Dear Parents and Carers,
What a busy and exciting week we've had at Danebury! There's so much to share with you all.
We welcomed our first Year 5 parent and carer Taster Morning this week, and it was absolutely lovely to see so many new faces joining us. The atmosphere was wonderful, and we're delighted to have shared a glimpse of life here at Danebury with our future pupils. If you know families with children in Year 5, do spread the word – we have three further Taster Mornings coming up over the next three weeks. Following these, we'll be hosting Open Mornings in September and our Open Evening on 10th September 2026, so there'll be plenty of opportunities for prospective pupils and their families to experience what we're all about. Booking QR code can be found on our website.
I would like to thank Mrs Cleaver-Bailey and Mr Thomas for organsing such a fantastic transition programme, as well as our brilliant Student Leadership team, Year 9 Ambassadors and Year 7 speakers for helping out. Great team effort!
At the other end of our journey, our remarkable Year 11s are sitting their final GCSE exams this week. It's bittersweet to think that after 12 years in schools, they'll be waving goodbye to their formal education. I must confess, the school already feels quieter without them in the corridors and classrooms every day – they've been a real part of the fabric of our community. I will miss them very much.
Our Year 9 and 10 pupils have been working hard preparing for their end of year assessments and mock exams. What's particularly encouraging is watching them develop essential revision skills in lessons, with classrooms filled with revision cards and knowledge organisers. These are the habits that will serve them so well as they progress.
I'm delighted to report that we've seen a genuine improvement in attitudes to learning right across all year groups. Our whole school positive to negative point ratio is currently sitting at an impressive 98%, which is really encouraging and a testament to the hard work of both our pupils and staff.
Attendance is still a concern for some pupils; our attendance and inclusion teams work extremely hard supporting pupils and families with this. Please ensure you are sending your child into school, every day does count and will improve outcomes in the long run.
I met with our school council on Friday, and I always relish the opportunity to listen to their thoughtful suggestions about how we can enhance school life for everyone. One area they've highlighted is our catering provision, so we've arranged for the area manager of Aspens to attend our next meeting to discuss how we can expand the range of food on offer. I did take the opportunity to remind our representatives that our meal deal at £2.60 is excellent value – it includes a main meal and a dessert. I'd appreciate it if parents could gently remind pupils that while pizza and sausage rolls are tempting choices, they're among our most expensive options and perhaps not the healthiest. The meal deal really does offer the best value and nutrition.
I want to celebrate our wonderful Sports Leaders, who did a fantastic job leading Abbotts Anne Sports Day on Friday. They really made the most of the opportunity to use their leadership skills, and we're incredibly proud of them. They will be going to Winterbourne on 17th June.
We've also had a bit of a refresh this week – six classrooms have received new carpets in the main block and our English room, which has made a real difference to these spaces.
A quick note for our pupils: apologies to those who missed out on their Gliding experience last week due to the weather. We've rescheduled for 4th July, so fingers crossed for blue skies and calm winds!
Finally, Year 10 are heading to Silverstone for an exciting STEM day on Wednesday, and Year 8 are off to Sparsholt College for a Futures Day on Friday – these experiences beyond the classroom are always inspiring and help open pupils' eyes to the vast range of qualifications available.
Dates for your calendars – Inset Days for the next academic year
1st September Inset Day – school closed for all pupils
2nd September Inset Day for Years 8,9 and 10. Year 7 and 11 only in school
23rd October Inset Day – school closed for all pupils
2nd November Inset Day– school closed for all pupils
30th November Inset Day– school closed for all pupils
12th February Inset Day – school closed for all pupils
Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the sunshine.
Warm wishes,
Nicky Goodridge
Head Teacher
