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30/04/25

Tomorrow's exams...#examupdate#wearevalleypark pic.twitter.com/QPKzpFizaQ— Valley Park School () April 30, 2025

30/04/25

The Royal Marines Band Service visited Valley Park, giving a careers talk and conducting workshops on orchestral quintets and rudimental drumming. Bugler Budden and Marine Reiss travelled from CTCRM Lympstone for the event. pic.twitter.com/DCYAHeCbVn— Valley Park School () April 30, 2025

29/04/25

The news is out! We're already preparing for our next production. Over 100 students from year 7-13 turned up for the dance auditions for '13 The Musical'. #wearevalleyparkproductions #13 pic.twitter.com/ae758BeTal— Valley Park School () April 29, 2025

29/04/25

The start of the Summer term has seen The Meadow open to students for the first time this year. It is so satisfying to see the students sitting together and enjoying the sun and shared community spaces at our school. True spirit! pic.twitter.com/jr2BNJRsTg— Valley Park School () April 29, 2025

28/04/25

Our music department presented a spectacular evening of music at the VIAT Spring Concert, attracting over 600 spectators. The 130-piece choir electrified the audience with their performances of ‘Shine’ and ‘Don’t Tread on Me’. pic.twitter.com/07f7l8C3h1— Valley Park School () April 28, 2025

28/04/25

Alumni Grace Scrivens currently batting for Essex... https://t.co/CaCtU25nDw— Valley Park School () April 28, 2025

28/04/25

The real house points update... pic.twitter.com/qyeqguZsBx— Valley Park School () April 28, 2025

27/04/25

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/UxFxW1M2bK— Valley Park School () April 27, 2025

25/04/25

House Points update... pic.twitter.com/P7TBcy2ccp— Valley Park School () April 25, 2025

22/04/25

We are working towards the Leading Parent Partnership Award (LPPA), which celebrates schools that work closely with families to support student success. We are proud to be on this journey and will keep you updated. pic.twitter.com/47mWvvAtQm— Valley Park School () April 22, 2025

20/04/25

Ridvan marks Baha’u’llah’s declaration as a Manifestation of God during His stay in the garden of Ridvan near Baghdad in 1863. This 12-day festival is when Baha’is elect their governing bodies. It begins today and concludes on Friday, 2 May. pic.twitter.com/WABkUPsMhk— Valley Park School () April 20, 2025

20/04/25

Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating Jesus' resurrection, as described in the New Testament. It marks the end of Jesus' Passion and follows Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance. pic.twitter.com/iZuobdNcM5— Valley Park School () April 20, 2025

13/04/25

Palm Sunday, celebrated the Sunday before Easter, is significant in Christianity, marking Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. During this event, palm crosses are distributed worldwide, symbolising the palm branches laid in his honour. pic.twitter.com/1al6ewIB7L— Valley Park School () April 13, 2025

12/04/25

Passover, or Pesach, is a key Jewish festival celebrating the Israelites' liberation from Egyptian slavery, as depicted in Exodus. It commemorates their journey to the Promised Land led by Moses, emphasizing themes of redemption, faith, and resilience. pic.twitter.com/FwPKU2NmEi— Valley Park School () April 12, 2025

09/04/25

Have you signed up to perform at our brand new musical event, The Voice VP? If not, it's not too late. Just head on over to our website and look under news and events.#wearevalleypark#thevoicevp pic.twitter.com/ACKC6nPiZU— Valley Park School () April 9, 2025

06/04/25

“Among pupils with no missed sessions over KS4, 83.7% achieved grades 9 to 4 in English and Maths compared to 35.6% of pupils who were persistently absent. (Attendance below 90%)” The Department for Education#everylessoncounts#wearevalleypark pic.twitter.com/D9udVjPVGe— Valley Park School () April 6, 2025

04/04/25

We're launching our new Performing Arts Triple Award on Mon, 28 Apr 2025 at 6pm. Tickets are available now from our website. https://t.co/TSOICg1ohX pic.twitter.com/Ds8Q3ha3oL— Valley Park School () April 4, 2025

04/04/25

The first edition of our new community newsletter, We Are Kind, is out. Read it here: https://t.co/wVgEZdaUpM or visit our website and look under news and events. In this issue: safeguarding, student & parent support offered, & the dangers of vaping.#wearevalleypark#wearekind pic.twitter.com/uC88R1m8vi— Valley Park School () April 4, 2025

04/04/25

Friday is house points update day!#wearevalleypark pic.twitter.com/z40o4PM6mW— Valley Park School () April 4, 2025

03/04/25

Black History Month competition winners visited Historic Dockyard Chatham, explored the remains of the ship that African abolitionist Olaudah Equiano once worked on before securing his freedom from slavery, and learnt about engineering challenges on HM Ocelot. pic.twitter.com/zOsixNQJ6H— Valley Park School () April 3, 2025

01/04/25

The last week of term 3 includes a Geography Fieldwork Trip to Juniper Hall in Box Hill, Surrey for Year 12. There’s a DofE Training day for years 9 & 10 on Wednesday, and on Thursday there’s a Year 8 Parents’ Evening.#wearevalleypark#theweekahead pic.twitter.com/clXOlmMRhx— Valley Park School () April 1, 2025

