We are delighted that sea-swimming is becoming popular at Roedean again. When the School first opened on this site, it went to great lengths to help girls to swim in the sea. Before the tunnel existed, girls went to Rottingdean and climbed into covered wagons which were then drawn by horses into the sea. From there, the girls would step out into the water with a rope tied around them to make sure they were not dragged away with the tide. The tunnel was built in 1910, and, in an end-of-year article for the school magazine, Madams Rowbotham and Peskett described the excitement of the school at its opening; they also wrote about how 113 girls successfully trained to be able to swim a quarter of a mile (about 400 metres) in order to be allowed to swim in the sea in the summer term when the tunnel opened.

To celebrate and reconnect the School with the spirit of the sea, the longer-term aim is to compete in the annual Cross-Channel relay in June 2020. Roedean will form a squad of sea-swimmers, from which 6-8 girls will be selected. In order to qualify, the girls have to complete a 2-hour swim (that is normally from the Marina to the King Alfred), and will be swimming regularly for over an hour this time next year. Training in the sea stopped at the end of the October half-term and will start again at the start of the summer term. Imagine the incredible sense of achievement if you were part of this relay swim to France!