Just before Half Term (20–23 May 2025), I was lucky enough to head off with four of our English students on a Pen-to-Print writing retreat in Hay-on-Wye, based at Trewern Outdoor Education Centre. We teamed up with three other borough schools (Sydney Russell, Eastbury and Dagenham Park) - sixteen students altogether and from the moment we jumped off the train in Hereford, the week felt like one big adventure. We soaked up the beauty of Bannau Brycheiniog, swapped screens for fresh air and bookshops, and discovered just how much inspiration can hide in a tiny market town.  Hay-on-Wye, of course, is famous for its shelves upon shelves of stories, so we completed a treasure-hunt challenge to track down local landmarks, spot references to classic books, and see who could unearth the oldest volume hiding in an honesty stall. A wander through St Mary’s Church in Cusop added an unexpected spark with names on old gravestones that fed straight into character sketches, a bit like the Eleanor Rigby moment for The Beatles. Out in the wild we clambered up waterfalls at Blaen y Glyn, floated down clear pools, and paused on riverbanks to scribble in notebooks. The area, known for its stunning waterfalls and trails, also has an old abandoned railway line that runs alongside the stream. At one point, we made our way through a tunnel on the path with our lights off, in pairs, using sticks to feel our way along the walls in total darkness. Alongside all the writing and walking, there was no shortage of fun. Students played heated games of Mafia, tried their hand at archery, and some even took on the climbing wall. Others made the most of the surroundings, watching sheep wander freely and spotting horses in nearby farmers’ fields and of course, no downtime is complete without a quick kickabout in the grass. Evenings back at Trewern meant hot food and writing workshops with Pen to Print, including one memorable session led by the brilliant Jenny Valentine. During her workshop, students used arty postcards as a springboard for their writing, sparking fresh ideas and creativity. By the final night, everyone had a story or poem inspired by muddy boots, festival buzz (thanks to author events with Anu Adebogun, Alice Roberts and Christopher Edge), and the joy of being surrounded by books. We even bumped into Jenny later on in Hay town, where she kindly signed some of the kids’ books. Pen to Print will be publishing the results later this year, and I couldn’t be prouder of the imagination and bravery our writers showed all week. Miss Fowler

The Maths Department held their second Annual Robert Clack Maths teams Challenge on Wednesday 9 th July. Year 9 set 1 pupils from Lymington, Gosfield and Green Lane went head to head in a heated challenge to determine this years Maths Champions. The teams competed against the clock to complete two rounds of challenges. They had to be strategic and work as a team to solve complex problems. We were amazed by the creativity and enthusiasm of our elite Mathematicians. It gives us great pleasure to announce the victors of this years Maths Challenge to be Team Lymington! Congratulations to Ms Kaur and 9E1 for an outstanding performance, they won with a score of 193 points I would also like to commend all the students in Year 9 students who took part, there was such energy buzzing through the room as the students competed to complete their tasks, and their shouts of triumph at each stage was truly contagious. Below are the results from the whole competition: 1 st Place: Lymington 193 2 nd Place: Gosfield 172 3 rd Place: Green Lane 169 A special mention to our honorary participants from China, who made up their own team and took 1 st place as the overall team winners. It was a privilege to share this experience with our wonderful guests from China. Congratulations to all those who have won awards for the challenge. We look forward to next year to see which site will claim the mantle of Robert Clack Maths Champions! Ms Miah

As a reward for their commitment to Art Club throughout the year, a group of Year 7 students enjoyed a fantastic visit to the Tate Modern. Pupils explored the gallery’s exhibitions with curiosity and creativity, representing the school with exemplary behaviour throughout. It was a wonderful celebration of their enthusiasm and dedication to the arts.

