Issuu

THE ROGUE

Summer edition 2025

Cover made by Lana Mead, Year 5

Father’s Day comic

Uganda and Bethan’s experience

Stem at Royal Russell

Labour’s new budget

Day in the life at Royal Russell boarding

Girls football

Summer Plans

Get involved

Volunteering In Uganda

Bethan Whitfield, Year 12

On Saturday 28th June, right after Royal Russell Day, I’ll be joining 17 other students from Years 12 and 13, along with four members of staff—Mr Endersby, Mrs Hornby, Mr Grindrod and myself—as we set off on a life-changing 18day trip to Uganda, a country in East Africa.

If you’re not exactly sure where Uganda is, don’t worry—you’re not alone! It’s located just above Lake Victoria and has a population of around 48 million people, nearly half of whom are under the age of 15. Many of these children grow up in poverty, particularly in rural areas where families survive on less than £2-£3 per day and rely on farming just to feed themselves.

What we’ll be doing

Our group will be based at a school in the heart of Uganda, where we’ll be working on vital community projects, spending time with the pupils, and experiencing life from a totally different perspective.

The last time our school visited Uganda was in 2023, when students helped build a new toilet block with showers, completed an unfinished building to use as a dormitory, and improved classrooms by adding glass windows, tiled floors and new desks.

This year, our main project is to install a borehole water pump for the school and local community. Currently, their only water supply comes from a large outdoor tank, which relies entirely on rainfall. If the weather has been dry, the children must walk around 2km to a pond to collect water. The new borehole will go about 40–50 metres underground and will provide clean, reliable water on-site, changing lives in a big way. We’ve also arranged a WASH programme (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) with a specialist who’ll teach the children about good hygiene habits like handwashing and keeping toilets clean.

Everyone on the trip will be using their individual talents to support different areas of the school and community. I’ll be helping teach and coach netball, while Patrick will be leading mini rugby, Felix is running cricket sessions, and Dylan is coaching football. Ben will be documenting our journey through media work, and Uliana is creating beautiful murals around the school. Thibault and Sam are taking on the construction of a new playground, while Erin and Emily will be involved in GAG work (Girls Advocacy Groups). Jamie will be using his musical talents to lead singing and music sessions, and Cara and Jack will be running Maths and English workshops with the pupils. Everyone has a role, and together we’re aiming to make a real impact.

How we raised the money

As you can imagine, a project like this takes a lot of funding. Over the past year, everyone going on the trip has been working hard to raise money—over £10,000 so far!

From washing cars, selling doughnuts, dog walking, babysitting and organising raffles through our £10 challenge, to tackling huge physical challenges like the Surrey 3 Peaks, it’s been a full-on year of fundraising. On May 4th, we walked nearly 35km in one day, climbing Box Hill, Holmbury Hill and Leith Hill—a tough 10-hour trek that left us sore but proud.

Personally, one of my biggest fundraising achievements was completing a sky dive, which pushed me out of my comfort zone (literally!) and raised a huge amount in sponsorship. I’ve also been collecting clothes, shoes, books, toys, pens, and sports equipment, all of which we’ll be packing into extra suitcases—23kg each—to donate to the school and local community.

Why this trip matters to me

This trip means a lot to me—not just because I’ll be helping others, but because it builds on a journey I started a few years ago when I travelled to South Africa to teach sports to children in local communities. That experience showed me how something as simple as a game can bring people together, build confidence, and create joy. In Uganda, I hope to bring the same energy—supporting local projects, connecting with people, and learning from a completely different culture. For me, this is about giving back, growing personally, and being part of something bigger than myself.

Sports, Food and Culture

Sport plays a huge role in Ugandan life—just like here, football is a big favourite! We’ll also get involved with games and activities with the children, which I’m especially looking forward to after my experience in South Africa.

The Safari

The food in Uganda is very different from what we’re used to—think rice, beans, matoke (mashed cooked banana), and posho (a type of maize porridge). Meals are simple, hearty, and often shared, reflecting the importance of community and togetherness.

