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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. pic.twitter.com/BhS7FeuO7R— Valley Park School () June 27, 2025

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

20/06/25

The Feast of Corpus Christi, meaning "Body of Christ," is a Catholic celebration honouring Christ's presence in the Eucharist. It features processions with the Blessed Sacrament, showing public faith and devotion, with special prayers and hymns. pic.twitter.com/ADjMgCm067— Valley Park School () June 19, 2025

19/06/25

Tomorrow's exams...#examupdate#wearevalleypark pic.twitter.com/5aeKoYoN0b— Valley Park School () June 19, 2025

19/06/25

Litha, the Summer Solstice, is a pagan holiday celebrating the sun and fire on the year's longest day. Stonehenge and similar sites are aligned to showcase the sunrise on this day, attracting thousands of pagans. After the solstice, days shorten. pic.twitter.com/IcAooq55kk— Valley Park School () June 19, 2025

19/06/25

Just returned from an incredible trip to the Marlowe Theatre with our Year 8s to see Pig Heart Boy — they were amazing! As their Head of Year I'm so proud of their impeccable behaviour and brilliant engagement. A real credit to our school pic.twitter.com/GaBFgfxSOB— Valley Park School () June 19, 2025

18/06/25

Tomorrow's exams...#examupdate#wearevalleypark pic.twitter.com/EbjFUZjlEb— Valley Park School () June 18, 2025

18/06/25

We're tremendously proud of Sapphire (Yr9) who played in the U14 ESFA Champions’ Cup Plate Final at Sixways Stadium. She scored a 20-yd screamer & took a penalty in the end of match shootout, which ended 2-2. Well done Sapphire!!! pic.twitter.com/47bUQfolJc— Valley Park School () June 18, 2025

18/06/25

Maidstone Literary Festival have just launched their annual young authors competition. All the information can be found here: https://t.co/2pBcgdiXq8 It’s open to all students in all key stages. Entries can come in via school or by individuals.#wearevalleyparkauthors pic.twitter.com/azKcKUvD2A— Valley Park School () June 18, 2025

17/06/25

Tomorrow's exams...#examupdate#wearevalleypark pic.twitter.com/AywhYtnlQy— Valley Park School () June 17, 2025

16/06/25

Tomorrow's exams...#examupdate#wearevalleypark pic.twitter.com/dFD7UzcIoE— Valley Park School () June 16, 2025

16/06/25

House Points update... pic.twitter.com/6WgDZs1VSc— Valley Park School () June 16, 2025

15/06/25

Tomorrow's exams...#examupdate#wearevalleypark pic.twitter.com/9DKVRMlcSp— Valley Park School () June 15, 2025

15/06/25

If a student’s attendance at the end of Term 5 was below 90% this means that they have missed at least 15 days or 75 hours of learning. pic.twitter.com/yvKjJI52va— Valley Park School () June 15, 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