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16/02/25

90% attendance means 3 terms or 90 days of learning lost from Year 7–11. This is the equivalent of 450 hours of lesson time missed. pic.twitter.com/AVuQghGx82— Valley Park School () February 16, 2025

15/02/25

Parinirvana, or Nirvana Day, is a Mahayana Buddhist festival marking the Buddha's death. It celebrates his Enlightenment and liberation from rebirth. At eighty, after forty years of teaching, the Buddha died in meditation and entered nirvana. pic.twitter.com/P2T7IOjarl— Valley Park School () February 15, 2025

14/02/25

Next week is Winter Break! Yes, Winter. Christmas Break was in December. Spring Break is in May, and Easter Break is in April. So have fun (and stay safe) crafting sand sculptures on the beach or whatever you do during Winter Break... in February! pic.twitter.com/8Bxgl8UB3X— Valley Park School () February 14, 2025

14/02/25

House points update#wearevalleypark#ambition pic.twitter.com/usryHLnHmF— Valley Park School () February 14, 2025

13/02/25

Year 10 ceramics students have impressed their teacher, Miss Collins, by ambitiously constructing their organic forms in just five hours. Read more: https://t.co/KCcOviHRsC #wearevalleyparkceramics#ARK pic.twitter.com/ORvSEU4xtf— Valley Park School () February 13, 2025

12/02/25

Tu Bishvat, the Jewish "New Year of the Trees," marks the start of spring in Israel and is a time to thank God for fruit. It is celebrated as an ecological awareness day with tree planting. It starts this evening and ends tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/QL8FlUyrdl— Valley Park School () February 12, 2025

12/02/25

Our upcoming musical production is Sister Act, in which a disco diva, Deloris, is placed in protective custody in a convent when she witnesses a murder. At first, she finds it hard to cope, but then she meets the convent's choir...#wearevalleyparkproductions#sisteract pic.twitter.com/sUS8thpxaB— Valley Park School () February 12, 2025

11/02/25

Spring is just around the corner! This amazing sculpture of a hare, crafted by Year 11 student, Bethany, is showcased in the school's Reception area. It's a wonderful illustration of being ambitious, one of our core school values. pic.twitter.com/zBUTzOwzRS— Valley Park School () February 11, 2025

10/02/25

The Valley Park Music Showcase is in full swing!#wearevalleypark#wearevalleyparkmusic pic.twitter.com/avaLWCs8ii— Valley Park School () February 10, 2025

10/02/25

This week: National Apprenticeship Week, a Year 11 Science Live trip, the Valley Park Music Showcase (Mon 6pm). Safer Internet Day. Wed and Fri it's Sixth Form open morning tours. Thurs there's a free well-being conference by youHQ. Friday is Valentine’s Day. pic.twitter.com/05dxEVQfmU— Valley Park School () February 10, 2025

10/02/25

Dancers performed at The Stag Theatre with Cascade Dance on Saturday! pic.twitter.com/wsVzTS51Um— Valley Park School () February 10, 2025

09/02/25

There are many reasons why a student might struggle with attendance at school. Valley Park has a dedicated team to help & support you. To speak to someone, contact us by phone or email & a member of the attendance team will get back to you. pic.twitter.com/K1D9zW0dcE— Valley Park School () February 9, 2025

07/02/25

It's NSPCC Number Day today, and it's their 25th anniversary, too! So, what year did they start? 2000? or 2001?#wearevalleypark#numbersday pic.twitter.com/PgJeMz1LSv— Valley Park School () February 7, 2025

07/02/25

House Points update...#wearevalleypark#ambition pic.twitter.com/3POIt4GJRx— Valley Park School () February 7, 2025

05/02/25

It's Year 9 Options Evening tomorrow (Thursday 6 Feb). The schedule for arrival is included in the accompanying picture. #optionsevening pic.twitter.com/rVhqp6VoJs— Valley Park School () February 5, 2025

04/02/25

Tired of dull weekends? Want to try something exciting and meet a whole new group of people? Why not try a taster session at Leeds and Kingswood Explorers? pic.twitter.com/sS0TaJLly7— Valley Park School () February 4, 2025

03/02/25

The week ahead: It's Children’s Mental Health Week. On Tues, Year 9 & 11 have immunisations; Year 7 visits Herstmonceux Observatory. On Wed, there's a trip to the Marlowe Theatre for Dear Evan Hanson. Thurs is Year 9 Options Evening (5.30pm - 8pm) pic.twitter.com/4NYIIvNRSH— Valley Park School () February 3, 2025

03/02/25

Our second hand uniform shop (SHUSH) will be open for business on Year 9 Options Evening, which takes place on Thursday 6 February at 5.30pm to 8pm. pic.twitter.com/f9Y1f1A7MQ— Valley Park School () February 3, 2025

02/02/25

Candlemas is a Christian festival that commemorates a young Jesus being presented at the temple for the first time. It was also the day when the year’s supply of candles was brought to the church to be blessed.#religiousfestivalscalendar pic.twitter.com/bqdfhz5q7k— Valley Park School () February 2, 2025

