Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope all is well.
Danebury has felt very quiet this week, with Year 10 out on work experience and Year 11 off to pastures new. KS3 have had the school to themselves.
Congratulations to our Year 10s on completing their work experience. Staff have been out on visits and have really enjoyed seeing them in the workplace. Employers have given lots of positive feedback. Many thanks to those parents and carers who have supported with these placements. We really appreciate your help.
KS3 have been working hard on the whole. They have shown positive attitudes to their learning during their end-of-year assessments. We are just finalising the marking and moderation of all KS3 assessments, as well as the Year 10 Mock exams. Reports will be with you next Friday.
I'm overjoyed to report that our recruitment process is now complete. We have created a number of new roles to reflect the needs of the school for the next academic year and beyond. I am super-excited to announce the following changes for September. Congratulations to:
- Mrs Collins - Deputy Head Teacher
- Mrs Martin - Assistant Head Teacher
- Mrs Andrews - SENCO -returns from Maternity Leave
- Mrs Ling - Flexible Learning Centre and Cover Manager
- Miss Sandilands - Mental Health and Well-Being Lead
- Mrs Ellard- Attendance, Equity and Inclusion Lead
- Mrs Braidley - Deputy Operations Manager
- Mr Liston - Head of Maths ( joining in September)
- Mrs Patterson - Teacher of STEM (joining in September)
- Mr Frogley - Teacher of Design and Technology
- Mrs Sturgess - Learning Support Assistant
- Mrs Heffernan - Learning Support Assistant (joining in September)
- Miss Sutton - Pastoral Support Officer (joining in September)
- Mrs Ward - Pastoral Support Officer (joining in September)
- Mrs Ewence - Pastoral Support Officer (joining in September)
As always, at the end of term there are a few members of staff who are leaving us to explore pastures new. I would like to thank the following for their hard work and commitment to our pupils and for the part they've played in our Danebury school improvement journey over the past two years. We wish them every success in the future.
- Mrs Luckham - Maths
- Mrs Davey - Food
- Mr Farr - (starts his Teacher Training with the Trust - we hope to see him return once his training is completed)-Cover/Geography
- Mrs Sheedy - Interim SENCO
- Mr Hole - Maths
Mrs Nicholson has been our School Counsellor for the past 22 years; she has supported so many pupils over the years and has made a huge difference to their lives in the short and long term. Mrs Nicholson embodies our school values. She is one of the kindest people I've ever met. We will miss her so very much. If you'd like me to pass on a message to her, please do email me and I will ensure she receives them.
Following on from last week's mention of attendance, we have seen a slight improvement this week. As a school, we are determined to be at least in line with national attendance data, so pupils can make the maximum educational and social progress. Last week, national attendance was 90.2%; we are tracking about 1.2% below this. In a small school, every pupil accounts for a significant % overall. This is the same with GCSE results. A good example of this can be seen in the Year 11 cohort who have just left us. Each pupil accounted for 1.5% of the year group's attendance and will do so in the GCSE results. It only takes 7 pupils in the year group who have low attendance to reduce the overall attendance of the year by 10%. This has a huge impact.
All research shows there is a direct correlation between attendance and outcomes (results). If a pupil's attendance is below 90%, their results are likely to drop by at least a whole grade in each subject. This, of course, has an overall impact on their life chances. It also impacts on the results published by the school (7 pupils account for a 10% difference this year). This is significantly different in a larger school of 1000; each pupil accounts for approximately 0.5% of the overall figure, it would take 21 pupils to make a 10% difference.)
What we can see is higher attendance levels at KS3. Congratulations to Year 7 and Year 9. Their attendance has averaged 94% this year, 2% above national all year. We can see the positive impact in their assessment data, which is encouraging. There will be an even sharper focus on the attendance of each pupil in September. The Department for Education has released new guidelines recently which we will adhere to. We will be working more closely with pupils, parents and carers to ensure attendance barriers are removed in September.
The end of term is fast approaching, there is still lots to fit in. We look forward to seeing some of you on Monday evening for the Awards Evening (or July 21st if you can't make the Awards Evening) and Wednesday 16th July for our end-of-year play.
The weather forecast is predicting high temperatures on Monday. Pupils may come in PE kit if they wish to. Please do ensure your child comes to school with a refillable bottle to ensure they stay hydrated. Thankfully, temperatures are due to drop in time for our Sports Day on Wednesday 16th July.
Have a lovely weekend
Nicky Goodridge, Headteacher
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