I hope that the half-term break was a lovely opportunity to recharge after the first half of term; it is great to see all the girls back, and this week has seen House Dance, fixtures in Hockey and Netball, Year 10 Parents’ Evening, and early Maths GCSE papers for some in Year 11, which I hope have gone well. There have also been rehearsals for this term’s production of Blue Stockings, which will be in two weeks’ time – I hope that many of you will be able to come to these performances, whose theme chimes so well with Roedean’s ethos.
You will have seen on the news, no doubt, about the devastation Storm Melissa wreaked on the Caribbean over half-term. The School has strong connections with Jamaica, and I am keen for Roedean to help in the relief effort. There is more detail in this review, but I would like every student and member of staff to donate at least two packs of feminine hygiene products, which will provide a month’s supply for 1000 women and girls in Jamaica. Time is of the essence, and some of our Year 12s will be packing boxes next Wednesday in Brighton, ready for shipment at the weekend. Thank you in advance for your support of this humanitarian endeavour.
The Classics and Geography trip to Naples over half-term was a great success – the photos make it clear that the girls had a wonderful time, visiting the famous Roman sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as stunningly beautiful towns on the Amalfi coast and Naples too. I am very grateful to Mr Carter, Miss Keble, and Miss Good for giving the girls this special opportunity.
There have been a number of individual successes recently, and I would like to congratulate Maisa on a spectacular medal-haul at the Sussex Winter Swim Championships, Albertine for winning Gold in a Muay Thai martial arts competition, and eight of our students who achieved Gold in the Senior Maths Challenge –well done!
Looking ahead, good luck to all those in Years 11 and 13 for their assessments next week, and I wish you all a lovely weekend.
Success for Maisa in the Sussex Winter Swim Championships
Bay of Naples 2025
U13A Netball Storm Through their First Round of the Sussex Cup!
An Inspiring Evening with Artist Tim Patrick
Roedean Support for the Jamaica Appeal
in Brighton, who was the speaker at our annual Black History Month lecture in 2024, and is also the School's independent listener. There are also, no doubt, other connections between the School and Jamaica, and we therefore hope that our community can make a positive impact on this appeal.
Roedean has three particularly close connections with Jamaica, which was ravaged by Storm Melissa last week, and we would like to draw on our powerful community spirit to make a difference. The first is the Right Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Bishop of Dover, who has previously been the School's Honorary Chaplain and was our inspirational guest speaker at last year's Speech Day; the second is Althea Wolfe, one of Roedean's Trustees, whose daughter, Eden, was Head Girl in 2020-2021; the third is Carolynn Bain, the owner of Afrori Books
These Roedean connections with Jamaica have drawn us, as a community, to come together to support the relief effort which is so desperately needed. Hurricane Melissa, the most powerful storm of 2025, has become the strongest hurricane to strike Jamaica in modern history. Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected by loss of life, loss of safe shelter, and loss of livelihoods.
Our aim is to support the JN Foundation, established in 1990 as the charitable arm of The Jamaica National Group, which is collaborating with Food For The Poor, as a part of relief efforts to collect emergency supplies from persons in the UK for donation to vulnerable communities. There are many items which are needed as an immediate priority, including non-perishable food items, tarpaulins, and solar-powered lanterns, but Roedean will be focusing on feminine hygiene products.
Our community target is collect one month's supply of sanitary towels, tampons, and wipes for over 1000 girls and women – to achieve this, we would like each student and member of staff to donate at least two packs of sanitary towels or tampons. For day-girls, we ask that these donations are dropped off with your tutors by Wednesday morning, and boarders should make their donations in House.
Our donations will be delivered to our local drop-off point, which is Afrori Books, ahead of Saturday 15 November, to be ready for transportation to Jamaica – a group of Roedean students will go to Afrori Books on Wednesday 12 November to pack the boxes ready for transportation.
Thank you in advance for your support with this endeavour which will make a tangible difference!
Dr Barrand
Astonishing Senior Maths Challenge Success Gold for Albertine!
