Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope you’ve had an enjoyable week.
As we move through the spring term, I wanted to take the opportunity to share some important updates and celebrate the fantastic achievements of our school community.
Firstly, many thanks to all the parents and carers who attended our Year 9 Options evening last night. It was such a great turn-out. I’m sure you’ll agree; our Year 10 Student Leaders were exceptionally helpful in sharing their experiences of each subject.
You may recall that I wrote to you previously about the new Ofsted Framework which came into effect in November 2025. As we find ourselves in the inspection window, we are working hard to gather evidence across all six areas of the framework which highlight our school improvement journey since the last full inspection in October 2022. Over the last few weeks, other schools and units within our Trust have undergone their inspections, which has given our Central and Executive Team invaluable insight into what the new style of inspection looks like in practice. We are working closely with them to prepare for the visit, which we hope is soon!
The changes to the framework are significant. Schools are no longer assigned an overall judgement of Outstanding, Good, Require Attention or Inadequate. Instead, we are now assessed across six specific areas, each judged as Needs Attention, Expected Standard, Strong Standard, with Urgent Improvement and Exceptional Standard being less common judgements. The reports themselves have also evolved into more of a report card format. I feel the process is fairer and the report card more informative for parents and carers. Here is an example of a report card.
Within the Trust we are fortunate to have a Head Teacher who is also a practising Ofsted Inspector. She has shared her insights with us following the recent inspections she’s carried out.
“Expected Standard may sound somewhat underwhelming, but I can assure you it represents a high bar. In my view, a better phrase would be "Effective Standard" because a school meeting all of these criteria is genuinely doing an excellent job. Secondly, the way schools are now assessed has changed fundamentally. Previously, inspectors used a 'best fit' approach, slotting schools into the most appropriate category. Now it operates on a 'secure fit' basis, which means if a school falls short in even one sentence of the criteria, it is likely to receive a "Needs Attention" judgement. This is not necessarily a cause for concern—many schools will have at least one area judged as Needs Attention, rather like an advisory notice on your MOT. It simply highlights an area that requires attention. Finally, Exceptional Standard is an incredibly high bar, described to me as something a school does that other schools would not think is possible.”
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of you who complete our exit surveys when you attend consultation evenings. We analyse these results carefully and act upon any areas for improvement you identify. Since I joined the school in April 2023, we have compiled all the surveys completed during this period, and I am delighted to share this summary document with you: Parent Surveys. I think the dramatic colour changes in the bars over time speak volumes; the vast majority of parents and carers ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agreeing’ with each statement. I will also be sharing this with Ofsted when they arrive, as I believe it represents excellent evidence of the positive culture we have built together as a whole community. Whilst I am aware there are areas we still need to improve (and these remain at the forefront of our strategic thinking), the summary clearly demonstrates the positive trajectory of our school.
Pupil Celebrations
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Our magnificent Judo squad travelled to Sheffield for the British Schools' Judo Championships and returned with an impressive haul of medals. Benji and Elizabeth won Silver Medals, whilst Pippa and Georgia won Bronze Medals. The whole squad performed brilliantly, and Danebury placed 71st out of 370 schools in attendance. Considering we are one of the smallest secondary schools in the country, this is a remarkable achievement. I would like to extend special thanks to Tim, Stacey and Elle from the Judo Company for every opportunity they provide our pupils—we are eternally grateful.
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Our KS4 Rugby Team delivered an outstanding performance against Henry Beaufort School on Tuesday, demonstrating remarkable cohesiveness, passion and resilience, securing victory by just one point in the closing stages.
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Our netball squad has also been in action this week against Harrow Way School, with both teams playing superbly. Congratulations to our Year 8 team, who remain undefeated, and our Year 7 squad of eighteen players, played with magnificent team spirit and skill, a great game to watch.
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On a practical note, we are working to improve consistency in setting homework. Whilst Educake remains our main platform, some subjects will use alternative methods. I will be monitoring this closely over the coming weeks.
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We are looking to recruit more Exams Invigilators for the up-and-coming GCSE season, which will be followed by the Year 10 Mocks. If you’re interested in joining Team Danebury as an invigilator, please contact office@danebury.hispmat.org
Nicky Goodridge
Head Teacher
