2 October 2026 – Issue 5
HEAD’S REVIEW
Year 7 at Arundel Castle
Head’s Introduction
Roedean’s annual Black History Month lecture reminded us all of our connections beyond School. Former parent and Trustee, Althea Wolfe, spoke brilliantly about her ‘story’, describing Jamaica’s place in the British Empire and how her parents came to Britain as part of the Windrush, carving out a new life in the UK. She highlighted symbolic connections with influential Black women in the local community, after which we considered a concrete and tangible sisterhood with Black ORs who have gone on to be successful in a variety of fields, from sport to writing to acting. Althea’s engaging delivery and infectious personality held everyone’s attention, and this whole-school lecture launched Black History Month at Roedean perfectly. The Windrush generation came to Britain to pursue a dream of a better life and greater opportunities. In contrast, this week’s Chapel services challenged the girls to consider the reality of girls in Afghanistan, who are denied an education beyond primary level. Twenty-one girls in a secret school in Kabul wrote letters to the world, describing their brave ambitions and bright dreams for the future, underpinned by determination and resilience. Quotations from these letters, read by the girls, reminded us how fortunate we all are to have an education, and of the opportunities we enjoy at Roedean. Four students in Year 12 recently took part in a week-long global conference in Naples, working with delegates from six other countries. They considered global issues, such as sustainability and economic development, all through the lens of the sea. Roedean’s unique coastal advantage meant that our girls were perfectly placed to contribute, while also becoming part of a community of young people who are committed to effecting positive change in the future. It has been an exciting week at Roedean in so many ways, and I wish you all a restful weekend!
Year 8 Stepping Over the Edge for Charity
Life Drawing at Roedean
Staff vs Student Football
2 October 2026 – Issue 5
HEAD’S REVIEW
Unsung heroes in the spotlight Each week, many wonderful things happen at Roedean, about which many in the school are perhaps unaware; this section of the weekly review is dedicated to ‘unsung heroes’, in order to draw our attention to these people and remind us that our community is special.
Farwa and Xena (Yr13) For their introductions and vote of thanks to our Black History Month speaker [Dr Barrand]
Two Roedean Staff on the Radio! Mrs Nicholson Orrells, Assistant Head: Safeguarding and Welfare, and Mrs Isbecque, Lead Nurse, had the opportunity to speak on the radio on Seahaven FM's programme called Healthy Talk, with Sally Markwell. They outlined some of the key challenges for girls in both their physical and mental health as they navigate adolescence, and how we support them at Roedean. If you would like to listen to their programme, please click here: https://player.autopod.xyz/1488217
Lennie, Jasmine, and Jody (Yr13), Sana'a and Nane (Yr12), Dita and Isla (Yr11), Sophia and Ebun (Yr10) For sharing quotations from the Afghan girls' letters in Chapel so clearly [Dr Barrand]
Miss Hart
Chloe's Volunteering for CCPS Congratulations to Chloe (Yr13), who has completed 203 hours of volunteering for Chanctonbury Community Play Scheme. This charity, which is based in Worthing, provides a summer holiday play scheme for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
Five Distinctions in the Mathematical Miss Walker in the Tatler Competition School Awards for Girls We received a lovely letter from the charity, sharing with us what a wonderful volunteer Chloe has been over the last three years – well done!
Dr Barrand
Congratulations to Miss Walker, who has been shortlisted for a Lifetime Achievement award in the Tatler School Awards.
Congratulations to twelve students who took part in the Mathematical Competition for Girls.
She was nominated by Mrs Barker, in recognition of the years of commitment she has dedicated to the School and to the countless girls who have passed through Roedean during her time.
Particular congratulations go to Julie, Michelle, Justine, Elane, and Lisa, who were all awarded a Certificate of Distinction – this equates to 42% of our cohort, compared to 25% nationally, so this is a remarkable achievement.
We look forward to the announcement of the winner!
Well done!
Mrs Hopper
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Mrs Wienekus
2 October 2026 – Issue 5
HEAD’S REVIEW
Next Gen 27 Conference – Naples Last week was something of a whirlwind for four of our Year 12 students. Over the course of five days in Naples, they met delegates from six other countries, formed international working groups and firm friendships, explored some of the most challenging topics facing the world today, devised presentations, and finally made recommendations to the Italian Ministers for Sport and Education on a stage in front of the national press. Emmalynn, Faye, Lucy, and Natalie represented both the School and the UK, as the nation's delegation at this exciting programme. Having arrived just in time for a fantastic Neapolitan supper on Monday evening, they attended the initiative's launch on Tuesday and learned all about the aims of the week.