To round off the trip, we’ll get a chance to explore Uganda’s natural beauty with a safari in Murchison Falls National Park. On the way, we’ll visit the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, then cruise along the River Nile to the bottom of the falls—a stunning and powerful sight. We’ll also head out on two game drives in search of elephants, giraffes, lions, hippos, and more. It’s an unforgettable way to end an unforgettable trip.

Final Thoughts

This trip is about so much more than travel. It’s about perspective, responsibility, and the power of small actions to create big change. I’m incredibly grateful to be a part of it—and I’m excited to represent our school as we work, learn, and grow alongside the people of Uganda.

Thank you for your support, and please keep an eye out for updates when we return—with lots of photos and stories to share!

This year Royal Russell’s science department has been busy, with many exciting things ranging from, a jam-packed science week and the introduction of a women in STEM science magazine, success in many competitions, some exciting field trips and workshops like Medical Mavericks for year 10 and 12 pupils. Medical Mavericks provided the opportunity for students to not only draw blood, but to record and print out an ECG - that records the rhythm, rate and electrical activity of the heartattempt keyhole surgery and take a look inside their body using ultrasound technology. It was a fantastic look into many different careers within the expansive medical industry.

We also saw the participation in many competitions and awards: the Crest Awards, for year 8,9, 10 pupils, which function as an almost science version of a Duke of Edinburgh Award with Bronze, Silver and Gold stages. They were able to partake in many exciting projects, examples this year are the ‘How to make the best cup of tea’ and ‘Rocket research’. The school’s annual chemitree competition, with a special well done to William Wu in year 13 who was able to guess the compounds in the 8 conical ﬂasks hung as decorations on the chemistry department’s Christmas tree. Congratulations to the sixth formers who participated and were successful in the Chemistry, Biology and Psychology Olympiads. Finally, Well done to those in year 12, whose team, in a global medical competition with 550+ participants, from 25+ countries and 100+ schools, came first in the UK and second in Europe, Russia, and Central Asia. A special congratulations also goes to Alveena Javaid, a participant from the team, whose score was the best in the UK. There have been so many successful competitions, and every participant should feel proud of their success and involvement.

I am incredibly excited about the start of a women in STEM science magazine called Shepot. This is an amazing initiative started by Isabell Ward and Zoe Spellings. It has proved to be a great encouragement and a fantastic chance to hear from female students about particular science topics of interest.

One of the highlights of this academic year is the fantastic Science Week. It was kicked off with an assembly for the junior school delivered by year 12 pupils, introducing this years theme: ‘change and adapt’. Throughout the week there were lots for all years to do from extracting DNA from strawberries, to fun chemistry experiments, a rat dissection and astronomy. In science week’s annual egg drop competition, the only egg to survive a drop from the Aston Webb building unscathed was Reade’s, well done to those involved. To cap off a fantastic week, we had an incredible visit from the Skybolt Rocket, everyone from nursery to year 10 were able to go and see this rocket and hear about its launch into space.

This is just to explain a few of the things that the science department has put on this year, there has also been several A level Chemistry, Biology and Physics trips, a trip to Lego land for year 9 and countless other opportunities that Royal Russell’s Science department has provided for students of all ages to explore the rich and diverse world of Science.

Elspeth Gardiner

Labour’s new budget

So, Labour recently announced their new budget, and like much of Labour’s decisions as of late, it's been viewed as controversial. It's included massive spending increases, ever dreaded tax increases and a whole lot of borrowing. This article will look into the finer details of some of the keynote policies this budget presents, analyse their effects and give a judgement on what this determines for the future of this Labour government.

The first thing to recognise is that this budget is a significant shift from previous Labour budgets. Whereas before they were very frugal with their spending, cutting costs any way they could to fill in the “black hole” of finance they inherited, this budget pushes their new agenda that they're in to “phase two” meaning much more lavish spending and tax increases like previous Labour governments of the past have conducted. Some may argue that the tax increase is a response to pressure from the Labour party backbenchers in regard to the governments largely reserved spending commitments. Others may agree that Labours previous budget lay the foundations of the economy and now they have a base to build upon, as a result of the ambitious plans suggested in this budget. Nevertheless, this budget is a dramatic shift in policy and it's interesting to see the areas they prioritised, and the areas they're not.

