Over the past two months since UK schools were closed, how we work as a school has had to change dramatically. During this time, our staff have been working hard to ensure that all of our students are still able to receive their academic education, but also to still be able to benefit from the holistic education that is so central to Roedean. It is also important that we retain our feelings of community and togetherness, despite the physical distance between us.

In order to achieve this, since the Easter holidays, the girls have been following timetabled lessons, online via Microsoft Teams (with each lesson recorded so that girls living in other time zones can choose whether to join live, or to watch at a better suited time for them). This has given them valuable structure to their day, and ensures they are being taught in a way as close as possible to their normal classroom lessons. As well as including all of their normal lessons (with length modified to better suit online sessions), the timetables also include Tutor Time, weekly Chapel Services, two Activity slots, and regular socials. This means that they are having valuable opportunitues to mix with their friends and to be able to join in with a huge range of extracurricular activities, such as; PE challenges, Computer Aided Design, Virtual Knitting, Geography Club, Dance Fitness, Cooking, Virtual String Group, Oxbridge Prepartion, Historical Mysteries and Drama - the list goes on, and there will be more starting after half term.

In order to keep the social side going, there have been various social activities for the girls to take part in, such as weekly bingo games, year group quizzes and scavanger hunts - with some great results, one year 7 girl, taking part in her form's 'P' themed scavanger hunt, entered a photograph of herself with a parrot!

Chapel has always been a central part of Roedean life, and this has not changed since we became a virtual school. Once a week, during their tutor periods, the girls are all shown a recorded Chapel service together. As well as the regular weekly services, we also stuck to our traditions, and started term with a traditional First Chapel, and a few weeks ago, had a special VE Day Chapel service, which you can view here. 

Video has became a key way to boost our community spirit, and as a special treat for VE Day, the school was lit up in red, white and blue, with the lyrics to We'll Meet Again projected on the front of the school building, as a group of girls sang this iconic song. The feelings envoked by this wonderful performance, remind us of all that was sacrificed by those who lived through World War II, but it is also a reminder to us now that we will meet again. You can watch this video here.