The Senior Maths Challenge results are in, and our 92 Roedean students who entered have performed excellently – their fantastic scores include 8 students who have achieved Gold, 29 who have earned Silver, and 27 with Bronze awards. The thresholds for these awards are 72+ for Gold, 56+ for Silver, and 46+ for Bronze.
Particular congratulations go to Sihu (Yr13), who achieved 88, the top score of the School, and Selina (Yr13) who was only one point behind. Coco performed brilliantly to achieve a Gold award, despite only being in Year 11.
Alongside these three, five other students also achieved a Gold award – well done to Nina, Niara, Irina, and Marija (Yr13), and Joyce (Yr12). These eight have been invited to the next level, the Senior Kangaroo, on 19 November –we wish them all the best of luck!
Congratulations – these achievements are outstanding!
Mrs Hopper
Congratulations to Albertine (Yr13) for winning a gold medal in her recent K1 fight at the Brighton Interclub, held at Nam Yang Gym! Competing in the adult Muay Thai category, she showed incredible skill, determination, and sportsmanship.
This is a fantastic achievement – well done Albertine. We wish you every success in your next competition at the end of the month!
Alexander
Mrs
Blue Stockings – Don't Miss It!
We hope that you can join us on 19 and 20 November for our production of Blue Stockings – the girls are doing brilliantly, and here are some photos of their rehearsals!
A Day in the Life at Roedean South Africa
Maia, who was one of the students who took part in our exchange in February this year, has shared an overview of a typical day in the life of a Roedean South Africa student:
Life at Roedean (SA) has a great mix of learning, activity, and fun. No two days ever feel the same, but there’s a rhythm that makes it all flow smoothly.
My day starts bright and early, usually around 7:30 am, when I arrive at school. By then, the campus is already buzzing, girls chatting in the corridors, others grabbing a quick snack, or finishing off homework before the first lesson. The school has such a friendly, energetic atmosphere in the mornings, it’s hard not to feel awake and ready for the day.
Our first lessons run from 7:30 to 9:30, covering a mix of subjects, everything from Maths and
English to Sciences, Languages, or Humanities. The classes are quite interactive, and teachers encourage us to ask questions and share ideas, which makes learning more engaging. After those first two hours, we get a much-needed break around 10:00 am. It’s a good time to catch up with friends, grab a snack, or just relax in the gardens for a bit before lessons start again.
The next two hours of lessons go by quickly, by then everyone’s settled into the day and focused. After that, we usually move into an activity period, which could be anything from a club meeting, a group discussion, test period, or an assembly (usually on Mondays).
After one more lesson in the early afternoon, it’s time for what’s often the best part of the day – sport and cultural activities. Roedean offers so many options: swimming, hockey,
netball, tennis, choir, debating, drama, and more. Everyone’s encouraged to get involved in something they enjoy. It’s a nice balance after the academic side of the day, being outside, moving around, or doing something creative with friends. Some afternoons are quieter, spent doing study or homework sessions, especially when things get busy during the term. The campus is beautiful and open, so even study time feels calm and focused.
Roedean (SA) really is an all-round school, it pushes us academically, but it also gives us space to grow in sport, culture, leadership, and friendship. The days can be full and sometimes long, but there’s always a sense of community and support that makes it feel worthwhile. By the end of the week, you’ve learned a lot, done a lot, and laughed even more, and that’s what makes life at Roedean so special.'
Roedean Scholars’ Evening Celebrates Excellence, Creativity, and Community
On Wednesday 16 October, Roedean hosted its annual Scholars’ Evening, a vibrant celebration of talent, dedication, and achievement across the School’s diverse Scholarship programme. Over 150 guests, including parents, students, staff, and members of Senior Team, gathered to recognise the remarkable contributions our scholars make to school life.
It was my great pleasure to welcome everyone to the evening, and to highlight that being a scholar at Roedean is not defined by a badge, but by leadership, service, and continuous growth. Scholars are role models: they seize opportunities, mentor younger students, and strive for excellence in all they do.
