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25/07/25

Open events in the Autumn term 2025: Open Evening is on Thurs 9 October, Open Morning tours between 30 September and 16 October, and Open Afternoon Tours on 1 & 15 October. For more info and to book tickets, visit our website. https://t.co/oY7cZXmsX9 pic.twitter.com/OJNjrKgTbD— Valley Park School () July 25, 2025

14/07/25

Open events in the Autumn term 2025: Open Evening is on Thurs 9 October, Open Morning tours between 30 September and 16 October, and Open Afternoon Tours on 1 & 15 October. For more info and to book tickets, visit our website. https://t.co/oY7cZXmsX9#wearevalleyparkopenevents pic.twitter.com/PrjYtpuTlK— Valley Park School () July 14, 2025

13/07/25

A huge congratulations to the 830 students who finished the year with above 95% attendance and especially the 79 students with 100% attendance. Enjoy your Summer Break and we look forward to seeing you all in September! pic.twitter.com/FSLI8oet7M— Valley Park School () July 13, 2025

12/07/25

Students in Borneo arrived safely and have been visiting loads of local hot spots!#wearehavingfunandlearningtoo pic.twitter.com/qagWP9d9fK— Valley Park School () July 12, 2025

11/07/25

Nominate Valley Park to win £1000 for the library! You could also win a £100 National Book Token for yourself! https://t.co/lrQWdGa0Qz pic.twitter.com/xvcg6zk8lZ— Valley Park School () July 11, 2025

11/07/25

Well done to the budding young writers who entered the Grim Tales National Writing Competition. Their work will be published later this year, and we couldn’t be prouder of their achievements! Ms Carr and the English department pic.twitter.com/ir9Upca4gI— Valley Park School () July 11, 2025

10/07/25

Year 7 and 8 parents - we need uniform donations for our SHUSH (second hand uniform shop), especially Trousers, Skirts, Blouses, Shirts, Ties, and Blazers. Please visit our website for details: https://t.co/YTbbYuX3ID pic.twitter.com/vWu2xp0Zdt— Valley Park School () July 10, 2025

10/07/25

60 students attended a smaller Transition event to prepare them for the main induction. The took part in group activities to help them get to know each other, and were awarded certificates at the end of the day. We hope our new Year 7s have a wonderful Summer!#wearevalleypark pic.twitter.com/VSGtLJMfzX— Valley Park School () July 10, 2025

10/07/25

Year 8 students showcased their ambitious science projects in the hall, captivating the audience with innovative experiments & bold investigations. Their outstanding presentations reflected their passion and hard work, representing Science at Valley Park with excellence. pic.twitter.com/wxyEro4mgG— Valley Park School () July 10, 2025

09/07/25

There are still tickets for 13Jr, our musical production at the Hazlitt Theatre! Don't miss out on this end of year treat. https://t.co/fefcFXEaQh pic.twitter.com/mSDmNZLkvR— Valley Park School () July 9, 2025

09/07/25

Here's some book ideas for reading through the Summer holidays!#wearevalleypark pic.twitter.com/iKgRAVtwyl— Valley Park School () July 9, 2025

06/07/25

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/MpOCCasUkd— Valley Park School () July 6, 2025

05/07/25

Ashura holds different meanings for Sunni and Shia Muslims. Sunnis celebrate it as the day Moses parted the Red Sea & the salvation of the Israelites. For Shias, it is a day of mourning for Husayn ibn Ali's martyrdom, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson. pic.twitter.com/3wtiRS2P3N— Valley Park School () July 5, 2025

04/07/25

House Points update... pic.twitter.com/xCVrxTMdeU— Valley Park School () July 4, 2025

04/07/25

We welcomed our new year 7 students for their transition day yesterday. Ms Flannery, their Head of Year, is really excited to get to know each and every one of them!#wearevalleyparktransition pic.twitter.com/7w7fSW2EzP— Valley Park School () July 4, 2025

01/07/25

Celebrating year 7 student Max, who has achieved the new rank of a Colour Sergeant. On Friday, Max attended the Headcorn aerodrome with his commandant and was invited to the MBC Mayor's lunch, which helped kick-start the Battle of Britain airshow. Well done Max! pic.twitter.com/7QojNXgj9s— Valley Park School () July 1, 2025