As if all that didn't keep the girls busy enough, they also managed to find time to visit the Duomo and Spaccanapoli, watch the AC45 boats practise in the Bay of Naples, eat enormous quantities of pizza, and even squeeze in some shopping. On their final day together, all the overseas students decided they would like to visit Pompeii together, to celebrate their achievements and enjoy some downtime together with their new friends.
The students investigated the link between sport and inclusion, how the “Blue Economy” of the sea leads to technology and innovation, marine ecology and sustainability, and the sea in culture, community, and tradition. At the same time, their teachers worked together to design educational experiences inspired by the sea, to engage students actively and enrich their learning. You can expect to see the fruits of this later in the year, along with some of Natalie's research in action: she and her group focused on how the human-sea connection can be used in education, and drew up a proposal to build educational inclusion with workshops on the values we can learn through sport.
The workshops followed the Scuola Futura Framework, bringing together students from around the world to learn through collaborative and challenge-based experiences. Each of the girls was placed in a group of seven students, with a representative from the participating nations: Italy, the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Participants in these groups each brought a unique perspective to their assigned challenge: to present a research-based, creative recommendation to Italian Government Ministers on their given area. The conference took place at the sporting village for 38th America's Cup, and the areas of exploration were all focused on sport and the sea as common spaces for dialogue, innovation, and exchange.
Faye's reflection on the whole week was that, 'it was a very rewarding experience as we got to meet peers from all over the world and we worked together to come up with recommendations to deliver to the Italian Minister of Education and Merit. I especially enjoyed visiting Pompeii, which was very fascinating.' I know that the students remain in touch with their counterparts from other nations and am sure that this will lead to some exciting international initiatives. We are so proud of the girls for representing Roedean, and the UK, at this creative and forward-looking initiative. The organisers were so impressed with them that they have already been invited back, and we look forward to getting involved in future programmes and building international educational partnerships!
The students were especially delighted to make new friendships with other delegates. In reflection on their experiences, Lucy wrote, 'It was so much fun getting to build connections that I know we will all continue to develop. It was particularly rewarding working with my group throughout the course of a few days to come up with a proposal on how we would improve the America's Cup next year.' Emmalynn, who represented the UK on-stage at the closing ceremony, shared, 'I really enjoyed meeting new people and touring around Naples, learning more about different cultures. I'm extremely grateful I had the opportunity to speak in front of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Sport of Italy. It was an amazing experience!' Page 3
Ms Earl
2 October 2026 – Issue 5
HEAD’S REVIEW
Chapel – Girls' Right to Education Dr Barrand: Over 140 years ago, the Lawrence sisters founded our School with a simple but revolutionary conviction that girls deserved an education every bit as good as any boy's. For you, that idea might feel obvious. At Roedean, the rhythm of our lives means moving from lesson to lesson, discussing ideas freely, preparing for exams, and thinking about our futures, be that university or a job. No doubt, we all sometimes complain about school. We may even take it for granted. But we should never forget that the education we experience here is not enjoyed by every girl. Millions of girls around the world have no right to an education. This year marks five years since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan. Girls there are allowed to complete their primary education, but they are forbidden from attending secondary school from the age of eleven. So, if you lived in Afghanistan today, none of you sitting here would have the right to be at school. None of you would be allowed the education that is your daily reality. As a result, nearly 2.5 million Afghan girls are now excluded from secondary education. But they have not given up. In secret schools, Afghan girls are determined to study and to learn. In one school in Kabul, 21 girls aged between 14 and 16 gather in secret in an underground classroom. They make their way there quietly, dressed carefully to avoid attention. Pens and notebooks are hidden among everyday possessions. From their hidden classroom, earlier this month, they wrote letters to the world. Lennie (Yr13): ‘Listen to the silence of those who study in secret, the silence of the girl confined within the four walls of her home. Is it a sin for a girl to shape her own future?’ Dr Barrand: Is it a sin for a girl to shape her own future? At Roedean, a school founded precisely so that girls could shape their futures, that question should stop us in our tracks.
