Introduction
Roedean’s social conscience is both impressive and tangible, and the girls and staff are justifiably proud of the impact we make, both locally and further afield.
I have no doubt that the compassion and generosity of spirit encouraged and nurtured at the School will stay with them for a lifetime.
Fostered through a wide range of partnership and philanthropic activities, Roedean has deep roots in the local community. We contribute to the invaluable work of a range of institutions, through the Community Action Programme, and a range of lunchtime outreach activities which take place every day. To make a genuinely discernible difference, we have focused a number of these activities on St Mark’s Primary, just a short distance from Roedean, and we also have a longstanding partnership with Off The Fence, a homeless charity in Hove.
At an age when some young people have a very narrow perspective on society, it is wonderful that Roedeanians are able to develop a deeper understanding of our community and expand their horizons through charitable fundraising and philanthropic endeavours. This encourages them to make a meaningful impact, while also empowering others.
I believe wholeheartedly that a Roedean education should be open to talented students who will benefit from the academic rigour, the breadth of experience, and the diverse opportunities on offer. It is therefore such a pleasure to be able to provide a Roedean education for talented and deserving students through scholarships and bursaries, and I am extremely grateful to those Old Roedeanian donors who support some of these places.
Thank you to everyone involved in these activities which are central to a Roedean education - together we make a difference to so many!
Niamh Green Head
1
solo cross-Channel swim for charity
The social value of Roedean’s DofE volunteering was
£16K+ in 2024/2025
2628 kilometres covered in the 24-hour overnight challenge for MNDA
Over the last four years
£148.5K was raised for national and international charities
£48K+ raised for school charities in 2024-2025
36 students have taught English in Moldova to orphans and refugees over the last 3 years
£22K+ donated over 9 years to support 10 girls around the world through PlanUK
20K+ meals donated to Off The Fence to support the homeless in Brighton since 2016
Making an Impact
St Mark’s Primary Partnership
Our school has worked closely with St Mark’s Primary School in Brighton for nearly a decade, in a partnership of mutual benefit, with weekly enrichment at Roedean, lunchtime activities every Wednesday, and a plethora of ad hoc activities, such as a Samba drumming workshop and attendance at theatre productions.
Every child in Years 4-6 comes to Roedean every Thursday for a term of academic and sporting enrichment. They throw themselves into a range of activities on our sports fields overlooking the sea, while also enjoying a series of supra-curricular academic lessons, such as Meteorology, Russian, Creative Writing, and Print-Making, designed to spark their curiosity.
Students in Year 9 go to St Mark’s each week to act as Reading Buddies - they listen to the children read in a supportive setting. After fundraising over £30,000 in 2018 to build the Secret Garden Library at St Mark’s from scratch, the Roedean community is committed to maintaining the stock and the annual training the librarians. It is a loved and empowering space, and we remain proud of this highly visible connection between our two schools.
Roedean Academy
Since 2018, the Roedean Academy has brought together over 500 like-minded talented academics in Year 10 from six local state schools and Roedean. The sixweek programme of engaging academic enrichment in the Spring term each year is unashamedly nothing to do with any GCSE specification – designed to pique their wider intellectual interests, there are over 40 modules on offer are designed to pique their wider intellectual interests.
‘I like being intellectually stimulated to broaden my mindset.’
Alannah (Longhill)
‘It helped me to think more creatively.’
Marko (Dorothy Stringer)
‘I enjoyed getting to meet different people because it helps me understand different views and opinions.’
Erin (PCS)
‘This experience has helped boost my love for learning.’
Maja (Blatch)
‘It broadened the horizons of my learning.’
Rainah (Roedean)
‘I liked the more independent style of learning.’
Josh (Longhill)
‘I have loved the freedom of not being stuck behind a desk and really getting involved.’
Bonnie (King’s Hove)
‘It helped me to understand what studying could be like at a higher level.’
Kem (PCS)
‘It was fun to learn more challenging things than at school.’
