It is wonderful to see so many of the girls playing Cricket in Games and in fixtures. We have had a number of matches this week, and the girls are developing their skills and technique. It was such a pleasure to host the MCC at Roedean this year, and particular congratulations go to Kayla in Year 9 who scored a century in this match yesterday evening.
Roedean marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day as a community with a whole school Chapel service in the Front Quad. With the numbers of World War II veterans dwindling as each year passes, it is more important than ever to remember the sacrifice of those who fought and died for our future. As you will know, Roedean was evacuated during World War II; in March, one of the girls who was part of the group who went to Canada both celebrated her 100th birthday and sadly passed away. Jennifer Watson was the last surviving ‘Tanner Girl’, the fourth of five sisters who came to Roedean and were related to Dame Emmeline Tanner.
It was such a pleasure to welcome prospective families to our 13+ Open Afternoon today. Our visitors were able to see classes in full swing, watch the girls playing Cricket and doing Wild Fridays, and see our site at its very best in the glorious sunshine.
Last week’s Fringe concert, in which over one hundred musicians performed, was wonderful. I was proud to see our five exceptional soloists playing solo movements with the orchestra brilliantly, and to hear the Choir perform a very challenging piece by Lili Boulanger with great confidence. It was a lovely concert, and I am grateful to the Music Department and all those involved in giving our students the opportunity to perform at this level.
Yesterday saw the first written public examinations begin, and I would like to take this opportunity to wish all those taking GCSEs and A Levels the very best of luck over the coming weeks. Our Year 11s went on Study Leave last Friday, and the Year 13s celebrated their Leavers’ Day today, with a lovely breakfast with their Tutors and their Leavers’ Chapel – some of them even got up at 5:00 to watch the sunrise this morning! As their Study Leave has now begun and their exams are on different dates, this was the last time they will all be together before Speech Day – good luck!
Year 13 Leavers' Day
VE Day Chapel
Roedean’s Brighton Festival Fringe Concert
PSHE Workshop for Years 7-8
Mrs Chamberlain, Miss Orrells, and Mrs Sturgeon delivered an excellent seminar to students in Years 7 and 8 on Tuesday this week, focusing on ‘Managing Emotions During Assessments’, using examples from the popular film, Inside Out 2. The session covered healthy strategies for managing emotions, understanding psychological concepts, breathing techniques, and embracing power phrases. It was a wonderful example of proactive pastoral care ahead our fast-approaching Assessment Week.
Miss Hart
Roedean Dance Showcase
12 June 2025
You are invited to join us for a vibrant celebration of dance and talent, as students from Year 7 to 13 take to the stage in an exciting dance showcase. Get your tickets here: https://w3u.uk/roedean-dance-showcase-2025
Clara in the Local Press
News of Clara's attempt to swim the Channel solo in July has reached the local press! Having successfully crossed the Channel to France in 2022 as part of a six-person team, she has now taken on the challenge of swimming the 21 miles solo!
She is swimming to raise money for Taylor-Made Dreams, a local charity which supports children with life-limiting illnesses, a cause which holds deep personal meaning for her.
Plans for a Roedean Pier-to-Pier Swim for the Sea Swimming Squad in June are well underway, and we hope that the wider Roedean community will get behind our swimmers and Clara, to raise valuable funds for this worthwhile charity.
To read the full article in the Argus, click here: https://w3u.uk/clara-solo-channel-swim
Dr Barrand
Roedean’s Brighton Festival Fringe Concert
Last Friday evening, more than a hundred Roedean performers took to the stage in All Saints’ Church in Hove, for what is always a highlight of the Roedean musical calendar – the Brighton Fringe Festival Concert. The concert featured a dazzling array of talented performers, with some incredible soloists, the choir (augmented by staff and guest singers from local choirs), and the orchestra.
The concert began with a beautiful performance of the first two movements of Sammartini’s Concerto in F major for Recorder. The soloist, Elspeth (Yr12) made the Recorder sing and dance with her stylish and expressive playing. We were also thrilled to include in the orchestra the Harpsichord originally commissioned by Elspeth’s grandmother and recently generously donated to the School by her family.
More photos available here:
The choral piece was the hugely dramatic and powerful 'Du Fond de l’Abîme', written in 1917 by the French composer Lili Boulanger. It was dedicated to the memory of her father, though she herself (aged 24) only lived just long enough to finish the work. The extended vocal solos in this piece were performed by Candis (Yr12) and Ella (Yr13) with great control and expressive lyricism, and there was a poignant beautifully balanced duet, sung by Ellen (Yr12) and guest soloist Oliver Futcher. The music was challenging technically and emotionally, and the semichorus, choir, and orchestra gave a committed and moving performance which really held the audience, who were silent for several seconds before their applause.
After the interval, we were treated to a captivating performance by Ellen (Yr10) of the first movement of Wieniawski’s Concerto No.2 for Violin and Orchestra. Ellen balanced beautifully lyrical playing with a stunning virtuosic performance.
Alicia (Yr13) then gave us an exquisite performance of the second movement of Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No.2. Her hugely expressive playing was beautifully and sensitively matched by the incredibly warm and emotive playing of the string orchestra.
