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Posted on: 24/04/2026Croxley Danes School ranks in top 20% nationally following rigorous new Ofsted inspection
Croxley Danes School, a member of Danes Educational Trust, is celebrating a landmark achievement following its first full inspection under Ofsted’s new, more rigorous, evaluation framework. The report, following the inspection on 24 February 2026, places the school within the top 20% of schools nationally.
The updated Ofsted framework has moved away from reductive one-word judgements, opting instead for a nuanced assessment of school performance led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs). Under these heightened standards, Croxley Danes has secured high marks across all categories, reflecting a deep-rooted culture of excellence.
The inspection evaluated the school against the new grading system, where "Strong" represents performance at an upper-Good or Outstanding level when compared with the old framework. Croxley Danes achieved the following:
Strong Standards: Awarded in Attendance and Behaviour, Inclusion, and Leadership and Governance, indicating that the school is performing significantly above expectations in these areas. These are considered the hardest areas to achieve a Strong grading in, and so to obtain a Strong in all 3 really sets the school apart from others.
Expected Standards: Given in Achievement, Curriculum and Teaching, Personal Development, and Post-16 Provision.
Safeguarding: Formally graded as "Met," with inspectors praising an "open culture" where the safety of students is a shared responsibility.
The report highlighted the positive environment fostered at the school, with inspectors noting "The school fosters a highly inclusive environment where all pupils feel welcomed and valued... Behaviour across the school is extremely positive [and] pupils enjoy positive relationships with staff and each other."
Andy Harris, Headteacher of Croxley Danes School, commented: "I am immensely proud of our pupils for the polite, considerate, and respectful way they conduct themselves every day. This report is a testament to the hard work of our staff and the invaluable support of our parents. Being ranked in the top 20% of schools nationally is a significant milestone, particularly for a newer school, and it validates our commitment to an evidence-informed culture of excellence."
While celebrating this success, the school remains committed to further development. Future initiatives will focus on increasing consistency in student feedback and further refining the personal development programme to ensure all students are fully equipped for the challenges of the wider world.
Posted on: 20/04/2026National Recognition for four of our schools in Spring 2026 TEP Census
We are thrilled to announce that four schools within our Trust have been awarded prestigious TEP Engagement Badges following the Spring 2026 national census. These accolades celebrate schools that demonstrate outstanding performance in pupil and employee engagement, placing them among the very best in the country.
To put this achievement into perspective, these badges are only awarded to schools scoring in the top percentiles of a vast national dataset encompassing over 500 schools, 30,000 staff members, and more than 300,000 pupils.
While we celebrate all four schools, we would like to give a special mention to Croxley Danes School and Elstree Screen Arts Academy. Both schools have secured badges for the second time this academic year, having also been recognised in the Autumn 2025 census. Maintaining such high standards across consecutive censuses is a significant feat and serves as a powerful indicator of a sustained, positive culture for both learners and staff.
The specific areas of excellence recognised this term highlight the diverse strengths across our Trust:
Croxley Danes School (Secondary)
Top 5% Nationally: Employee Leadership
Top 10% Nationally: Employee Inclusion and Employee Satisfaction
Awarded in both Autumn 2025 and Spring 2026.
Elstree Screen Arts Academy (Secondary)
Top 5% Nationally: Pupil Inclusion, Pupil Enjoyment, and Pupil Recommendation
Awarded in both Autumn 2025 and Spring 2026.
Onslow St Audreys School (Secondary)
Top 10% Nationally: Employee Leadership
St Clement Danes School (Secondary)
Top 10% Nationally: Pupil Recommendation and Employee Line Management
These results are a testament to the hard work, dedication and vibrant community spirit within our schools. Whether it is ensuring our pupils feel included and inspired, or fostering a leadership environment where our staff can thrive.
Congratulations to the pupils, teachers and leadership teams at Croxley Danes, ESA, Onslow St Audreys and St Clement Danes for this remarkable national recognition!
Posted on: 9/02/2026The benefits of being a local governor in Danes Educational Trust
Serving as a local governor on one of our School Boards is a rewarding way to contribute to children’s life chances while developing valuable professional skills. Our local governors help ensure our Danes Educational Trust’s vision, ethos and strategy are lived out in each school’s context. Through regular monitoring of safeguarding, SEND, underserved pupils and stakeholder engagement, you become the Trust board’s “eyes and ears” at school level, strengthening accountability and continuous improvement. You will build expertise in strategic thinking and data-informed challenge by reviewing pupil progress, attendance and curriculum information against targets, and by visiting the school to understand how policies work in practice. Working with school leaders on priorities and risks develops your ability to ask insightful questions, weigh evidence and make proportionate, transparent decisions. Panel work (for exclusions, complaints or staffing matters) offers concentrated experience in fair process, impartiality and decision-writing, skills that translate into any professional setting. You’ll collaborate closely with fellow governors and the governance professional, enhancing teamwork, communication and confidence in chairing. Our local governors play a pivotal role in stakeholder engagement: listening to our parents, pupils and staff and feeding insights to trustees helps align strategy with community needs and improves trust. The role is also flexible and supported, induction, ongoing development and clear schemes of delegation mean you focus on what matters, not day-to-day operations. Reasonable out of pocket expenses can be reclaimed, ensuring volunteering is accessible. You will be supported by - the chair and governors on the School Board - an experienced team of governance professionals - our Director of Operations who is also a consultant for the National Governance Association. - our board of trustees who value the local governance across the Trust Most importantly, your contribution helps keep pupils safe, ambitious and well supported. If you can commit to preparing for meetings, attending visits and asking constructive questions, you’ll make a tangible difference and gain skills that endure.
