As we approach the final weeks of term, there remains a huge amount to do and enjoy but equally to look back on with awe at the accomplishments of pupils, staff and the wider SCD community. It has been wonderful to share the incredible breadth of experiences our young people enjoy here, spanning academic dedication, the creative arts and outstanding sporting accomplishments. You can read more about our pupils' latest achievements in the featured news stories below.

In particular, I am absolutely delighted to celebrate another landmark achievement for St Clement Danes. Our school has officially been awarded the prestigious School Games Platinum Mark Award for the 2025/26 academic year. This is the highest possible accolade in school sports, given only to institutions that have sustained a Gold level for three consecutive years, and it marks the very first time we have achieved this level since records began in 2015. Our PE department and staff work tirelessly to provide outstanding sports and leadership opportunities, and this success highlights the fantastic dedication of our staff and school community. We are indebted to all the staff but particularly Miss Tucker who coordinates the Sports Leaders programme.

Our sporting success has continued with a superb victory at the District Athletics Championships, where our track and field team placed first overall out of 15 competing schools to lift the prestigious championship trophy. This triumph was a true team effort from approximately 90 pupils, featuring divisional wins for our Year 7 Girls, Year 9 Boys, Year 10 Girls, and Year 10 Boys, alongside spectacular individual district records from Noah in the pole vault and Isabella in the hurdles. I am immensely proud of the entire squad for their dedication and exceptional sportsmanship, and you can read more details about their incredible achievements in our standalone news article below.  As ever, we are indebted to the PE staff, coaches, volunteers and parents who enable the pupils to enjoy their success.

This year marks a truly momentous milestone as we celebrate 50 years of St Clement Danes School serving  the local community in Chorleywood. To commemorate this half-century of history, please remember that a school aerial photograph (with pupils in Years 7-10 and 12), will be taken on Tuesday 30th June. It is essential that all pupils arrive in perfect school uniform, or exemplary, professional smart dress for Year 12s. Following this, on the afternoon of Friday 3rd July, we will host our special Anniversary Celebration from 2:00pm, where we look forward to welcoming back ‘Old Danes’ from the original 1975/76 cohort of pupils and staff. The original Chorleywood SCD cohort will be joined by the Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, the Mayor of Watford, the Chair of Three Rivers District Council, the Rt Hon Gagan Mohindra, the MP for Three Rivers, and representatives from Holborn Estate Charity, Trustees and Governors. We look forward to sharing photos and memories of the celebrations with pupils and families later this year.  Please note that the school will close early on this afternoon to facilitate the celebrations, and for further details, please refer to the letter sent home on Friday 12th June. 

I would like to extend a huge thank you to our Art department for hosting the spectacular Art and Photography Exhibition on 17th June. The evening beautifully showcased the extraordinary work of our GCSE and A Level pupils, and it remains one of my personal highlights of the school calendar. It was wonderful to see so many of our pupils confidently sharing their artistic journeys with their families, friends, and members of the public, particularly those who took the time to talk me through their exhibits.  I was grateful to the Vice Chair of Three Rivers District Council, Cllr Reena Ranger OBE, for attending and sharing her experience of the evening here.

Looking ahead, I am delighted to invite you to our upcoming Summer Concert on Tuesday 30th June. This will be another fantastic celebration of the immense talent within our Performing Arts department. The evening will feature performances from our 1st and 2nd Orchestras, the Jazz Band and the School Choir, promising an uplifting and memorable experience for all. I encourage you to come along and support our outstanding young performers, and tickets can be purchased via ParentPay.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate our Year 11 and Year 13 pupils who have recently completed their public examinations. This is a pivotal time in their educational journey, and we are confident that their sustained dedication and effort will be rewarded with strong outcomes.

As we near the end of the academic year, June has been a whirlwind of exploration and adventure across all year groups. Our pupils have thrown themselves into an incredible range of experiences, including the Year 10 French immersion trip, Year 9 visits to Bentley Priory and the Battle of Britain Bunker, Year 7 exploring Hampton Court Palace, and Year 10 geography fieldwork in Milton Keynes and the River Chess. Creativity and outdoor resilience were also on full display with Year 10 and Year 12 pupils attending Graduate Fashion Week, which you can read more about below, and our Silver Duke of Edinburgh candidates successfully completing their qualifying expedition in the Cotswolds. We are incredibly proud of how well our pupils represented the school, and with many more activities lined up for July, the learning certainly doesn't stop here. 

As an immediate reminder, Culture Day takes place tomorrow, organised by our Sixth Form Senior Prefects and led by our Year 12 Diversity Prefect. Our upcoming annual Culture Day on Friday 26th June promises to be an enriching celebration of diversity and community, aligning with our core principles of Success, Character and Dignity for all. Organised largely by our Senior Prefect, Yasmin, the event features a non-uniform day where pupils and staff are invited to wear cultural dress or colours reflecting their heritage, with a £1 donation via ParentPay supporting the Electric Umbrella charity. The day includes exciting workshops on Hindu philosophy for Year 9 and Year 12, alongside vibrant lunchtime celebrations featuring cultural display stalls, competitions, henna and a tuck shop. Pupils are welcome to bring food that reflects their cultural background to share with friends, but please ensure that all items are strictly nut-free and any allergens are clearly labelled to protect those with severe allergies. 

We wish all our Year 7 pupils well for the wonderful residential trip to Bude in a couple of weeks and the excitement is building for the arrival of the US Football Tour on the 17th July.  We are still in need of a final couple of families willing to host a coach and/or a player.  We have been welcomed and hosted by our US counterparts for over 30 years and we must return that hospitality.  If you can help, please email Mr Conway urgently via enquiries@scd.herts.sch.uk.

Thank you to all the families who have taken the time to complete the recent Family Engagement Survey. We look forward to sharing the feedback from the two surveys this year with you in September with our responses to the areas you have identified for development.

Thank you for your immense support this term and year, and I look forward to celebrating more successes together as we conclude this exceptional academic year.