Throughout the evening, students from every area of scholarship, Art, Sport, Dance, Drama, Performing Arts, Music, and Academics, took to the stage to share personal reflections and showcase their talents. Performances ranged from a breathtaking dance piece entitled Spiralling, performed by Claire (Yr13) to a dramatic extract from our upcoming production of Blue Stockings, performed by Katie and Lilli (Yr12), an astonishing musical performance on the Chinese traditional guzheng, played by Emily (Yr10), and powerful student speeches describing their journey as scholars.
Highlights included the following:
■ Art Scholars displaying their impressive creative work in an exhibition in the Studios
■ Sport Scholars speaking about resilience, teamwork, and balancing elite sport with academic life
■ Performing Arts and Drama Scholars performing scenes and sharing the excitement for upcoming theatre projects
■ Music Scholars showcasing the depth of talent within Roedean’s ensembles, choirs, and solo performances
■ Academic Scholars celebrating enrichment opportunities, such as national competitions, research projects, and lectures
In all, 37 talented new scholars were presented with their badges, officially welcoming them into Roedean’s growing community of highachieving and inspirational young women. We also recognised our highly-prestigious Sussex, Brighthelm, and Newnham Scholars – these awards are for students who excel across a number of disciplines and demonstrate extraordinary dedication and talent.
Parents and guests praised the event for its warmth, professionalism, and the confidence shown by students on stage. Many remarked on how special it was to witness the pride and joy of Scholars sharing their achievements with family, friends, and peers.
In her closing remarks, Ms Earl, the Deputy Head: Academic, captured the spirit of the evening perfectly: scholarship at Roedean is not just something earned – it is something lived. Our Scholars embody curiosity, creativity, perseverance, and passion, and this celebration reflected exactly that.
The evening concluded with refreshments in the Studios, where guests admired the Art Scholars’ exhibition and had the opportunity to congratulate the students. Well done to all of our Scholars on their outstanding achievements – we are incredibly proud of you!
Ms Reesink-Wells
An Inspiring Evening with Artist Tim Patrick
On Monday evening, the Art Department was delighted to welcome London-based artist, Tim Patrick, for an engaging 4-hour masterclass in working in oil paint from the figure.
Tim, a three-time Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant recipient (2019, 2022, and 2024), has studied at prestigious institutions including the Royal Drawing School, and in Florence, Italy. His work is exhibited widely across the UK, and held in both private collections and the PrisemanSeabrook Collection of 21st Century Figurative Painting. Tim is a frequent tutor at the Royal Drawing School in London, the Essential School of Painting, and West Dean College in Chichester.
Our students were inspired by Tim’s clear and insightful teaching, as he demonstrated techniques in colour mixing, tone, and composition, explaining how to use oil paint in varying saturations to achieve depth and vibrancy. Working directly from a life model in a specially designed set, the students explored the challenges of painting from observation under Tim’s expert guidance.
Masterclasses like this at Roedean provide an invaluable opportunity for our students to extend their artistic interests beyond the curriculum, building confidence, skill, and mastery in their chosen disciplines – these are experiences which undeniably enhance their creative work.
Ms Strachan
Bay of Naples 2025
Well before dawn broke on Friday 17 October, our party of 26 students from Years 10 to 13 left Roedean for four days in the sunshine of the Bay of Naples. The early start proved worth it, as we arrived mid-morning, leaving an afternoon to explore the amazingly well-preserved ruins of Herculaneum and the stunning side streets of Sorrento on the way to our hotel.
On Saturday morning, we scaled the main cone of Mount Vesuvius, which so dominates the whole Bay of Naples region. As we circumnavigated the vast crater with our volcanologist guide, the clouds finally melted away, revealing the lush green landscapes below us leading out into the blue bay beyond.
In the afternoon we dropped down into that landscape to tour the atmospheric remains of the historic city of Pompeii, marvelling again at the levels of restoration following the dramatic pyroclastic eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD.
On our return each day, we were treated to three-course dinners out in the restaurants of Sorrento, usually followed by amazing gelato as we wandered home through the buzzing town.
