Creating and maintaining strong links with our local community is an important part of life at Roedean. Through our work with nearby primary schools, our students are given regular opportunities to step beyond their usual lessons and take on positions of responsibility.

Throughout the year, our students are involved in a wide range of outreach activities with local primary schools. These experiences are designed not only to enrich the learning of younger children, but also to give our students meaningful opportunities to develop interpersonal skills that will support them well beyond the classroom.

One of our key initiatives this term is the Junior Roedean Academy, which runs on Wednesday afternoons as part of the Year 12 CAP Programme. Pupils from St Margaret’s and Rudyard Kipling School, join us each week for a programme of enrichment activities planned and delivered by our Year 12 students.

The first session focused on team building, with primary pupils working together to create the tallest free-standing structure possible using spaghetti and a marshmallow. Future sessions will include STEM activities, Humanities workshops and Bushcraft, as well as a visit to our school farm later in the term. For our Year 12 students, this programme offers a valuable insight into teaching and mentoring, while developing essential abilities such as teamwork, organisation and clear communication.

Our younger students are also actively involved in working with local schools. Each Tuesday, a group of Year 9 students visit St Mark’s as reading buddies, while Year 7 students travel to Saltdean Primary School to read with Reception children. On Thursdays, during one of their co-curricular activity slots, students can visit Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School. Recently, two Year 8 students worked with younger pupils to recreate elements of the story Goldilocks and the Three Bears using stickle bricks, plasticine, whiteboards and puppets. Activities like these allow our students to use creativity and imagination while learning how to adapt their ideas for a younger audience.

We also welcome pupils from St Mark’s into our school on a weekly basis. Every child in Years 4-6 comes to Roedean every Thursday for a term to take part in a range of activities including PE lessons, printmaking and Russian language lessons. These experiences are designed to spark curiosity and introduce primary pupils to new subjects.

To learn more about the wide range of partnerships and philanthropic activities at Roedean, read our Impact Report here.