Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope you’ve had a positive week.
Another week has flown by, and I cannot quite believe that we are already halfway through this half term. The weeks seem to be passing incredibly quickly, and it has been wonderful to see so much positivity across the school since the start of term.
This week, members of the Senior Leadership Team have enjoyed visiting lessons across the school. It has been particularly pleasing to see the high level of consistency evident in classrooms. This is a direct result of staff planning and delivering high-quality lessons that are underpinned by our Danebury Teaching and Learning Principles Framework.
A key focus of our approach is achieving 100% participation, ensuring that every pupil is actively involved in their learning. During lesson visits, we observed high levels of engagement, with pupils enthusiastically contributing to discussions and taking part in our regular "Turn and Talk" and mini-whiteboard learning checks. These strategies ensure that all pupils are included and given opportunities to articulate their thinking, deepen their understanding and learn from one another.
Alongside lesson visits, we have also conducted a number of book looks. These have been extremely encouraging. Already this academic year, we can see a greater sense of pride in presentation and a significant improvement in the quality of application tasks being completed across the curriculum. Pupils are clearly taking ownership of their learning and demonstrating ambition in their work.
Attendance Matters
Congratulations to our Year 7 pupils, who have achieved an excellent attendance figure of 97%. This is well above the national average and reflects a fantastic commitment to learning. We are also pleased to report that Year 8 attendance remains above the national average, whilst Year 10 attendance is currently in line with national figures.
As you know, attendance is one of our highest priorities. There is a well-established link between good attendance, academic achievement, GCSE outcomes and future life chances. Every lesson missed represents lost learning that can be difficult to recover.
To support pupils whose attendance has already fallen to a concerning level this term, we are introducing a new Attendance Report system. Pupils will be placed on an attendance report until agreed targets have been achieved. Individual targets will be set in partnership with tutors, Year Leaders or members of the Senior Leadership Team.
We ask parents and carers to support this process by monitoring and signing the attendance tracker regularly. Where attendance concerns persist, we will be inviting parents and carers into school to discuss how we can work together to identify and remove barriers to attendance and establish a clear plan for improvement.
Staffing Updates
I would like to inform you that Miss Barton Charlie is leaving Danebury School to pursue another opportunity and will not be in school going forward. On behalf of the entire Danebury community, I would like to thank Miss Barton for her contribution during her time with us and wish her every success and happiness in her future endeavours.
In addition, Miss Lisa Mawson has decided to move on from Danebury School to explore new opportunities. On behalf of our Danebury Community, I would like to thank Miss Mawson for her contribution and wish her all the very best for the future.
At the same time, I am delighted to welcome Mr Toby Anderson to the Danebury team. Toby is a qualified English teacher who has settled into the school very quickly and is already enjoying being part of our community. I know you will join me in giving him a warm Danebury welcome.
Join Our Growing Team
As a result of the continued growth of our school, we are currently recruiting for a number of exciting positions:
Further details can be found on our vacancies page: Vacancies
Please do share these opportunities with friends, family members and colleagues who may be interested. The continued growth of Danebury School is an exciting journey, and we are looking for exceptional people to join us.
Open Morning Success
Our final Open Morning took place on Thursday and, once again, we were overwhelmed by the number of visitors who attended. We are delighted by the level of interest in Danebury School and have already received a significant number of applications for September 2027.
A special thank you must go to our outstanding Student Leaders, who have led tours throughout the last three weeks. They have been exceptional ambassadors for Danebury School, showcasing our values, culture and achievements with confidence, professionalism and pride. We are immensely proud of them.
Funky Tie Friday
It would appear that Funky Tie Friday is certainly catching on!
I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the creativity, individuality and enthusiasm shown by both pupils and staff. It has become a fun way for our community to express itself whilst maintaining our strong sense of identity and belonging.
Uniform Reminder
A polite reminder that trainers are not permitted as part of our school uniform.
Pupils should wear:
Please refer to our uniform policy and accompanying photographs for clarification Danebury School - School Uniform
In addition, leggings are not permitted. Where a pupil arrives wearing leggings, they will be provided with a skirt and tights so that they can meet our uniform expectations for the remainder of the school day.
Thank you for your continued support in helping us maintain the high standards that contribute to the positive learning environment at Danebury.
Safeguarding
Following updates within the Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 guidance, schools have been advised to carefully consider how pupil images are used on websites and social media platforms.
As you know, we love celebrating our pupils' achievements and sharing the wonderful successes that take place both in and out of school. We remain committed to doing so. However, moving forward, the photographs we share will increasingly be taken from a greater distance or from angles that make it significantly more difficult for images to be manipulated using artificial intelligence and subsequently redistributed.
This approach allows us to continue celebrating success whilst prioritising the safety and wellbeing of our pupils.
Thank you for the many kind messages, emails and conversations you have shared with us over recent weeks. The positive feedback from parents and carers means a great deal to our staff. We are incredibly grateful for your ongoing support and for the trust you place in us each day.
Have a wonderful weekend with your families, and we look forward to welcoming our pupils back on Monday for another week of learning, achievement and success.
Warm wishes
Nicky Goodridge
Head Teacher