Debatably the biggest part of the budget was the £39 billion increase, raised for building more affordable and social housing. This is supposed to help Labour manage their previous commitment to build 1.5 million houses in their first term, and it has raised many questions around where this money is coming from. While many are welcoming the government's stance in upholding their commitments around housing. Some find it a surprise considering reports about the government having tense meetings with other departments about needing to cut spending. As mentioned earlier, this is the biggest example of Labour stepping up their spending plans, and considering Angela Rayner, the Housing Minister, has in recent weeks, been noted being critical of Labour policies in meeting documents, it doesn't take much to put two and two together.

Another policy just as surprising, is the £29 billion a year increase in NHS dayto-day spending. This policy has proved to be much less controversial, especially considering the widely reported dire state of the UK health service ever since COVID. This is set to be a 3% increase per year for 3 years, larger than most departments and this is in line with previous Labour government’s policies on public services and spending. Some other keynote policies included cutting the foreign aid budget significantly, and shifting those funds to increase military spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027, as well as cuts to the transport and environmental departments. Also, the home office budget is set to decrease, while the budget specific for policing is set to increase, dependent on whether councils raise taxes to match the targets to increase. Finally, Labour has cut costs by planning to stop housing asylum seekers in hotels by 2027 by building alternative accommodation and through “stopping the boats”.

In my opinion, this budget represents a significant gamble from the Labour government. They have micromanaged this budget through carefully plotted cuts and spending increased to try and appeal to areas the public will be satisfied with, while cutting areas out of the public eye. Despite any ideological opinions people hold about this budget, it can't be denied that this budget could either make or break the next few years of this government

Our Year on the Pitch: How Girls’ Football is Rising – At School and Across Europe

What an exciting year it has been for girls football at Royal Russell! Throughout the year, there has been an immense level of success and growth throughout all year groups, which has been a privilege to watch as well as be a part of. More girls than ever are playing, training and stepping up to represent Royal Russell and the progress that has been made on and off the pitch has been incredible. What makes this progress and success even more exciting is that it isn’t just happening here at Royal Russell – it’s part of a much bigger movement in women’s football worldwide!

This summer we can tune into the UEFA Women’s Euros 2025 taking place in Switzerland, where Europe’s best footballing nations are brought together to celebrate talent, growth and pride within the women’s game. With the legacy of England’s unforgettable win at Wembley in 2022, the stage is now set for another thrilling tournament. The Lionesses return not just as competitors but as defending champions.

It’s clear the Lioness’ legacy is alive and emerging through girls all throughout the school - with over 50 fixtures having been played, there have been several standout moments. Firstly, this was the first season where the Girls’ First XI were part of a league competing each Wednesday against a variety of tough opponents which included the experience of playing at Fulham FC’s training ground. There was also huge success for the Year 7&8 girls who participated in a tournament at St George’s Park and came home with the trophy! Finally, in January 2025 some of the girls in both years 11, 12&13 had the amazing opportunity to travel to the UAE to both train and play in fixtures against local women’s teams.

So, as the school year winds down, football isn’t taking a break - in fact, it’s just getting started.

GO LIONESSES!!

Get Involved!

You can: write articles, help edit, design covers,and suggest ideas for artciles you want to read in later editions.

For January 2026, we are looking for new Heads of Rogue, so come and find us at the activities fair in September!

Our goals:

To provide a newsletter with relevant updates on whats going on in and around school, whether that is what life is like as a boarder, or the thrilling adventures students are going on, or even the politics in and around the UK.

We aim to keep the students up to date with knowledge and information around the school and other students in a friendly manner.

We want to encourage people to enhance their skills in writing, researching and editing of things that interest them the most.