An entrancing performance of Fauré’s Élégie followed, with solo cellist Sarah (Yr11) communicating the intense emotions of this music with its long melodic lines and dramatic flourishes.
The finale of the concert was a thrilling performance of the first movement of Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, with soloist Julia (Yr13) giving a dramatic, sparkling, virtuoso
performance, including a breathtaking extended cadenza. With this, and all the concerto works, the orchestra also gave a stunning performance, matching the changing tempos and emotions of the solo performers.
At the end of the concert, following the rapturous applause for all the soloists, singers, and orchestra, we also said thank you to Ms Bartlette, for whom this was her last major concert after 19 years at the School. She has been an inspiring musical mentor and teacher for so many musicians, and this shone through in the performances of the students in this concert.
Thank you to everyone who made this event such a success, including our wonderful Theatre team and so many supportive staff. Congratulations to all those involved in creating an exceptional evening of music.
Mr Rous
Original Architect’s Plans of the School
The last few weeks have seen GCSE and A Level artists completing their public exams in the Art Studio and they have produced some stunning work. According to exam board regulations, each year, the exam work has to be stored for a certain period, and, while sorting previous years' work and creating space for this year's pieces, the original architects' plans for Roedean resurfaced – what a wonderful rediscovery! The plans, some from 1897, are the most beautiful pieces of artwork, and we hope to have them digitally scanned for posterity. These photos give just a snapshot of these remarkable artefacts!
Czech Teachers Visit Roedean
Yesterday, a group of teachers from Czechia visited Roedean, along with former member of staff, Lucy Harknett from the University of Sussex. They were looking at pedagogy and different teaching styles – thank you to colleagues from PHSE, History, RS, and English, (the areas they had requested to see) for welcoming them into your lessons.
Dr Barrand
Video of Gratitude from Moldova
At the end of next month, a group of Roedean students will be travelling to Moldova to teach English to Ukrainian refugee children. This will be our third visit, which will also include a visit to the orphanage we support. Ahead of our trip, we have been sent a beautiful video of gratitude from them, which will only fire us up to raise more funds for them in the second half of term.
Dr Barrand
Netball Masterclass with England Defender
Over 75 Netball enthusiasts visited Roedean recently for our action-packed Netball Masterclass.
This year, we were thrilled to welcome Halimat Adio, an international and Super League netballer, who, alongside members of our expert Sports Department and a team of Year 9 helpers, kicked off the morning with skill-building sessions focused on developing key Netball techniques.
In the afternoon, Halimat delivered a motivational talk, sharing her personal journey from her early beginnings to playing for England's national women's netball team. The day ended with a series of friendly netball matches, allowing participants to apply their newly learnt skills, and concluded with a prizegiving ceremony.
Events like these are a fantastic way for us at Roedean to inspire young athletes, foster a love for sport, and strengthen our vibrant community through shared experiences and expert guidance.
Mrs Wienekus
This Week in Boarding...
House 2 honoured National School Nurses' Day by handmaking heartfelt cards for our wonderful school nurses working in the Health Centre! As the warm weather arrived, the boarders created 'watermelon pizzas', a deliciously refreshing snack, and have planted sunflower seeds in beautifully decorated, and environmentally-friendly, paper cups. Family recipe evening saw the boarders having a go at making Millie's grandmother's peppermint creams – which was the perfect small sweet treat before bed. The girls spend the weekend baking scones with Mrs Burns and cookies with Miss Roe, which were all enjoyed at a picnic buffet on the Bank Holiday.
House 3 have enjoyed the longer sunny evenings, with girls walking, running, or even scooting off into the sunset! For National Tea Day, the girls paired their cuppas and brews with toasted and/ or Tunnock's tea cakes – how sophisticated! The House Spirit was certainly high as Sports Day champions descended on the courts for House Tennis. The boarders kept themselves entertained over the long weekend by baking cheese straws and crepes, with a special mention for their resident crepe expert from France. For the Bank Holiday, the boarders had a lovely picnic together, fending off seagulls and avoiding rain clouds, complete with homemade sausage rolls, flapjacks, and cucumber lemonade!
House 4 celebrated International Dance Day with an evening of Just Dance, along with some laughs too! As a break from studying, the Year 11s challenged themselves to a dribbling game – you have to keep the balls bouncing but move round in a circle! It was a great way to keep those brains ticking, even during a break! The sunny evenings have been spent doing wholesome activities, including arts and crafts, and creating masterpieces with fresh flowers! To mark National Nail Day, there was a nail bar with polishes of every colour of the rainbow and stickers to top it off!
Sixth Formers in both Keswick and Lawrence have been studying hard in preparation for the start
of exam season, but they are also making the most of the sunshine by taking their textbooks outside! As a break from revision notes, the girls attempted slacklining, a test of their balance and bravery. Once they had 'mastered' it, they even taught some of the younger girls from other Houses!
Miss Barnett
U13C Cricket vs Brighton College
'On Wednesday, the U13Cs played Brighton College in a Cricket match. We were able to hit the ball into gaps between the fielders to make it harder for them to field when we were chosen to bat first. There could have been more clear communication between our batters about whether to run or stay, and we were a bit uncertain at some points of the match. But overall, our batting was very accurate and we were able to adapt to different bowling styles from the other team.