Florence (Blatch)
Community Action Programme
On Wednesday afternoons, every student in Year 12 takes part in the School’s Community Action Programme. While developing skills which will stand them in good stead beyond School, our students are personally effecting positive change in our immediate community.
There are twelve activities on offer with a range of partners, and the students are able to choose the one which most suits their interests and skills, such as working with Raystede Animal Sanctuary, or at Chailey Heritage, a school for young people with complex disabilities, or
learning British Sign Language to use in the community.
The Junior Roedean Academy is one of the strands within CAP, and has been running for three years. 140 children from three or four state primary schools in the area come to Roedean for 90 minutes of academic enrichment in an 8-week block. The Year 12s prepare lessons to share their passions and interests with the children - the experience is an exciting learning opportunity for both parties!
Philanthropy and Charity Fundraising
Each year-group in School has both a dedicated charity and an institution which they support. Throughout the year, the girls raise valuable funds for their charities through bake sales and non-uniform days, and they support their partner instruction through weekly visits and activities. To make what they are doing more meaningful and tangible, the girls learn about their charity from representatives who visit at the start of the year to address them in Assemblies.
In addition, the School has established connections with other charities, and there are ad hoc fundraising events for these each year. One example is RISE, a local charity which supports women who are suffering domestic abuse, and every year our students and staff take part in an 8K run along the undercliff to raise both funds and awareness.
With a connection to the ethos of our founding Lawrence sisters, the School is keen to support girls and young women to start in education as long as possible. Roedean has supported ten girls through PlanUK since 2016, but this funding will be soon be transferred to three girls
in Africa, supported by the Catalyst Foundation. Natasha, Josephine, and Esther are from Zimbabwe and Zambia. Our donations provide them with the educational materials they need, as well as meals at school. Girls are often attacked on their way to school, so we can also purchase a bicycle for them, so that they can get to school more easily and safely.
The Roedean Mission
The Roedean Mission began in 1894, At the suggestion of the Prefects, to give ‘London waifs the benefit of a fortnight at the seaside.’
Today, a small committee of Sixth Form girls and staff awards grants from the Interest on its investments, approximately £15,000 per year, to a number of organisations which help children under the age of 16, from all over the United Kingdom.
In 2024-2025, the Roedean Mission granted £29,170 to a range of different charitable organisations.
In 2024-2025, Roedean raised £48,148
In the last 3 years, Roedean raised £133,581
Natasha is 9 and from Zimbabwe – she dreams of becoming a doctor, and walks 5 kilometres to school every day
Esther is 9, from Zambia, and she hopes to be a medical doctor in the future – she has four siblings
Josephine is 12 and from Zambia – she loves netball and hopes to become a nurse, and she walks 4.5 kilometres to school
Year-Group Charities
YEAR 7
Rockinghorse Charity supports children with life-limiting conditions at the Royal Alex Children’s Hospital in Brighton The Year 7 cohort abseiled 50 metres down Peacehaven Cliffs in June, to raise £4,544, as a finale to their Wild Fridays programme – they conquered their fears to raise valuable funds for this important local charity
YEAR 8
Motor Neurone Disease Association is all the more important after Rob Burrow tragically passed away this year Year 8 challenged the rest of the School to be the first to cover 777 kilometres – they walked through the night for 24 hours, and together they smashed their target, covering 2628 kilometres in total, and raising £7,687
YEAR 9
Raystede Animal Sanctuary cares for animals in need in Sussex. 32 students and staff undertook the SkyWalk, walking around the top of the pod of the iconic i360, 165 metres above Brighton – they raised an amazing £5,943
YEAR 10
Off The Fence supports the large number of homeless people living in Brighton and Hove 15 members of Year 10 and staff spent the night sleeping on cardboard on the fields, to gain the smallest insight into what it must be like to be homeless –it was a glorious moonlit night, and they raised £2,879
£4,544
£7,687
£5,943
£2,879
Project 125 Moldova
July 2025 saw Roedean’s third trip to Moldova, where twelve of our students in Years 11 and 12 taught English to underprivileged young people there. Having undertaken training in teaching techniques since January, and, equipped with all their resources, they travelled to Chișinău after the end of the summer term, where they taught over 80 young people for a week, some orphans, and others refugees from Syria and many from Ukraine.