01/02/25

Imbolc, (immolk), is a pagan celebration symbolizing the transition from winter to spring, marking increased daylight. It honors Brigid, the goddess of inspiration, creativity, healing, and poetry. Historically, it was a time to reaffirm life and prepare for the harvest. pic.twitter.com/BG1gEfnZtF— Valley Park School () February 1, 2025

31/01/25

House Points update...#wearevalleypark#ambition pic.twitter.com/0qseq5RLNA— Valley Park School () January 31, 2025

31/01/25

We need good condition donations for our Second Hand Uniform Shop! For more information, please visit the Uniform page on our website.#wearevalleypark#SHUSH pic.twitter.com/3lZgJryXoE— Valley Park School () January 31, 2025

31/01/25

We have some more Sixth Form Open Morning Tours coming up on Wednesday February 12 and Friday February 14 at 8.45am. Visit our website to book a place: https://t.co/58lYerhh35 pic.twitter.com/I2SAloIU6n— Valley Park School () January 31, 2025

30/01/25

A gentle reminder to those of you who have received an invitation to Year 9 Options Evening, but who have not yet responded. Please could you complete the online form to confirm or decline your attendance? https://t.co/l6uCwAkTKh pic.twitter.com/XMo4RuuuKr— Valley Park School () January 30, 2025

30/01/25

A free Well-Being conference, run by , is taking place at Valley Park School on Thursday 13 February 2025 between 2pm and 6pm. Book your tickets at https://t.co/aynD862pZq pic.twitter.com/UTFe8geS92— Valley Park School () January 30, 2025

Zorro

Our production of Zorro was the UK amateur premiere, which originally debuted in London’s West End in June of 2008, receiving rave reviews. Zorro, ‘the fox’, was created in 1919 by Johnston McCulley for his novel ‘The Curse of Capistrano’. It was the first of 65 immensely popular tales in which Zorro fought injustice in Spanish California’s Pueblo de Los Angeles. 

Since then, Zorro has appeared in films, TV shows, plays, ballets, operas, novels & comic books, and this musical version retells the dramatic story with spectacular sword-fighting and incredible magic – all set to the famous red-hot Gipsy King beat brought to the stage with the authentic colours of traditional flamenco.

One of the challenging parts of Zorro was staging the sword-fights, with students who had no real experience. Fortunately, we had the capable sword-arm of fight director Gary Andrews, who came in on three occasions to teach students the art of sword-fighting for the stage...

Swordfighting workshop016

Five-Point System

Gary Andrews, who has been directing fights at schools and theatres for around 20 years, assessed the students’ ability by teaching them the footwork, guard positions, attacks and parries that make up basic fencing. He then taught them the basic five point numbering system used to annotate moves. 

‘Each part of the body corresponds with a number so it makes instruction a lot more accurate,’ said Craig Barden, who plays Ramon in our production. ‘It helped me find confidence in my ability and fluency in my technique.’

‘The system goes clockwise around the body,’ explained Mr Andrews. ‘The right leg is number 1, right shoulder is 2, head is 3, left shoulder is 4 and left leg is 5. So, if I say “attack 2,1,2,4,3” the actors know the sequence and target of the attacks - and defences!’

Replicas

Students were lucky enough to use Mr Andrew’s professional sword replicas, which helped them get into character.

‘Apart from fighting imaginary monsters in my childhood with a plastic sword, I had never done any sword-fighting before,’ said Harry Harding, who plays Diego De La Vega. ‘It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience which gave me an idea how heavy the swords would be when we do the show.’

Tricks

Each fight was choreographed taking into account the ability of the characters (Zorro is an expert, the soldiers are less competent) and the story the fight should tell: is it an easy victory, a comical action sequence or a dramatic showdown? 

‘We also take into account where the audience is,’ said Mr Andrews, ‘so we show the fight from the best angle to hide all the tricks we use to make it seem real!’

Adrenaline 

After plenty of practice at half-speed, students found the fight movements becoming more automatic, so they increased their ‘performance speed’ to about 75%.  

‘This is usually fast enough for an audience seeing the fight for the first time,’ added Mr Andrews, ‘but performance adrenaline usually adds another 15% or so!’

Muscle Memory

‘Having practiced the sequences many times,’ said Harry, ‘my muscle memory knows what to do when we fight so I feel very prepared. Mr Andrews was an excellent teacher and he was very laid back when we made mistakes.’

Not a Good Look

‘When I was eight I used to play sword fighting with my cousin,’ said Craig, ‘which resulted in me sustaining an eye injury. Not a good look! Luckily this experience taught me how to get sword fighting right without being an idiot this time!’

Tweak

Mr Andrews paid a further two visits to Valley Park. ‘I usually come back a week or two before the show opens,’ he said, ‘to polish the fight and make sure no bad habits have developed – or to tweak any moves that are not quite working.’

Focused

‘I can honestly say that your students were amongst the politest, keenest and most able I have taught,’ said Mr Andrews. ‘They were quick learners and very focused, and I’m sure that this will lead to a really great show.’