Head's Headline
It has been a busy start to the year at Croxley Danes as we welcomed Mr Sutherland to the school, Headteacher of St Clement Danes School, who is temporarily dedicating two days a week to provide leadership at Croxley Danes as co-Headteacher whilst I am seconded to advise opinion curriculum planning at a new Danes Educational Trust school, The John Warner School. Mr Sutherland has been hugely impressed so far by the polite and considerate manner of the students and how they’ve welcomed him to our school.
This month has been an exciting one for Croxley Danes sports fixtures and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our Year 8 girls’ basketball team who became district champions this month, and also our under 13 girls’ football team who did fantastically well in reaching the final 32 in the ESFA Schools National Cup. Unfortunately, our team lost 3-1 in the quarter final last week but they exemplified perfectly our school values of excellence, respect and trust.
It’s been an important few weeks for our Year 11 and 13 students who experienced their mock results day this month, providing them with information to consider when choosing their next steps. We have launched our Year 11 Exam Ready programme as we seek to provide further support to our Year 11 students in the run up to their final GCSE examinations this summer. Special thanks to our Deputy Headteacher, Mrs Dorrington and KS4 Lead and Head of Year 11, Miss Webb who are overseeing this programme. We will similarly be supporting our Year 13s and will announce their exam ready programme within the next week.
Finally, I would like to wish our inaugural Year 13 students the best of luck with their UCAS applications. The deadline closes today so students have been busy making their final decisions about their next steps beyond Croxley Danes!
MR S THOMPSON
Headteacher, Croxley Danes School
Annual Awards Ceremony 2022-23
At the end of last term, we were delighted to host our inaugural awards evening, a truly special event where we welcomed students, parents, staff, governors and trustees to join us in celebrating the excellence and achievements of our students over the past two years.
Over 100 students were recognised with prizes being awarded for attainment, achievement, community service and a whole myriad of sporting and other competitive successes.
DET Law Day Experience
On Thursday 25th January, eight aspiring Croxley Danes law students were invited to attend the inaugural Danes Educational Trust Law Day at the University of Hertfordshire. The day brought together over 40 Year 11 and 12 students from across all the secondary schools within the trust, for whom studying law at university, or practising law as a career is a realistic prospect.
On the day, students heard from practising lawyers and current and former law students and academics about their studies and careers.
Success in Young Writers Competition
Last academic year, Key Stage 3 students were challenged to take part in a national writing competition, organised by Young Writers, to write a short story inspired by the Crime and Mystery genre. Winning entries would not only receive prizes and certificates but would also see their story feature in a published anthology.
Following the theme of ‘an unsolved mystery or crime’, students let their creativity flow, producing some excellent and imaginative short stories ready to submit to the competition.
Oxford University Computing Challenge
Last term, all Croxley Danes Computer Science students took part in the UK BEBRAS Computational Thinking Challenge, along with over 400,000 students nationwide.
Students did incredibly well in the challenge with 29 Croxley Danes students finishing in the top 10% in the country for their age group. These students were invited to take part in the Oxford University Computing Challenge last week as a result of their success. This was a fantastic achievement for all 29 students involved and one they should all be very proud of, in particular Emily B in Year 7, Callahan D in Year 9 and Joseph G in Year 11 who achieved very well in the challenge and received certificates of merit.
Science Trip to Cambridge University
Last month a select group of Year 10 students were invited on a science trip to visit the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, the place where Cambridge University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy is based and where some of the discoveries that the pupils learn about in GCSE Science were made. The students were given some incredible opportunities during their time at the University, with their time there proving to be both insightful and informative. Following the trip, Nathan K in Year 10 wrote the following report:
Festive Acts of Kindness
Every Monday lunchtime Mrs Richards runs Kindness Club, an extra-curricular club that encourages feelings of wellbeing with the aim of helping improve ourselves and our community. Students are encouraged to engage with activities that focus on the five ways to well-being - learning new skills, connecting with other people, giving and volunteering, physical activity and mindfulness.
Parent Teacher Student Association Update
The Parents Association are updating our name to PTSA - Parent Teacher Student Association in recognition of Mrs Cox and the Sixth Form Charities Team’s ongoing support.
We are busy preparing for more upcoming events, including a Year 8 disco and quiz night. We’ll update with more information nearer the time. We’re also working through the applications for funding from different departments to see how best to spend the money we are raising in order to enhance the education for our children.
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