Nane (Yr12) / Jasmine (Yr13): ‘I am not asking you to build me a palace. I am not asking you for wealth. I am not even asking for my life to be easier than anyone else’s. I only want to study.’ Dr Barrand: Not wealth. Not privilege. Not comfort. Just the chance to learn. Isla (Yr11) / Ebun (Yr10): ‘Because in other parts of the world, what is every girl's right is something completely ordinary. But in my country, it has become an impossible dream.’ Dr Barrand: For us, school is ordinary. For them, an education has become an impossible dream. Their letters are remarkable not because of despair, but because of hope. Sana’a (Yr12) / Jody (Yr13): ‘I want to study, to build, to succeed, and to prove that a girl's destiny should not be written by others.’ Lennie (Yr13): ‘I want being a girl not to mean that my dreams have to be smaller. I want to do the work I love, to study where I choose, and to make my own decisions about my future.’ Dita (Yr11) / Sophia (Yr10): ‘I am only fourteen years old, but my dreams and aspirations for my Afghan nation are greater than that. One day, I will become a successful lawyer to defend the rights of the oppressed.’ Dr Barrand: These are not victims. These are young women with ambition, determination, and courage. They are young women who refuse to let others decide the limits of their lives. Nane (Yr12) / Jasmine (Yr13): ‘Within every Afghan girl lies a hidden future.’
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Dr Barrand: What a beautiful idea. Within every girl lies a hidden future. The Lawrence sisters understood that. They understood that educating girls changes lives. It unlocks talent. It creates leaders. It allows potential to flourish. Every girl educated is not just a student taught; she is a future discovered. And that brings us to sisterhood. At Roedean, sisterhood is not simply friendship. It is recognising that our lives are connected to the lives of girls beyond these school gates and beyond our own country. Isla (Yr11) / Ebun (Yr10): ‘Do not see us merely as statistics on television. Behind every number is a girl. A girl with a name, a family, and thousands of dreams.’ Dr Barrand: They are not statistics. They are people. They are girls, just like you. Girls who laugh with friends. Girls who worry about the future. Girls who have hopes, talents, and ambitions. They are girls who simply happened to be born somewhere different. Yet, despite everything, they refuse to surrender. Sana’a (Yr12) / Jody (Yr13): ‘When we fail, we must still have hope that we can get back up, so that we can rise again from where we have fallen.’ Lennie (Yr13): ‘I know that life may not always be easy, but every hardship can make me stronger. Our hope may seem small, but it has not been extinguished. We have not surrendered.' Dr Barrand: Dear Lord, let us remember how fortunate we are, and never take our education for granted. Let us honour the vision of the Lawrence sisters, who believed that girls deserved an education as good as any boy's. And let us stand, in spirit and in solidarity, with our sisters in Afghanistan and across the world. Education is more than lessons, qualifications, or grades. It is the doorway to empowerment, to dignity, and to hope. Let us pray that there is a brighter future for girls across the world, allowing them access to an education which will unlock their full potential. Amen.
HEAD’S REVIEW
2 October 2026 – Issue 5
Year 8 Stepping Over the Edge for Charity Congratulations to our Year 8s, who last week faced their fears to fulfil their commitment to Rockinghorse, the local children's charity, by abseiling down Peacehaven Cliffs. This should have taken place in June, but had to be postponed because of high winds, so it is excellent that the sun shone for them last Friday – well done!
Mr Wilson
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2 October 2026 – Issue 5
HEAD’S REVIEW
Culture, Community, and Cake: Celebrating European Day of Languages European Day of Languages last week was a fantastic celebration of languages and cultures at Roedean, with plenty of fun and creativity throughout the day.
125 Moldova. Huge congratulations go to Evie (Yr7), who won the prize for ‘Most Beautiful Cake’, and to Tabitha (Yr10), who was awarded ‘Most Delicious Cake’.
Our cake competition and sale was a particular highlight, with girls producing an amazing selection of beautiful and delicious cakes. There was certainly no shortage of talent! The cake sale was a great success, raising £67 for Project
The girls also enjoyed our photobooth, dressing up and posing for photos with friends. Years 7 to 9 were also treated to a special film screening in the Theatre, enjoying the French comedy Asterix & Obelix: Cleopatra Mission.
A special thank you also goes to our MFL Sixth Formers, who helped to run the activities throughout the day. Their enthusiasm and support were greatly appreciated. Thank you to everyone who baked, brought cakes, watched the film, and joined in. Your enthusiasm helped make European Day of Languages such a memorable celebration!
Miss De Jesus, Ms Ibanez, and Miss Deville
Senior Speeches Our Year 13s each have the opportunity over the course of the year to share a passion or reflection with the school community. The first Senior Speech was presented by Nathania, one of our Head Girls:
Depending on your diet, you might even swallow up to 35 fruit fly eggs a day, but stomach acid digests them before they can hatch. But why am I rambling on about fruit flies?
