Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope this newsletter finds you well.
I genuinely think I must be the proudest Head Teacher on the planet after the incredible week our community has enjoyed. I know I am biased, but we truly do have the very best young people at Danebury. From the moment pupils returned, they have settled quickly into positive routines and excellent learning habits. Across the school, pupils have demonstrated our values through their commitment to learning, their conduct around the site and their willingness to support one another.
It has been fantastic to visit lessons this week and see pupils striving for excellence in the classroom and beyond. The calm, purposeful atmosphere around the school has been a real pleasure to see, and our staff have been incredibly impressed by the maturity and positivity shown by our students.
Open Evening Success
A particular highlight of the week was our annual Open Evening on Thursday.
Quite honestly, none of us could believe the number of prospective families who came to visit Danebury. We may need to invest in additional chairs for the hall as our stock of 400 simply was not enough. It was standing room only at the back!
The evening provided a fantastic opportunity to showcase everything that makes Danebury such a special place and, once again, our pupils were our greatest ambassadors. Whether leading tours, assisting in subject areas, directing 100s of cars, welcoming visitors or helping staff prepare for the event, they were simply outstanding.
I have thanked and rewarded all pupils who helped support the evening. If you follow our social media channels, you will also have seen that this week's 'Positive Shout Out Friday' list is exceptionally long, recognising the many students who consistently go above and beyond for our school community.
A huge thank you must also go to our amazing staff and our PTA, whose hard work helped make the evening such a success. There was a real buzz in the air on Friday morning as everyone reflected on what a fantastic event it had been for our school.
Thank You for Your Support
I would also like to thank parents and carers for your support with the school uniform. Standards have been excellent, and our students continue to take great pride in representing Danebury. A polite reminder that trainers are not allowed, we have spare shoes and will loan them if pupils arrive in trainers. We still have a handful of pupils with acrylic nails. These are a health and safety risk, especially in PE and must be removed.
Notices
Danebury PTA Quiz Night
Our wonderful PTA will be hosting an Autumn Quiz Night on Friday 9th October 2026 in the school hall.
All proceeds from the evening will be invested back into the school to purchase resources that directly benefit your children's learning. It would be fantastic to see as many parents and carers there as possible. I am sure it will be a thoroughly enjoyable evening and a great opportunity to support the school.
Tickets are available here:
https://www.ticketebo.co.uk/danebury-school-pta/danebury-quiz-night
PTA Annual General Meeting
The PTA will be holding its Annual General Meeting at 7.00pm on 24th September 2026 at Danebury School.
New members are always very welcome, and I would encourage anyone interested in supporting our school community to come along.
Attendance Matters
As you know, high levels of attendance have a significant positive impact on pupils' progress, achievement, and outcomes at GCSE. We regularly highlight the importance of attendance with pupils and families because every lesson really does count.
This week, our whole-school attendance stood at 92%, which is currently just below the national average. Whilst this is a starting point for the year, we know we can do even better. Over the coming weeks, we will be inviting a number of families into school to discuss any barriers to attendance and explore how we can work together to support improvement. Our target for pupils is at least 97% attendance. Here is a visual that demonstrates how time off impacts on life chances.
Next Week at Danebury
Tuesday 15th September
• Open Morning 9:30am – sign up necessary, see link below
https://danebury.applicaa.com/events/01a06c49-4db1-75ec-a229-e2ea1dc417a4
Thursday 17th September
• School Photographer in school for whole-school, tutor group, and individual photographs
Friday 18th September
• Year 7 Camp Night, beginning at 3.10pm
Saturday 19th September
• Year 7 Camp Night finishes at 9.00am
Extra-curricular clubs are now in full swing. Please do encourage your children to attend both lunch and after-school clubs. (clubs’ timetable). Use the Arbor Parent Portal to sign up for both the late minibus and for clubs.
Residential Trips 2026-2028 (calendar). Expressions of interest forms will be shared with you for each trip.
Over the last week, we have trialled a phasing system at the end of the day to ensure pupils are leaving the site safely by reducing the amount of traffic driving along Roman Road at 3:10pm. Many thanks to those of you who pick up swiftly and depart, as well as those of you who delay picking up until 3:20pm when the bus bays are clear. This helps significantly. A small number of pupils are playing the system and not returning to tutor at 3:05pm to be registered and collect their phones. From now on, these pupils will be placed in detention for truancy the day after. Please reiterate the importance of handing all phones in during our whole school 'Warm Welcome' meeting at 8:40pm. If pupils do not hand phone's in, and we are made aware that they have them, we will confiscate them, and you will need to collect them from school.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We have started the year with real momentum and excitement, and I look forward to sharing many more successes with you throughout the term.
Warm wishes
Nicky Goodridge
Head Teacher