31/03/25

Eid Mubarak, marking the end of Ramadan, is celebrated with family and friends through meals, gifts, and special prayers. The celebration embodies values of charity, gratitude, and community. pic.twitter.com/5N4TdmqL82— Valley Park School () March 31, 2025

30/03/25

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/Lhl4NXiK7y— Valley Park School () March 30, 2025

27/03/25

Year 13 student, Eti, will be LIVE on the internet radio TODAY (27 March) at 2:30pm! Eti will be singing and interviewed by the station, promoting our production of Sister Act. Tune in: https://t.co/sGRmUY08nb #internetradio pic.twitter.com/Ul1WMWvhgP— Valley Park School () March 27, 2025

26/03/25

Students participated in filming for the Trust’s Reading video, showcasing their speaking and leadership skills. The filming crew praised their ambition, eloquence, and shared purpose, highlighting the school’s values. pic.twitter.com/X4pet0irnT— Valley Park School () March 26, 2025

Betty Blue Eyes

Valley Park Productions put on a pig of a show in July 2015. We asked two of the cast how they prepared for their roles...

Josephine Biggs: 'Mother Dear'

'The story revolves around Joyce and her husband Gilbert, who've recently moved to Shepardsford, but haven't found the popularity or fortune Joyce is looking for. Gilbert is 'only' a chiropodist without his own shop, so he can't 'roll in and declare victory' as Joyce is hoping.'

'After being refused the sale of an empty shop on the parade by the villainous men on the council, the chances of Joyce and Gilbert ever being made into respected members of the village is beginning to look unlikely.'

'In revenge, Joyce and Gilbert steal a pig which is intended to be eaten at a private function in celebration of the wedding of Princess Elizabeth to Prince Phillip.'

'Stealing the pig is difficult, but it's made even harder by the merciless Meat Inspector Wormold, who's on the prowl for anyone who has anything to do with the sale or consumption of illegal meat.'

'To make this near impossible feat worse, Mother Dear has no idea what to say and what not to say, which makes keeping the pig a secret even more difficult.'

'I performed the part of Mother Dear, the old and cantankerous mother of Joyce. I particularly loved to play this part as she was such a complicated person to play.'

'On the first night my slipper accidentally came off. I just picked it up, grunted, looked at the audience, back at the shoe, then shoved it back on again. The audience found it funny, whereas I was just thankful no one realised I'd tripped!' 

'At the start, I had trouble trying to figure out the correct posture for a woman of 74, but Mr Gleadall gave a demonstration which helped enormously.'

'With the assistance of Maisie Barden, who applied my wrinkles each night, and the make-up girls who sprayed my hair grey, I really did look the part! '

'I came home looking like a back-up dancer from the ‘Thriller’ music video, but it was so effective when I was onstage.'

'Undoubtedly my favourite scene was 'Pig, no pig'. All the players in this scene were completely reliant on each other to carry the song. This made it so much more effective for the audience. '

'When I first heard it, I was worried that I'd never be able to remember it. As it happened, the problem was not remembering it, but trying to get it out of our heads. By the time show week arrived we were at the point of singing it in our sleep!'

'I was quite disappointed when we couldn't use the real Betty, but I feel it would have made things a lot more difficult, trying to steer her around the stage and it would have been too much for her.'

'Overall, I'd say Betty has been my favourite show so far. After 5 months of rehearsing together, the whole cast became one big family. Standing on the stage with so many brilliant young actors and actresses, this whole experience has been an achievement for us all.'

Ben Anderton: 'Gilbert Chilvers'

'I played Gilbert Chilvers, a kind hearted man with an ambition to have his own surgery on the parade. Playing Gilbert required me to soften up like his character as he was always being pushed around by his wife and the town council.'

'When our director, Mr Gleadall, explained Gilbert's background and experience to me, I began to feel for him as a character. In my previous show, 'Miss Saigon', I played a Vietnamese General. He was a violent, mean person, so transitioning to a character like Gilbert was really interesting.'

'In preparation for the show, I often went to the farm to spend time with Betty and Hetty, our farm pigs, so they could get used to me, and I to them. This is so when it came to the show nights they wouldn't panic on stage.'

'During the song, 'The Kind of Man I am', I was required to hold a knife to Betty. She had to stay very still as this was the part of the show which required me to 'kill' her. I was afraid she would panic as I would be holding a sharp object at her! Sadly, we weren’t able to use Betty for the real show, but it would’ve been a great experience performing with a live animal!'

'When Haydn Oakley came to Valley Park to help prepare us for the show,  (see last issue) he had a session with Cathy Butler (Joyce), Josie Biggs (Mother Dear) and myself.'

'The song we chose for him to help us with was 'Pig, no pig'. Haydn gave us lots of tips to help us develop this hilarious scene, as he had performed the show in the West End.'

'What I really loved about the show was the songs. I think everyone who watched or was in this show would agree that you would get at least one song stuck in your head, especially 'Betty Blue Eyes'.

'The rehearsal for this song was hilarious and there was no one else I would rather work with on that song than Sam Murray (Mr. Allardyce). It was a great song and really catchy as were most of the songs in the show!'

Betty the Pig