Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope you've had a positive week; I can't believe how quickly the week has flown by!
Pupils have settled back into their learning well; attendance has been strong and the feeling around school has been purposeful. I could see by Friday that everyone was tired, but that's a sign that everyone's working hard!
We held our Open Evening and an Open Morning this week. Both events were very well attended, and we were overwhelmed with the positive feedback we received. As ever, our pupils did us proud, touring our visitors around the site and talking through Learning Journeys and Curriculums. I have to say the Year 7 speeches in front of a crowd of 300 was astonishing, the courage they displayed after only 6 days at Danebury was awesome. Many thanks to the Year 7s and our wonderful Head and Deputy Students for their speeches too. They captured the essence of our culture brilliantly.
Please can you remind your child that we do not allow pupils to carry medication on them unless there has been a medical plan written and agreed with the parents/carers. Pupils should not be given or carry paracetamol or any such painkillers on them. They can come to the office to have these, if needed and only if we have parental permission.
Thank you very much for your patience with parking and buses. We are reviewing this daily and adapting to situations arising. It became clear by Monday that we have considerably more parents/carers/taxis and minibuses picking the children up at the start and end of the day. We have tried a number of strategies to help alleviate the parking concerns which have posed a safeguarding risk to the pupils. I have now asked staff to park their car in a different location in order to free up the first car park on Roman Road (by the top of our drive). This provides approximately 15 spaces. Please can I ask that you drive with caution in this area as large groups of children are leaving the site at this time. Can I also ask you to be mindful of our neighbours and not park across driveways, they will need access at all times. I have a further meeting on Monday with Hampshire County Council and one of our operators to improve the pickup times of two routes. I will update those parents as soon as I have an outcome.
On the whole, I have been so impressed by the standard of uniform, pupils look smart and comfortable. Please can I ask that school shoes are worn, unless there is a medical issue, and we have a medical note for this. Nose studs are starting to appear. These are not permitted. However, a clear retainer is acceptable. All pupils will need to come in their coats next week; the weather will continue to be changeable and stormy.
Dates for your diaries:
Our school photographer will be in on 18th September, pupils will have individual photos, and we will have a whole school photo.
Year 7 are very excited about their camp; this will be held on September 25th 3:00pm onwards.
Our wonderful PTA are holding the Halloween Disco on 23rd October 6:00pm-8:00pm, £2 per ticket, includes a drink and crisps. Further refreshments can be purchased.
We have Inset Days topping and tailing half-term, 24th October 2025 and 3rd November 2025. We hope that helps keep costs down for families wishing to go away at half-term.
I wanted to give Year 11 parents and carers a heads-up for the Prom, a magical event to celebrate the end of formal education. We have booked Norton Park Hotel on 25th June 2026 6:30pm -11:00pm, a stunning venue that we've used for the last 2 years. I know booking transport can be a challenge. Hopefully everyone can book up early!
As ever, many thanks for your support. Have a lovely weekend.
Warm wishes
Nicky Goodridge
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