On Sunday, we travelled along the Amalfi coastline, taking a breath-taking (and nailbiting!) journey along the hairpin bends and tunnels of the single-lane, cliff-hugging, coast road. Positano and Amalfi were absolutely stunning in the bright Autumn sunshine, as we sipped lemon granitas at a variety of viewpoints en route. A boat trip from Amalfi to Salerno completed our afternoon, after which we stopped at a lemon farm and tasted their produce on the journey home.
Our final day in Italy was spent touring (shopping) around Sorrento, and then heading into the vibrant ancient heart of old Naples. Whilst the chaotic streets were not for everybody, we all marvelled at the fritto pizza and the seemingly carefree, but energetic, attitude of the local neapolitans.
A smooth journey saw us return to the UK before midnight on the Monday. It took a few days to fully recover from our activity-packed trip but, fortunately, we still had the majority of half-term ahead of us. I hope the photographs help to illustrate what a wonderful time we all had in Italy – Forza Napoli!
Mr Carter
CCF Overnight Camp
The recent Lions Roar Overnight Camp gave our cadets an exciting opportunity to take on reallife challenges in a truly adventurous setting at Pippingford Park MOD Training Ground.
Our students developed a variety of skills, including teamwork, resilience, and independence, as they tackled command tasks, camouflage and concealment, and field exercises, even setting up their own camps and cooking ration packs. These experiences give students a genuine insight into leadership and self-reliance, skills that are invaluable both in and beyond school.
The Combined Cadet Force is one of many co-curricular opportunities that help Roedean students grow in confidence, discipline, and character, and we are incredibly proud of Molly and Imi.
Wild Friday Stamp Competition
Our Year 7 and Year 8 students have recently completed their first block of Wild Fridays, an exciting programme, featuring sailing, outdoor adventure, practical skills, eco-warrior activities, and outdoor challenges. They have made the most of the pleasant weather as the season shifted from summer to autumn, and thrown themselves into every activity with great enthusiasm. As part of their induction, the students were invited to design a stamp that could be used by the School to represent Wild Fridays.
Congratulations to Amelie (Yr7) and Scarlett (Yr7) for winning the Wild Friday Stamp Competition! Their designs were chosen by our Head of Marketing, and will now feature in the School’s social media posts and wider marketing materials. The winning entry stood out for its bold, eye-catching style, and its perfect reflection of the spirit of outdoor adventure, with the roe deer at its centre, paying tribute to our school crest.
Amelie and Scarlett will both receive a commendation for their creative efforts. Well done also goes to our runners-up, Tabitha (Yr8) and Marion (Yr8), for their fantastic submissions!
Mr Wilson
Ms Pashley
Amelie and Scarlett
Tabitha
Marion
Hockey vs Brighton College
Year 7/8 Hockey 8th Hockey Team Victory!
The Year 7/8 8th team had a brilliant match this week against Brighton College, resulting in a 2–1 victory for Roedean. A fantastic goal in the second half from Isabelle secured the win.
The girls have shown great improvement throughout their three fixtures so far this year, and they continue to make excellent progress in their teamwork and use of space. Every player worked extremely hard during the match, and Ayase was deservedly named Player of the Match for her outstanding display of resilience.
Mr Williams
U16A SNS Netball vs Seaford
On Monday, our U16A Netball squad faced Seaford in the Sisters In Sport Plate competition. It is always a tightly contested match between these two teams, so we knew we would need to fight for it.
We started strongly, gaining a two-goal lead, working patiently through court and timing our movements well. Seaford managed to make a turn to bring it back to a draw after the first quarter. At half time, Seaford were up by 1, so it was all to play for in the second half. Unfortunately, we had a slow and indecisive third quarter, which allowed Seaford to storm ahead and take a 10-goal lead.
Going into the last quarter we had to give it our all to try to turn it around. All our players went out determined and we were rapidly closing the gap, which forced Seaford to make some tactical substitutions. We ran out of time to claw it all back, but it was a very impressive last quarter from Roedean. The final score was 33-37 to Seaford. Well done to the whole squad, especially Abbie and Izzy, who were named Opposition's Players.
