What a Day in the Life of Roedean School Students Looks Like
Every day is a special day for Roedean School students. An independent day and boarding school for girls aged 11-18 in East Sussex, Roedean offers an education that allows pupils to thrive in an inspiring, challenging environment and grow into confident, emotionally intelligent individuals.
When it comes to understanding what makes Roedean unique, there’s no one better to ask than the girls who attend: Let’s take a look at a day in the life of Roedean School students with insights from the pupils themselves.
The School Day
At a glance, the Roedean School day incorporates six lessons and two activity sessions, with a mid-morning break, lunch in the Dining Rooms, and tea after lessons in the House “Old Dining Rooms.” All this takes place against the stunning backdrop of the sea and the South Downs National Park. One Year 11 student, Jemma, describes arriving at school each day, seeing the waves and sky, and thinking “how beautiful it is.”
House Spirit
Roedean School places all boarding and day students into one of four House teams: dragons, tigers, angels, and eagles. Students often find a House event on their daily schedule, and all girls compete in weekly events and competitions, hoping their House will prove the ultimate winner at the end of each term.
Every House competition is an invitation for girls to represent their colours. Face paint, glitter, and fun costumes allow the girls to express their House spirit with joy and pride. This traditional celebration cultivates a strong sense of community spirit, friendship, and sisterhood.
House staff join in with the fun too: During this year’s Boarding Summer Party, the girls got the chance to drench staff during a water balloon fight. The same event involved a “Frozen T-shirt House competition,” with the fastest to defrost the t-shirt of their House colour and wear it declared the winners.
Roedean School’s Values
Roedean hopes to inspire its pupils with seven values that underpin daily life at the School. Roedean wants every girl to be:
- Happy
- Curious
- Committed
- Independent
- Confident
- Compassionate
- Creative
Academic success is a priority at Roedean, but, overall, the School adopts a wider focus on delivering a balanced, holistic education. Roedean School students are bright and work hard to achieve target grades but are also self-aware and compassionate with good communication skills and a willingness to seek challenges.
Calista, in Year 13, describes her school experience as “filled with new surprises and challenges every day.” Several sixth formers have cited improved confidence and a powerful independence “both academically and personally.” Sophia, in Year 13, notes that this is “paving the way for success in both university and life beyond.”
Ensuring Every Voice Is Heard
Roedean offers a truly individualised pastoral care system. This system isn’t just an afterthought but is woven into the daily fabric of school life and is at the heart of every student’s success. Girls see their Academic Tutor twice daily, and their Head of Year is always on hand for additional advice. Tara, in Year 8, says her favourite thing about the School is how “supportive, kind, and funny the staff and girls are.” Isabelle, in Year 10, adds: “I think Roedean is amazing because of the atmosphere, and because if you need help there is always a friendly face to turn to, whether it’s staff or the pupils in the years above you.”
As Roedean takes responsibility for its students’ holistic well-being, the School also teaches the girls to take responsibility for themselves and for one another. Ella, in Year 12, explains that thanks to the mix of the two years in the Sixth Form Centre, the girls “work together more and learn from each other’s experiences.”
For students who need a little extra support with social or emotional issues, the girls have access to four Pastoral Managers, an experienced team of trained student Peer Listeners, and the School Counsellor, not forgetting the Medical Centre and House staff.
A Warm Welcome at Roedean School
All new students benefit from the School’s induction programme, which includes an assigned buddy, and newcomers soon settle in thanks to the warm atmosphere. Freya, in Year 7, says that as soon as she arrived, she realised how friendly and “incredibly welcoming” everyone is. Nadiyah, in Year 13, echoes this sentiment, adding that, through her school experience, she has met people from many backgrounds and improved her confidence.
Oyinda, in Year 7, is new to Roedean but already recognises that there’s something special about the School: “I’ve just started at Roedean, and straight away I have worked out that it’s a great place to meet people from all over the world and enjoy school life.” Now that the 2022 starters have settled into Roedean, the School looks forward to welcoming its 2023 intake.Learn more about Roedean School.