Danebury School

Our youngest two children joined the Danebury community in Years 8 and 10 and we couldn’t be more thrilled with how welcome and well supported they have been made to feel by the staff and students. Our previous experience of a secondary school was being told that having a child who was happy at school was too high a bar to aim for… kids just generally don’t enjoy school. Our boys don’t just enjoy it, they love it at Danebury and are happy when they go in and happy when they come out. As parents, we couldn’t ask for more and are very grateful to the wonderful team at Danebury… our only regret is that it wasn’t an option for our family sooner!

Our youngest son has started his 3rd year at Danebury. He’s bright but has always struggled with remaining focused to see a task through & getting started on his work. The nurturing nature of Danebury, with its forward thinking ideas like banning phones over a year ago, encouraging casual piano playing opportunities, embracing assorted animal care, year 7 introductory camp, LORIC, discos & positivity has been so good for him. Small for a secondary with large spacious grounds, staff are really involved & go the extra mile. My middle son is convinced he left his esteemed grammar school without some of the teachers that taught him for over 3 years ever knowing his name. Staff know the students well, respond to individual needs & are overwhelmingly positive & upbeat. I don’t know how Mrs Goodridge maintains her energy but I’m hugely grateful she does! I can’t believe she drove the minibuses when they couldn’t recruit drivers - actually having got to know a little yes I can!! Our son is so happy at Danebury & it shows in his written work, which he chose to show the Head today. A huge shout out to the Danebury Community, which we’re so grateful to be a part of.

I just wanted to say a massive thank you to each and every one of you for supporting and making my child's transition to Danebury school so faultless.
My child joined a week before summer holidays. Prior to her joining Danebury she was in a very unhappy place at school, upset , anxious, spending her break times alone in the toilets and missing lessons.
Since joining the Danebury she is happy , chatting smiling and enjoying school. She comes out of school smiling and happy and has made some really wonderful new friends who have been so lovely at including her it feels like she’s always been at the school.

So thank you for turning my child’s school life around she actually looks forward to school and doesn’t dread it anymore. She’s very happy and as a mum that’s all we want for our children. I have already recommended Danebury school to people I know and I will continue to do so.

Dear Mrs Goodridge and all the team at Danebury School,

I am writing to say a huge thank you for providing such a fantastic school experience and education for our daughter.

In September 2025, she started year seven at another secondary school. However within days, her initial excitement turned into extreme anxiety and unhappiness.

Our daughter is neurodivergent and has dyslexia lost all confidence and was soon vomiting before school.

It was clear that the school, with an impersonal scale and a stated emphasis on strict control and disciplinary sanctions, was the wrong environment.

When a friend mentioned that she had heard numerous parents raving about Danebury, we quickly arranged a visit and my husband, daughter and I immediately fell in love with the school.

Our daughter transferred within a week, and it's the best decision we could have made. She settled in quickly, found a wonderful group of friends and rapidly rediscovered her spark and love of school.

Danebury clearly celebrates the individuality of each child and has such a warm, welcoming and positive atmosphere. There's a real sense of community and pride in the school, which is clearly felt by the children as much as the staff.

It's clear that pupils are expected to work hard and meet high standards of study and behaviour, but this is driven by a focus on positive feedback and rewards, with sanctions and punishment as a back-up rather than a constant threat.

As a result, our daughter's engagement with learning is better than we've ever seen, and this is shown in her results.

The school's positive support with her dyslexia and neurodiversity has boosted our daughter's confidence, resilience and determination.

She's so proud to have been placed in higher sets and is now keen to pursue a degree and a career in science.

Thank you to Mrs Goodridge and all of the fantastic staff at Danebury, you have created a wonderful school.

With best wishes,

Hi, I'm Makayla, I would love to share a part of my journey throughout Danebury with you.
Danebury has been through so many changes (for the better), immensely empowering every student and allowing them to exceed expectations.
Luckily, Danebury's new changes have encouraged me into becoming the person I am today! Unfortunately, during the beginning of my journey throughout Danebury, I immensely struggled meeting my potential.
I suffered from anxiety which stopped me from attending school and my lessons.
However, a colossal amount of encouragement from staff has led me into attending school every day, attending my lessons and achieving admirable grades in my mocks. Compounded by tremendous offers from colleges such as FRA (fashion retail college) in London.
I am endlessly appreciative of those who supported me throughout school, and I will never forget those who have shaped me into who I am today.

“I think our school has made a significant transition, enhancing our community feel and kind atmosphere. I think I will leave Danebury as an empowered young woman, with life skills from lessons and our LORIC program which I can carry on through which ever career path i choose”

I am so glad that I have stayed with this school, I can fully appreciate how the quality of teaching has improved and how much safter I feel with teachers. I now enjoy coming into Danebury and feel like I will be fully prepared to leave with skills I have learned here from PSHE lessons and the LORIC program