Mrs Hammond
U13 7th team Hockey Match
This U13 team returned to action after the half-term break with enthusiasm. Despite a 3-1 loss vs Brighton College, the girls showed determination and teamwork throughout the match. Matilda applied pressure in defence, whilst Dao and Isabella worked tirelessly in the midfield, alongside Sylvia who showed energy up front, and created some great chances. Desire was awarded Opposition's Player of the Match for her outstanding efforts on the pitch. A super well done to every player – we are looking forward to the next match!
U15B Hurst vs Hurstpierpoint
The U15B took to the pitch straight after half-term in an away match against Hurstpierpoint.
After a good start, with Ezzie all over the goalkeeper with some good attempts at goal, Hurst left a couple stragglers up the pitch which overstretched our defence. This tactic resulted in two quick goals against the run of play, and Roedean saw themselves two behind with a mountain to climb. They got stuck in and, before the half-time break, we managed to bring the deficit back to one with a superb goal by Ezzie!
After a quick half-time discussion, and inspirational words and demo by Martha, the team seemed set on their plan to mark better and for the mids to bridge the gap by marking their players and getting wide for when we turned the ball over. The girls were streaming forward up the pitch, but seemed to just lack an accurate final pass which kept on going to the Hurst strong centre back, who mopped up well for the team.
The match finished 4-2 to Hurst, with the girls just not quite finishing off a couple of opportunities and tending to be too direct, instead of moving the ball through space in the final quarter.
Mr Campleman
Year 7/8
U13 7th
U15A Netball secure another Victory against Hurst to Progress in the ISNC!
On Thursday, our U15A ISNC netball team, which consists of a mixture of Year 9 and 10 players, took on Hurst in the second round. We had an outstanding start, with our defence making multiple turnovers and our attack converting them all into goals. We had an eight-goal lead by the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was much tighter, but we maintained and built on our lead, with the score 23–13 to us at half time. We knew Hurst would come out fighting in the third quarter, and that is exactly what they did. We had a wobbly start, and they took advantage, narrowing the gap to only two goals after five minutes.
We dug deep and played to our strengths, keeping Hurst at bay and managing to pull ahead in the final few minutes of that quarter. We were eight up going into the final 15 minutes. Just as they did at the start of the third, Hurst closed the gap quickly. We were only leading by four with seven minutes to play.
Our girls played smart and kept possession, taking their time to transfer the ball through the court. It was a nail-biting final few minutes of the match, but we secured the win 40–37.
It was an excellent game of netball to watch, and well done to the whole squad. Particular mentions go to Heidi and Kayla who were named Opposition's Players and Heidi and Betsy who were Coach's Players.
Sussex Cup
U13A Netball Storm Through their First Round of the Sussex Cup!
On Tuesday, the U13As made a long journey to Ark Alexandra to start their Sussex Cup campaign. We had an outstanding start, taking a 10 goal lead in the first 10 minutes. This allowed us to try out different combinations and test ourselves in new positions. Despite changing things around, we maintained a convincing lead and took the win 23-5!
It was a very promising game of Netball from our mixed Year 7 & 8 squad – huge well done to all who played, and special mention goes to Chloe who was named Opposition's Player, and Lottie who was Coach's Player.
U14A Netball in the Sussex Cup
A fantastic start to the Sussex Cup for our U14A team, delivering a dominant performance from the first whistle. Every player contributed brilliantly, demonstrating skill, teamwork, and impressive versatility across multiple positions. It was a strong and confident display, well done, girls!
Mrs Hammond
Miss Agnew
Success for Maisa in the Sussex Winter Swim Championships
Congratulations to Maisa in Year 9, who competed in the Sussex Swimming Winter Championship at the start of half-term, taking part in 10 races over the weekend, which including the 1500m freestyle, 400m IM, and 200m butterfly.
It was an outstandingly successful weekend for her – she won 6 Gold, 2 Silver, and 1 Bronze medals. As a result of this astonishing success, Maisa was awarded the title of 'Top 13-year-old Girl in the County', winning back this title after missing out last year – well done!