Because of the genetic overlap with humans, scientists breed flies carrying genes linked to conditions like diabetes and cancer, then test drugs on them before giving the medication to patients.
'I would like to pose you all a question. Have you ever wondered where those little flies hovering over your bananas come from, and why we should be grateful for them?
Remarkably, fruit flies play a key part in the foundation for genetic studies. They have just 4 pairs of chromosomes, produce new generations in a matter of weeks, and share about 60% of their genes with humans, which makes them ideal for studying disease.
Despite their annoying buzz around fruit bowls, the fruit fly serves as a foundation to decode human genetics, test new drugs, and understand complex diseases. So, before you try swat at them, take a moment to appreciate their existence.'
Fruit flies feed on the microorganisms growing on fermenting organic matter, like brown bananas. They may slip in through gaps in windows, but they can also seem to appear from nowhere. That is because they lay microscopic eggs on fresh fruit skin, and those eggs can hatch within a day.
In 1911, Thomas Hunt Morgan used fruit flies to show that chromosomes carry genes and can swap segments during cell division. This explained why siblings look alike yet different, and proved that chromosomes pass traits from one generation to the next. Page 6
HEAD’S REVIEW
Staff vs Student Football The students went head-to-head with the Staff on Tuesday afternoon in a highlyanticipated football match. Although the staff won the game 5-2, the match was fast-paced and competitive, with lovely goals from Charlie and Alicia for the students. This was a very enjoyable match for both players and spectators. Well done to everyone involved, and a big thank you to Katie for her excellent refereeing!
Miss Webster
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2 October 2026 – Issue 5
2 October 2026 – Issue 5
HEAD’S REVIEW
National Poetry Day 2026 To celebrate National Poetry Day on Thursday 1 October, Roedean staff were invited to recommend their favourite poems – and the response was amazing!
Students can also discover the poems in the Library, where they will be displayed on the big screen and featured as part of our special National Poetry Day display.
Teaching and Support Staff shared a wonderful range of suggestions, from classic epics to contemporary masterpieces, as well as poems that have stayed with them for particular reasons.
Thank you to all the staff who have shared their favourites.
Mrs Bailey
There were far too many fantastic recommendations to share all at once, so we will be featuring a selection over the coming weeks.
The Road Not Taken by Robert Fros
Recommended by Ms Corkran
Love is a place by EE Cummings Recommended by Mr Grant
love is a place & through this place of love move (with brightness of peace) all places yes is a world & in this world of yes live (skilfully curled) all worlds this Mr Grant says: 'I admire the succinctness and optimism of , twenty was I when York New in metro the poem. I first read it on say to tried have I then, Since job. e full-tim first my to way on my yes to many possibilities.'
The Orange by Wendy Cope
Recommended by Ms Sturgeon
t
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Ms Corkran says: 'Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken has been my mantra throughout my life, and it has stood me well. It has empowered me to do things others have suggested I couldn’t – in some cases because I was a woman!'
At lunchtime I bought a huge orange— The size of it made us all laugh. I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dav e— They got quarters and I had a half. And that orange, it made me so happy, As ordinary things often do Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park . This is peace and contentment. It’s new. The rest of the day was quite easy. I did all the jobs on my list And enjoyed them and had some time over. I love you. I’m glad I exist.
Catullus 85
Recommended by Ms Keeble
Ōdī et amō. Quārē id faciam fortasse requīris. Nesciŏ, sed fierī sentiō et excrucior. “I hate and I love. Why I do this, perhaps you ask. I know not, but I feel it happening and I am tortured.” enjoy Ms Keeble says: 'My favourite Latin poem is Catullus 85. I me to out stands one this but , quite a few of Catullus’ poems great A rise. memo to easy and simple short, very is because it to ‘say antidote to when people learn I’m a Classicist and ask me something in Latin’!'
Ms Sturgeon says: 'I like my poems to rhyme – it’s one of my favourite colours! But most importan tly, I think it wonderfully sums up the joy of simple things and the underrated feeling of contentment.'