On Tuesday, 30 select members of the school council of the entirety of Robert Clack School were invited to The Houses of Parliament by our own MP Margaret Mullane after a request sent by Mrs Monk which was finally accepted after numerous rejections. Because of this, this may increase the likelihood of this opportunity opening again. The way that we got accepted for this trip is based on behavior, engagement with the school council and having an interest in politics. We left Gosfield Road at about 9:30, took the bus to Dagenham Heathway and took the District Line straight to Westminster. As soon as we arrived at the grand Palace of Westminster, and after a few scans of our items, we were shown around the ancient Westminster Hall, saw the New Dawn, which is an artistic masterpiece, lit up and controlled by the tide of the River Thames. This was made as a monument to the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Past that, we explored the Central Lobby, even seeing various news reporters practicing their reports. Later, we were split into two groups and were able to see a debate in the House of Commons between two politicians. Even if you weren’t interested in what they were discussing, you had to be in awe of the entire hall, being shown on TV countless times and finally seeing it in person. And finally before eating our lunch and heading home, we all got a group picture with our MP, Margaret Mullane, to wrap up the whole day. Brendan, Year 9

Our GCSE Geography students have just returned from an excellent trip to Walton-on-the-Naze. The purpose of the trip was to investigate whether the sea defences at Walton were effective at preventing erosion and flooding. Although we had some problems with being able to complete all our fieldwork with high tides most days, the students were still able to collect enough data. The weather was glorious and we certainly made the most of the heatwave. Whilst battling through the traffic, with Gallows Corner being closed, we were able to belt out some songs on the minibuses and arrive in good time. The students' behaviour was excellent throughout the trips. They listened well and followed instructions carefully and were a credit to the school. I look forward to taking them all to Stratford in September for their Human Geography fieldwork.

Congratulations to Maisy Kohl in year 9! This half term she won a regional Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competition. This was all the more impressive as she stepped up 3 divisions to do so and fought a girl 15kg heavier than herself. She won in an incredible 4 seconds, forcing her opponent to tap out from an arm bar.  Well done Maisy, we are all very proud of you!

On Saturday 15 th June 2025, Mr Vinda and Mr Goyette lead the Barking and Dagenham district team to compete in the County Championships at Melbourne park in Chelmsford. With Robert Clack winning so many events at the Barking and Dagenham Championships 2 weeks before, it was no surprise that Robert Clack athletes made up the majority of the team. There were over 20 athletes from Robert Clack between year 7-10 competing. All of our athletes showed a high level of skill, physical fitness and outstanding behaviour. They represented themselves and the school with honour. Special congratulations must go to the following athletes for excelling in their individual events and bring back a county medal. Joshua - Gold - Discus Keziah - Bronze - Hurdles Denzel - Silver - 200m Dre - Silver - Hurdles Well done to all who participated.

Essex selection for National championships. Track and field athlete Josh B (year 9), has had the summer of his life with individual achievements and he's not finished yet. This year Josh was our highest point scorer in the English Schools athletics competitions, but his success does not stop there. Barking and Dagenham championships 100m - Gold Discus - Gold Relay - Gold Essex Championships Discus Gold Selection for Essex multi events team, competing in the national championships in Northampton in the following events; Hurdles, Long jump, high jump, shot-put, 800m. Reached national standard in both hurdles and long jump.  Will represent Essex in the hurdles for Essex in the National individual championships. Josh thoroughly deserves the plaudits he is receiving as he works so hard. In the gym before school, not missing a club after school and working hard at his club outside of school. Well done Josh! We are all very proud of you.

It has been our pleasure and privilege to have been part of your child’s journey in Year One! We are so proud of their achievements and we have thoroughly enjoyed watching them grow into budding readers, writers, mathematicians, artists, scientists, explorers, athletes and so much more! Every day the children have amazed us with their determination to learn and grow and we have all been thoroughly charmed by each and every one of their unique personalities. As always, this term has been really busy with lots of fun learning. We started off our ‘Wild World’ topic with an exciting visit to Sea Life Aquarium! The children were fascinated learning about all the magnificent creatures that live in the ocean and how we can protect their natural habitat. In DT, we had lots of fun chopping fruit and making our very own fruit cocktail! In other news, it was amazing to see so many parents come to watch and cheer along in our school’s Sports Day. Your children certainly enjoyed taking part, showing great sportsmanship and teach spirit! Well done Year One!