29/06/25

58% of Year 7-11 pupils who missed school at the start of the year went on to miss at least 10% of sessions across the whole academic year. Fischer Family Trust#everylessoncounts#wearevalleypark pic.twitter.com/7n6HO97RfS— Valley Park School () June 29, 2025

27/06/25

House points update... pic.twitter.com/0IwMxWJkas— Valley Park School () June 27, 2025

27/06/25

The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a prominent Roman Catholic devotion, symbolising Jesus' Divine love for humanity through His physical heart. It emphasises the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. pic.twitter.com/gX6mUi5Bgw— Valley Park School () June 27, 2025

27/06/25

Hannah and Jasmine, Valley Park students and Bearsted Football Club Under-15s players, were invited to watch the England Lionesses train at St George’s Park recently, as they prepare for the upcoming UEFA EURO tournament! 🦁🦁🦁 pic.twitter.com/I3qKXhxrVg— Valley Park School () June 27, 2025

27/06/25

On Tuesday 24 June Valley Park Shakespeare Society performed an extract from The Merchant of Venice as part of the RSC associate school project. Despite morning rain, the outdoor performance at Samphire Hoe was a success.

26/06/25

It's V in the Park on Saturday 28 June from Midday - don't miss this fabulous annual music event on the Valley Park Field.#wearevalleypark#wearevinthepark pic.twitter.com/2aIZIEmmwP— Valley Park School () June 26, 2025

22/06/25

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/rXhg7UfxGN— Valley Park School () June 22, 2025

20/06/25

Our newest Sixth Formers started today – say hello to our 9 new chicks! Our Sixth Formers are learning about responsibility in Personal Development, and as part of this, are responsible for incubating, feeding, cleaning and watering our new arrivals! pic.twitter.com/DD70VvVM6f— Valley Park School () June 20, 2025

20/06/25

We have 3 amazing shows for you during this year's Arts Week: Dance Extravaganza, Romeo & Juliet, and 13 The Musical. If you want to buy tickets, please visit: https://t.co/IJpO06PN4T pic.twitter.com/sTiaIFVr0m— Valley Park School () June 20, 2025

Blog

Posted on: May 4th 2020

The Small Things

This social distancing is tricky.

There are days when I wake up convinced I’ve mastered lockdown living, but there are others where the whole day stretches out endlessly before me like a bad dream. 

Recently, someone told me it feels worse at the moment because we aren’t counting down the days towards a confirmed end date, and there is probably some truth in that. You only have to compare the present situation to the opening of the first day of your Christmas advent calendar every year - when it always seems like an eternity before that twenty-fourth door will be opened - but the excitement builds each day to help us along. We just don’t have that mounting enthusiasm in our present socially-distant world.

I haven’t been fortunate enough to experience the endless ‘free time’ my social media feeds have promised, but I have at least learned how to “Zoom” and video my own lessons.

What we’ve all had to learn, though, is to navigate the lockdown situation as best we can and without any instruction manual. There’s always a fine balance to be struck between doing the right thing, and trying to avoid doing the wrong thing – and sometimes it is so difficult to know which is which.

Regardless of how well each day goes, there remains the great unanswered question: “when will we be back?”  And that is usually swiftly followed by its cousins, “who?” and “how?”  I think of these questions as The Big Things in all our lives right now – the elephant in the room, if you like – and many of you will be juggling other enormities besides these. They remain there, in the background, whilst we get on with our daily lives: homeschooling, teaching, shopping, working, cooking, cleaning, worrying…

How do we deal with such monstrous uncertainties, when we have so little control?  I think that’s the role of The Small Things – the phone call to a distant friend, the letter to a care home resident, the lawn-mowing or shopping for a vulnerable neighbour.

The Small Things make such an impact on the recipient – it’s a wonderful feeling to know that someone is thinking about you – and, don’t forget, you can be the recipient, too!  

Our #BeKind initiative reminds students that looking after our own mental health is important – a walk in the park, a cycle ride through the woods, a daily run, or a family board game is not an extravagance; it’s an important life skill, but it can be the first thing we jettison at times of anxiety and uncertainty.

This brilliant video arrived in my inbox today:

It sums up my sentiments - and those of many of my colleagues - perfectly. Students: until we meet again, support one another, bring joy to others, be determined, courageous, kind – and show the world what we see in you! 

We miss you, but now is your opportunity to spread our community spirit further.  Please tell us all about The Small Things you have done – we love to hear about them – and they will help us to remain positive while we work towards solving The Big Things.

 

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