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2 October 2026 – Issue 5
HEAD’S REVIEW
Slow Dance by Michael L. Weatherford Recommended by Miss Hart
Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round? Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight? Or gazed at the sun into the fading night? You’d better slow down. Don’t dance so fast. Time is short, The music won’t last. Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask “How are you?” Do you hear the reply? When the day is done do you lie in your bed With the next hundred chores running through your head? You’d better slow down. Don’t dance so fast. Time is short. The music won’t last. Ever told your child, “We’ll do it tomorrow?” And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die ’Cause you never had time to call and say “Hi?” You’d better slow down. Don’t dance so fast. Time is short. The music won’t last. When you run so fast to get somewhere You miss half the fun of getting there. When you worry and hurry through your day, It is like an unopened gift… Thrown away. Life is not a race. Do take it slower. Hear the music Before your song is over.
Demain, dès l’Aube by Victor Hug
Recommended by Miss De Jesus
o
Tomorrow, at dawn, at the hour when the countryside whitens, I will leave. You see, I know that you are wait ing for me. I will go through the forest, I will go through the mountain. I cannot remain far from you any longer. I will walk with my eyes fixed on my thoughts , Seeing nothing outside, hearing no sound, Alone, unknown, my back hunched, my han ds crossed, Sad, and the day for me will be like the nigh t. I will not look at the gold of the falling even ing, Nor the sails in the distance descending towa rd Harfleur, And when I arrive, I will put on your tomb A bouquet of green holly and blooming heat her. Miss De Jesus says: 'I love this poem because of the twist at the end. At first, it seems as though the poet is travelling to meet a lover, but as the journey becomes mor e difficult and emotional, we realise that he is visiting his daug hter’s grave. The unexpected revelation contrasts with our initial inter pretation and, for me, it is powerful.'
On Children by Kahlil Gibran
Recommended by Ms Johannisson
9, and Miss Hart says: 'It was one I chose to recite at school in Year in the live to er remind great a It’s since! it has stayed with me ever t.' presen
Saltwater by Finn Butler
Recommended by Ms Hirsch
Everyone who terrifies you is 65% water. And everyone you love is made of stardust, and I know sometimes you cannot breathe deeply, and the night sky is no home, and that you are down to your last two percent, but nothing is infinite, not even loss. You are made of the sea and the stars, and one day, you are going to find yourself again.
Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness; For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable. dear to Ms Johannisson says: 'The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran, is very my had I when me to read mum me. On Children is the poem my ter.' own daugh
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HEAD’S REVIEW
2 October 2026 – Issue 5
Mid-Autumn Festival at Roedean This year, we were delighted to bring the Mid-Autumn Festival to Roedean, and share a part of a culture that is important to many of us back home with our wider school community. One of the best-known customs of the festival is sharing mooncakes with family and friends, while another is carrying lanterns and solving lantern riddles. To bring these traditions to life, we organised a Lantern Riddles Challenge across all four Houses, with colourful lanterns and riddles placed along the study passages for students to discover throughout the week. We also hosted a Boarders’ Mid-Autumn Evening on Friday, where many boarders came together to make mooncakes, round pastries that symbolise unity, and lanterns, which represent hope and good fortune. Afterwards,
we carried our glowing lanterns to the Cloisters and gathered beneath the full moon. The evening reminded us that, even when we are apart from our own families, we can still feel connected through shared traditions and togetherness. The night was filled with laughter, creativity and, most importantly, the company of each other. We are so fortunate to have such a diverse and vibrant school community, and this will just be the first of many opportunities to celebrate and share festivals from different cultures throughout the year.
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Melissa and Xena (Yr13)
HEAD’S REVIEW
2 October 2026 – Issue 5
Life Drawing at Roedean Under the watchful eye of one of our Art Technicians, Roedean students have been putting their observational skills to the test in life drawing sessions this week.
Mr Scotcher studied at the Royal Drawing School, and was awarded an Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation grant in 2024, so it is wonderful that the girls had the chance to learn directly from an experienced artist.
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Mrs Silburn
132 October 2026 2023 – Issue 56
HEAD’S HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW REVIEW
Year 7 at Arundel Castle Last Friday, Year 7 and the History Department spent the day touring Arundel Castle. The students visited the Norman keep, the Baron’s Hall, the chapel, and the ‘oubliette’ dungeon, all led by Jane, our very informative guide.
of another glorious Indian summer day, picnicking in the grounds, visiting the glorious gardens and the ‘stew ponds’ where the fish supplying the castle were kept, and collecting a lot of conkers. And of course, no visit is complete without some retail therapy in the castle shop!
Our students also had the chance to explore various medieval weapons and experience the (very substantial!) weight of chainmail. We took advantage
A great day was had by all!
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
Ms Benton-Stace
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