Dear Danebury School Community,
I hope you're well. I'd like to extend a very warm welcome to the new families who have joined our community this week. Our in-year admissions continue to grow week on week. We've also received news of our numbers for September. We will be full if we remain with a three form entry, this is nearly triple the number from 2 years ago. Go Team Danebury!
What a jam-packed week we've had at Danebury! There's so much to share with you all, and I'm genuinely excited about the energy and enthusiasm our pupils and staff have brought to school this week.
We kicked off the week celebrating National Careers Week, and it's been brilliant to welcome a wide range of guest speakers into school to inspire our pupils and open their minds to the different career pathways available to them. I'd like to extend huge thanks to our parent guest speakers who generously gave their time to share their experiences with us – we really do appreciate it. The feedback from our pupils has been super positive, and it's wonderful to see them thinking about their futures. A special mention must go to Mrs Ablett for all her hard work organising the week. It's these kinds of initiatives that help our pupils make informed decisions about their next steps.
We also marked World Book Day on Tuesday, and Mrs Dunn and Miss Barton arranged a fantastic range of activities across the week to promote reading and writing. Year 7 had the opportunity to take part in an Author workshop with Kristy Applebaum, whilst Year 8 enjoyed a Romeo and Juliet workshop led by the Salisbury Playhouse. Both workshops were excellent and really helped bring the texts to life in a way that engages our pupils. I have to say, the effort from Team Danebury was brilliant – thanks to all the staff and pupils who went the extra mile and dressed up in costume characters from their favourite books on Tuesday. It was a real celebration of literature and creativity.
On Thursday, a group of pupils were lucky enough to spend the day at Tile Barn Outdoor Activity Centre, where they spent a stunning day outdoors developing their teamwork skills. These kinds of experiences are so valuable for our young people, and I'm grateful for the opportunities we can provide. Thanks to Mrs Cleaver-Bailey for organising and Mr Draper and Mrs Elgar for taking the trip.
Looking ahead, we're looking forward to welcoming Year 9 pupils, parents and carers to Option Evening this coming Thursday. It's an exciting time for all our pupils as they move onto the next phase of their education, and I know families will have lots of questions about the choices available to them.
On the celebration front, I'd like to offer congratulations to Year 11. Our staff have nearly finished marking and moderating their mock papers, and there's been lots of progress made between these and the previous mocks. It's encouraging to see such positive movement, and I'm confident our Year 11s are on an upward trajectory.
I also want to wish the Danebury Judo Team lots of luck as they travel to Sheffield this weekend to compete in the British School Judo Championship. We are incredibly lucky to be home of Hampshire Judo, run by The Judo Company at Danebury. Huge thanks to Tim and Stacey for providing such a fantastic training facility for our pupils and the wider community. It's partnerships like these that really enhance what we can offer.
Finally, a couple of notices for parents. The LORIC groups have been very busy indeed this half term, with a large number of pupils working on their Enterprise, Community and Charity projects. One group has asked me to advertise an Easter Egg hunt they're planning to raise money to help vulnerable children. If you're able to donate an Easter Egg to their project, they would be very appreciative. The Easter Egg hunt is being held in the last week of term with £1 entry, and all donations are gratefully received. Please drop any donations into reception via your child by March 16th.
Finally, a polite reminder that trainers, nose studs, acrylic nails and false eyelashes are not permitted – this is clearly stated in our uniform policy. Pupils are allowed to wear one clear retainer in the nose, so please ensure this is the case if your child chooses to have their nose pierced. We won't make exceptions for the first six weeks of the piercing being done, as we have to be fair to all.
Have a great weekend, let's hope the sun shines on us all.
Nicky Goodridge
Head Teacher
