you should call the police.Young people can make a report to CEOP
Other Recommended Resources
Brook: Information and advice for young people on sexual health and wellbeing, including staying safe online. https://www.brook.org.uk/
The Mix: Support service for young people with information and advice on sex and relationships.https://www.themix.org.uk/
Internet Matters:Auseful tool showing how to set parental controls across a range of devices and websites. http://www.internetmatters.org/parentalcontrols/interactive-guide/
NSPCC: Provides reviews and guidance on the most popular social networks, apps and games that children use. https://www.nspcc.org.uk/
Childnet: Information and advice for parents and carers on supporting people online. https://www.childnet.com/resources/supporting-youngpeople-online
How Can I Access Edulink?
EduLink can be accessed on any device – PC, laptop, tablet or mobile device – via the web browser or via the EduLink app. The link to access the EduLink login page on a web browser is www edulinkone com
Alternatively, you can download the EduLink App which is available to download for free on Apple or on Android.
Both the App and the web browser will display this log-in screen
The School ID is ‘Roding’ .
Parents/Carers will need to enter the Username and Password they have been provided with and click ‘Log in’
The displayed is dependant of the platform you are logged in to:
• Via Web Browser
• Via the EduLink App
How to Log on to Google Classroom?
Classroom
Students can log into their Gmail using their school email address and their password Their school email will be the year they started at RVHS started plus their first initial and surname @rodingvalley.net (example- 19plarkin@rodingvalley.net).
Once yourchild has have logged in, they will need to click on the google apps button and then select ‘Google Classroom’
Your child will then be able to see all of the classes they belong to. They will then need to click on the class they want to use resources for and take a look at everything that their class teacher has posted for them to work on. They will be able to download items and make comments on them Teachers will be regularly posting new work on their Google Classrooms
What to Do if your child is a Missing a Subject their Google Classroom?
If your childis missing a Google Classroom for one of their subjects, they will need to click on the addition symbol, followed by ‘Join Class’ and then enter the Class Code for their missing subject Class Codes are available from their subject teacher
Top Tips for Our Students
Students must keep up to date with their lessons by using Google Classroom every day
Use their workbooks to complete the work shown on their Google Classroom
Don’t slack on presentation! Keep their notes in order of the lessons on the Google Classroom
Year 11and 13 Students: There will be revision materials available on Google Classroom. Please use them.
U S E F U L C O N T A C T S
Year 7: Mr John - bjohn@rodingvalleynet
Year 8: MissAston - caston@rodingvalley.net
Year 9: Miss Burke - tburke@rodingvalley.net
Year 10: Ms Wills - rwills@rodingvalleynet
Year 11: Mr Ryan - fryan@rodingvalley.net
Sixth Form: Ms Wheaton & Ms Curling - awheaton@rodingvalleynet / lcurling@rodingvalley.net
