Dear Colleague,

Welcome to the latest edition of the DET Dispatch.

As we look back on the incredible energy and achievements of recent weeks, I am once again reminded of the sheer diversity of talent, resilience and ambition that thrives across our Trust.

Our schools have been buzzing with extraordinary activities that stretch our pupils far beyond the traditional classroom, locally, nationally and internationally. In this issue, we celebrate stories that showcase the very best of our pupils and staff. Thank you to everyone who works so tirelessly to make these life-enriching opportunities possible for our young people.

Ahead of reading the wonderful news from across our schools, I have a brief but important request. If you haven’t already completed the TEP Survey, please take a few moments to do so. These surveys are incredibly important to our leadership team. The feedback you provide directly shapes our working environments, helps us better understand your needs, and guides the future strategic direction of the Trust. We want to ensure every single voice is heard, and your participation is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your continued dedication, and I hope you enjoy reading this edition.

Julie Jones, Interim CEO
Danes Educational Trust

Making the difference together

TEP survey reminder: 19 June deadline

Don't forget to have your say! The deadline to complete the TEP Survey is Friday 19 June. Everyone would have been sent a unique, personalised link directly to their inbox, please search your email for "TEP Survey" to find yours. It only takes a few minutes, and your feedback is incredibly valuable.

Sarah King, Primary Director features in Schools Week

"We recognise that ‘inclusion’ and ‘adaptive practice’ are concepts and strategies which, whilst straightforward in their inception, have become over-complicated by the use of language and layering of complexity around them". Sarah King, Primary Director, has written an article on this very subject which has been published in Schools Week - you can read it here. We are so proud of Sarah for capturing the zeitgeist of this national over-complication of a straightforward concept.

De Havilland School: De Hav's got talent

The final week of half-term saw the school playgrounds filled with enthusiastic dancers, gymnasts, magicians, and singers, all practicing hard for the most awaited event of the year: De Hav Has Got Talent.

Every single child auditioned within their own classes, and the top three acts from each group were chosen to perform in the grand final talent show. The stakes are high, as the lucky overall winners will get the amazing opportunity to perform live at De Hav Fest.

We are incredibly proud of all the children who took part this year and were absolutely amazed by the diverse talents on show. We witnessed spectacular hoverboarding, impressive large-scale drawing, and even dramatic blindfolded goal scoring. The final winners are going to be announced later this week, and we are all looking forward to finding out who took the crown.

St Clement Danes: Record breaking Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award success celebrated at Buckingham Palace

There is monumental cause for celebration as a record 35 of our 59 pupils have already completed their Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award, with many more on track to finish soon. Huge congratulations to everyone involved for their incredible dedication and resilience.

To recognise this extraordinary achievement, 25 pupils were invited to a prestigious garden party at Buckingham Palace. Twenty of them attended the celebrations on 22 May, while five unfortunately missed out due to exams. Those who missed today's event, alongside pupils still finishing their final sections, look forward to their invitations next year.

The star-studded garden party featured inspiring speeches from several celebrity guests, including Larry Lamb, Alex Jones, Hugh Bonneville and broadcaster Jake Humphrey. Humphrey’s speech was a particular highlight, encouraging pupils to embrace failure as a stepping stone to success.

John Warner School drama pupils learn from Blood Brothers actor Joe Sleight

On Wednesday 6 May, The John Warner School Year 10 Drama pupils had an incredible trip to see Blood Brothers at The Beam Theatre in Hertford.

On Thursday 7 May, they then had an engaging workshop with actor Joe Sleight, who plays Eddie Lyons, for both Year 10 and Year 11 pupils. All pupils were amazing throughout, enthusiastic, fully engaged and clearly loved every moment of the experience. This was a fantastic opportunity to explore live theatre, develop their performance skills and enhance their knowledge around the musical, as well as a wonderful Q&A talk with Joe Sleight! With the Year 11 Drama GCSE written exam the next day, all pupils were very grateful and loved this opportunity.

Onslow St Audrey pupils represent the UK at EU Tech Summit

Alongside Croxley Danes and another UK school, OSA pupils proudly represented the UK delegation at the EU Bootstrap conference in Vilnius, Lithuania. The EU funded conference was an international gathering bringing together young participants aged 12-16 from 9 countries. Together with researchers, they worked to better understand problematic use of the internet and to identify solutions that reflect the real experiences of young people in digital environments. The young people explored issues that are complex even for adults, from the regulation of age online, to content restrictions or even bans, as well as the impact of technological design on behaviour. These are topics often addressed at the policy or expert level, but here they were seen through the perspectives of young people.

Between demanding academic sessions, the team refuelled with tours of Vilnius's picturesque architecture and beautiful historic sites. Seeing our pupils seamlessly forge global friendships was a true highlight. Vilnius’s official slogan is "unexpectedly amazing" and Team UK completely agrees.

Platinum success for Croxley Danes School sport

Croxley Danes School are thrilled to have achieved the Platinum Award in the School Games Mark, a government-led award scheme that celebrates schools’ commitment to developing competitive sport within their school and community. Achieving Platinum is a fantastic achievement and one that recognises that the school has held the Gold standard for the previous four consecutive years, champions inclusivity, fosters youth leadership and creates positive sporting experiences. This prestigious accolade is a true testament to the dedication of our pupils, staff and wider community in making sport accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

Chancellor's School: Condover hall trip

On Friday 5 June, the PE Department took 31 excited pupils on a joint netball and football trip to Condover Hall, Shrewsbury. As soon as we arrived, we had a quick tour and the girls were off exploring the site, completing as many activities as possible, including abseiling, rock climbing and tunnelling. An early morning followed as the footballers made their way to Shrewsbury Town FC. They drew three out of their four games which meant they went through to the Silver Cup and after a number of penalty shoot-outs, they eventually finished 3rd. The netballers had a slightly later start. The A team won all of their games and finished 3rd overall. The B team competed well to win one of their games and went through to the Plate final, where they were eventually knocked out. It was clear to see that all students enjoyed their time away, but we did have some very tired girls (and teachers) once we arrived back at school.