The local NGO, Hope4, again facilitated our trip brilliantly, and we also helped out in their distribution warehouse and visited the Rainbow of Hope orphanage, for which we have been fundraising over the course of the year. The children there have very little and it was our privilege to present them with a cheque for £7979.
The girls who first visited in July 2023 were so moved by what they saw at the orphanage, that we agreed that Roedean would commit to making a sustained difference to the children there. We pledged that we would fundraise to cover 3% of the annual total running costs of the institution, around £5000, but not just once - this was to be our pledge every year for the next decade. It was amazing to smash this target, and, over the last three years, we have been able to raise over £18,500, an astonishing total.
It was a special experience, one which was, no doubt, transformational on many levels: for our girls teaching the young people English, for those developing their knowledge of a language which will open doors for them in the future, and, most importantly, for the Rainbow of Hope orphans.
‘Travelling to Moldova to teach English to children of various backgrounds is an experience I will forever hold in my heart. It has been a week of laughter, tears, and pride, and I know the skills and memories I have gained from this trip will remain with me for life.’
Farah (Yr12)
‘By the end of the week, our class had achieved a lot and I was shocked by the pride I felt for them. This made me realise that teaching is about encouraging perseverance, fostering a growth mindset, and ultimately making students feel seen and heard.’
Nathania (Yr11)
‘Following the trip to Moldova, I now understand why it is often called ‘lifechanging’ by those who have taken part in it before!’
Zaha (Yr12)
‘One of the most meaningful parts for me was seeing the direct impact of Roedean’s donations. It made me realise how the support we give at school can truly change lives. Being there brought everything into perspective and made me proud to be part of a community that actively works to help others.’
Derin (Yr12)
Bursaries and Scholarships
In order to widen access to a Roedean education, the School offers a significant number of transformational bursaries which support a range of families; these potentially life-changing awards complement the scholarships available to recognise exceptional achievement and potential in a different area of school life.
Each year, talented local students win Brighthelm Scholarships to join Roedean from state schools within a 20-mile radius of the School. These students always have considerable intellectual calibre, and they thrive in this environment, where they can realise their full potential in various areas of school life.
Brighthelm Scholars
Each year, talented local students win Brighthelm Scholarships to join Roedean from state schools within a 20-mile radius of the School. These students always have huge intellectual potential, and they thrive in this environment, where they can throw themselves into a range of activities and focus on excelling academically.
If you would like to donate to these bursaries, to help provide access to an outstanding Roedean education for talented students with high aspirations, please click on this QR code to find out more:
I was awarded a Brighthelm Scholarship when I joined Roedean in Year 7, opening a door for me to throw myself into a wide range of academic and co-curricular opportunities, such as participating in drama productions, representing the School in hockey matches, and attending academic lectures. In Year 12, I was honoured to be awarded a Newnham Scholarship, and I am hugely grateful to an Old Roedeanian donor who supports my education here - this has given me even more drive to contribute to wider school life in the Sixth Form, and pursue my dream of studying Medicine at a top university.’
Rida (Yr13)
Total funding for Bursaries and Scholarships in 2024-2025 is £3,301,293
9 students are on fully funded places in 2024-2025
30.4% of day students receive means-tested support in 2024-2025
The OR Scholarship Fund provides support to enable two talented students to stay at Roedean for the Sixth Form
The Lesley Lindsay and Shellim Scholarships are fully-funded bursaries provided by two very generous Old Roedeanians
Brighthelm Scholarships total £110,445 in 2024-2025
Total funding for Bursaries and Scholarships over the last five years £15,758,821
Roedean School, Roedean Way, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 5RQ +44(0)1273 667500 roedean.co.uk Charity No.: 307063