Dear Parents and Carers,

Another week has flown by, blessed with beautiful sunshine, and it's been wonderful to see our school community thriving both in and out of the classroom. 

I'd like to start by celebrating the fantastic efforts of our PTA and the Jumble Sale that took place in Broughton. A huge thanks to Lizzie and her family for their generosity, and to everyone who helped make the event such a success. These community initiatives really do make a difference to the education of all Danebury pupils. 

It's been brilliant to see our Sports Leaders in action this week. Harrison, Sam, Morris, Oscar, Ellie and Brianna have done an outstanding job running the Primary Clusters Year 5 and 6 Football Tournament. Their leadership skills have been exemplary, and I'm grateful to Mr Thomas for coordinating the event. This is exactly the kind of peer mentoring that helps develop our younger pupils' love of sport and teamwork. In addition, it was lovely to speak to the Year 6 pupils who are joining us in September. 

On the academic front, well done to our Year 11 French and German pupils for their brilliance in the speaking exams this week. Your hard work and dedication are evident. I'd also like to commend our BTEC Animal Care group for the excellent attitude they've shown during their exams – that commitment to your studies is exactly what we want to see. 

However, I must use this newsletter to address something important. I've been contacted by a Primary Head Teacher regarding a rumour that has been brought to her attention about a pupil being involved in County Lines. To be absolutely clear, we have no knowledge of any of our pupils involved in this. We have contacted the police to enquire whether they hold any information, and they do not. Should we ever have any concerns that a pupil had been lured into child criminal exploitation, we would immediately ensure the right services and support were put in place. We would alert parents and carers to ensure heightened vigilance around their children outside of school, and we would provide additional education to help our pupils keep themselves safe. Rumours like this are hugely unhelpful and concerning, and I want to be transparent with our community about how seriously we take safeguarding. 

On a more positive note, I continue to be staggered by the talent within our Danebury Community. This week we've had some incredible sporting achievements to celebrate. Congratulations to Elizabeth M and Pippa S for their outstanding performances at the English Minors Judo Championships, winning gold and bronze respectively. Beau M has shown tremendous courage and resilience in his motocross riding in Lydd, achieving some brilliant times and placings. Castiel G has made it to the quarterfinals of the British Kickboxing Championships – an awesome achievement. Henry B, William G and Jack W have been selected for the Year 10 Rep Squad and will compete at Chelsea FC's training ground – brilliant work, lads. Daisy M has won gold in Tumbling at the National Gymnastics Championships with such incredible skills and talent on display. And Catherine W has had a phenomenal performance at a Hampshire Athletics event, winning gold in shot putt and javelin, silver in discus, and achieving personal bests across all three events. We are genuinely proud of you all. 

Finally, a quick reminder that we’ve asked all staff to ensure homework is being set in line with our revised strategy. I hope you’ve seen a difference this week. We recognise there are still some technical glitches with Arbor and recording homework submissions, and we're actively working with Arbor to resolve these issues. 

Have a lovely bank holiday weekend. 

Warm wishes 

Nicky Goodridge 
Head Teacher