Even with our slight disadvantage of fielding second, we were able to be aware of other fielders on the pitch and make good decisions about who to get the ball. On the other hand, we could have been more focused on the ball and perhaps could have improved our backing up. Generally, our throws and catches were very precise, and nearly caught players out quite a few times.
In the end, Brighton College won by just 275285. The Opposition’s Batter of the Match was Lucy, and I was proud to be named Bowler of the Match.'
Hester
– Captain (Yr8)
U15B Challenge Ardingly in their First Match of the Season U12A Cricket Battle Against a Bright Brighton College Side
The U12A XI played Brighton College in their first match of the Cricket season. Roedean were put into bat first, and Harrie and Tilly looked to get the team off to a good start. Harrie batted really well for her 10 runs, with an exceptional cover drive for 4 that replays in the mind for anyone who saw it. Chloe came in at number 5 - she stayed at the crease for a while and gained some valuable experience against some accurate Brighton bowlers. Roedean ended on 87 runs in their 20 overs.
■ Pick of the Batters: Harrie scored 10 runs with some exquisite shots while at the crease.
Lottie and Maisie opened the bowling for Roedean and had an early breakthrough in both their opening spells, removing both of the openers. Brighton then stabilised with some impressive batting from their Sussex batters. Ze came into the attack and bowled incredibly well, taking two wickets with some excellent accurate bowling in her first match for Roedean. Brighton managed to surpass the Roedean score for the loss of only 4 wickets.
■ Pick of the Bowlers: Ze – 2 overs, 19 runs, 2 wickets; Maisie – 2 overs 11 runs, 1 wicket; Lottie – 2 overs, 16 runs, 1 wicket
Mr Campleman
The U15B XI played against Ardingly College in the first match of the season. We played hardball paired cricket, with Roedean winning the toss and choosing to bowl first. Lula and Yan Yan opened the bowling and took two wickets to restrict the Ardingly batters. Iris followed suit and took two wickets in her next two overs to maintain a hold on the game. Ardingly finished strongly and managed to score 331 in their allotted 20 overs, with Roedean needing 332 to win.
■ Pick of the Bowlers: Lula – 2 overs, 9 runs, and 2 wickets
Yan Yan and Sophie opened the batting, looking to get us off to a good start. The first over went for 7 runs, with excellent running between the wickets. The second over saw a very accurate bowler take two wickets, restricting the opening pair to just 18 runs in their 4 overs. Ines and Iris were next in, and set to work regaining some runs towards the Ardingly total, only losing one wicket in their 4 overs. Amber and Athena were the third pair and they batted excellently to score 33 runs in total without a loss of a wicket, hitting the ball every time and Athena punishing the inaccurate bowlers on the leg side.
Roedean needed a big finish in their final two pairs needing just shy of 60 runs. Ardingly composed themselves and took regular wickets – despite a valiant challenge, Roedean fell 34 runs short of the Ardingly total.
■ Pick of the Batters: Athena – 16 runs with the loss of no wickets
Mr Campleman
Isabelle's Team Crowned 2025 Hockey Champions at Southern Counties!
Isabelle (Yr8) reached a special milestone this Hockey season for her club and herself. Her London South U13 Girls' County team has just been crowned 2025 Southern Counties Champions!
She has had an incredible season – Isabelle was one of only two girls selected to play all four matches for London South Team. She led a strong defence as the team won every game, beating Surrey 3-1, Hants 2-1, Kent 4-2, Oxon 5-2, Bucks 5-0, Sussex 8-0, Berks 12-1, and London North 4-1!
To top it off, Isabelle was named Coaches’ Player of the Season – a really proud moment for her. We are incredibly proud of how hard Isabelle has worked this season and her achievements in hockey!
Mr Campleman
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
Sporting Stars So Far This Term
Congratulations to the following who have been brilliant in PE and Games so far this term:
Week commencing 28 April:
Year 7
Harrie, for excellent batting in her first Cricket match for Roedean.
Year 8
Betsy, for a fantastic performance in a Cricket game against Brighton College.
Year 9
Astrid, for excellent progress in High Jump this term and getting a personal best.
Year 10
Flo, for a superb batting performance against Seaford College, scoring 50.
Year 11
Tiah, for excellent progress in Athletics this term.
Year 12 & 13
Chloe, for fantastic progress in Volleyball this year.
Team of the Week
U15A Cricket Team for an excellent team performance against Seaford College.
Week commencing 5 May:
Year 7
Maisie, for bowling accurately and consistently in an U13A Cricket match.
Year 8
Isla, for excellent effort in Tennis lessons this term.
Year 9
Andrea, for fantastic determination and performances in High Jump this term.
Year 10
Aminata, for excellent performances in Athletics competitions this term.
Year 11
Megs, for fantastic progress and performances in Cricket and Athletics this term.
Year 12
Eva, for a great return to Athletics this term.
Team of the Week
Junior Girls 4x100m relay team, who performed brilliantly, had smooth changeovers, and ran quickly at the Diamond League.