Ms Hine
2nd VII Hockey vs Mayfield
The 2nd VII Hockey team put in a fantastic performance against Mayfield in a tightlycontested match that ended 1–0 to the opposition. Despite the result, the team dominated much of the play, keeping possession and constantly testing Mayfield’s defence. The midfield worked tirelessly, driving the ball forward to Harrie, who unleashed several strong shots on
goal. Scarlett’s speed on the wing caused real problems for the opposition, while Lara controlled the centre superbly, distributing the ball with precision. Alia showed great skill to eliminate defenders and create attacking opportunities. At the back, Fifi remained calm and composed under pressure, and Daisy delivered an excellent defensive performance. Juno was outstanding
in goal, making several crucial saves to keep the team in the game. Although the final score didn’t reflect their effort, the team can be proud of a strong, determined display, full of teamwork and attacking intent.
Miss Hayman
1st VII Improve throughout UKSA Tournament
The 1st VII ventured to the Triangle for a UKSA tournament against good opposition from all over the South of England. The first match was against St Teresa's and the girls took sometime to adjust to the pace of the match. Girls were caught ball-watching and seemed to not be up to the intensity of the game and soon found themselves trailing. In the final 5 minutes however the girls stepped it up and created some attacking opportunities but it was too little too late with a 3-0 loss.
The second game was against a very impressive St Andrew's Prep. The girls were up for it all game, worked hard and attacked the goal every so often. The difference in the teams were the St Andrew's Centre Mid who took the game away from us with good skill and finishing in the circle. At the end however, the girls didn't give up and scored a superb Short Corner through Maisie firing past the keepers shoulder into the net to score a deserved goal. The end result was 4-1 to St Andrew's, who did go on to top the pool. Izzy in goal was outstanding, making impressive saves against good goal scoring opportunities.
The third match was against Hazlewood, who we needed to just get stuck into. Hazlewood scored two early goals through their also very impressive centre mid. Izzy in goal then said enough was enough and pulled off some outstanding saves to keep the team in the game. After a fluid attack down the right hand side of the pitch, Lottie carried strongly and squared the ball to Ines who fired home into the
goal to make it 2-1 with 2 minutes to go. In the final few minutes the girls stepped it up and had chance after chance, just not able to get a finishing touch on a couple chances. The score ended 2-1 but it was a much improved performance.
The fourth and final game was against Reigate Grammar, one of the strongest teams at the tournament. The girls were under immense pressure early on with shots coming in thick and fast. Izzy however, had something to say and every shot was saved and cleared by the girls, supporting each other and surviving the initial momentum in Reigate Grammar's favour. Suddenly, the girls saw themselves driving forwards with strong carries through Ze and Lottie, and after a brilliant carry down the right, interplay with Chloe and then Maisie with the final touch put the ball past their keeper to go 1-0 up with 4 minutes left. Reigate then stepped it up and came again with strong attacks towards our goal, the ball was carried baseline and the girls lost our markers quickly and they scored a scrappy finish into the goal. The girls attempted to hold on in the final few minutes but Reigate managed to score another goal to take the win 2-1 in the final moments of the game!
Defender of the day for Roedean, with outstanding saves and consistency in keeping the team in matches – Izzy
Attacker of the day for Roedean, with very strong carrying down the right side of the pitch – Lottie
We welcome contributions from all parts of the Roedean community. If you have something you would like featured in the Head’s Weekly Review, please email: aws@roedean.co.uk
Sport Stars of the Week
Well done to this week's sporting stars, who have demonstrated exemplary approaches to Games and PE this week!
Mr Campleman
Year 7
Scarlett, for excellent effort and consistency in all PE lessons this term
Year 8
Lottie, for brilliant progress and attitude in Hockey this term
Year 9
Emily, for making fantastic progress in Hockey and Netball this term
Year 10
Bella, for her outstanding effort and progress in Hockey this term
Year 11
Izzy, for excellent performances in Netball this term
Year 12
Jasmine, for showing a fantastic work-ethic in the gym this term
Year 13
Elisa, for showing superb effort in Badminton this term