Posted on: 10/03/2026Future engineers: Pupils explore STEM horizons at UCL
On Thursday 26 February, Year 12 Physics pupils from across the Trust descended upon University College London (UCL) for the inaugural Trust physics and engineering day. The event marked a significant milestone for the Trust, providing pupils with an immersive, first hand look at world-class academics and the diverse career pathways within the STEM sector.
Designed to bridge the gap between A-Level theory and real-world application, the day saw pupils trading their standard classrooms for UCL’s cutting edge laboratories and lecture theatres. The initiative aimed not only to showcase university life but also to highlight the interdisciplinary nature of modern engineering.
The heart of the visit lay in a series of specialist workshops led by prominent academics. Pupils engaged with various fields, including:
Electrical and Electronic Engineering: In a standout session, pupils programmed mini-processors to calculate and execute the launch of model catapults, blending coding logic with physical mechanics.
Medical Physics: Pupils explored the future of healthcare, getting up close with advanced brain imaging technology and discussing how physics is used to save lives.
Chemical Engineering: Seminars provided insight into sustainable energy and the molecular design of the future.
Beyond the technical skills, the day was structured to spark curiosity about life after Sixth Form. By meeting with leading specialists, pupils were able to ask probing questions about university admissions, research opportunities, and the global demand for skilled engineers.
The event concluded with a tour of the historic UCL campus, leaving pupils with a clear vision of the opportunities awaiting them in the world of higher education. Following the success of this first event, we look forward to making the physics and engineering day a staple of its academic calendar.
Posted on: 5/02/2026Learner Voice Council Primary Induction Day
On 20 January 2026, we held our fourth Learner Voice Council (LVC) Primary Induction Day, hosted at The Cranbourne Primary School. We were delighted to welcome back our primary schools, for a day dedicated to training pupils as they continue their LVC journey. The event brought together pupils and staff from across Danes Educational Trust, fostering a strong spirit of collaboration and leadership.
Pupils rotated through a dynamic workshop carousel designed to equip them with the practical tools needed for their upcoming missions. Nicola Spencer, Trust Learning Lead for English, guided the pupils through an impactful session on oracy, where pupils learned how to build confidence during a presentation. They immediately put these skills into action by presenting themselves to the group, showcasing the techniques they had just learned.
Alongside this, Shannon Anthony (Onslow St Audrey’s LVC Facilitator) led a vital workshop on survey design. Because of Shannon’s acute knowledge and experience as an LVC facilitator, she was able to provide highly relevant support that directly addressed the feedback from our primary facilitators regarding the need for better data-gathering tools.
The day also benefited significantly from the leadership of our secondary pupils. A key passion of Miles Conway’s (Trust Learning Lead for Learner Leadership) is transition, and this event served as a perfect example of secondary pupils developing their own leadership skills by teaching and mentoring their primary school peers.
This was seen in action as Matt Clarke and his pupils from Chancellor’s School shared "LVC Top Tips," providing invaluable peer-to-peer insights from pupils who have been part of the council for several years. Finally, Justin Reece and his pupils led an engaging team-building session. By challenging participants to untangle a "human knot," they visually demonstrated the importance of communication and why an LVC must work as a cohesive team to achieve its goals.
The Learner Voice Council is now celebrating its fifth year. It continues to serve as a vital platform for pupils to directly influence teaching and learning across their schools. The LVC empowers pupils to drive meaningful and lasting change by following a rigorous research cycle: planning, auditing, implementing, and evaluating.
Miles Conway, Trust Learning Lead for Learner Leadership, shared:
"It was an absolute pleasure to lead our fourth Primary Induction Day, and I am delighted by how smoothly the event ran. This success is a testament to the dedication of our primary colleagues (Helen Ansell, Jody Waters, Juliet Ford, Liz Black, Rachana Shah and Sarah Edwards), and the collaboration across the Trust. I am particularly thankful to Isla Grayson, Sarah Edwards, and the entire team at The Cranbourne Primary School for their incredible support in hosting us and ensuring the day was a success.
I am immensely proud to be in my second year in this role and to witness the significant progress we’ve achieved. The Learner Voice Council has seen substantial growth, and it is particularly gratifying to see our newer LVCs at schools like The Cranbourne, Roselands, The John Warner, and The Beaconsfield School established so successfully.
Finally, my sincere thanks go to our workshop leaders; Nicola Spencer, Shannon Anthony, Matt Clarke, and Justin Reece, along with their brilliant pupils. Their sessions on oracy, survey design, and team building are essential in training our young leaders to continue their LVC journey. To our primary facilitators: thank you for your continuous support in making the LVC a central part of our pupils' development."
The LVC would not run successfully without the support of our dedicated team of in-school facilitators: Emma Smart, Helen Ansell, Helen Cox, Jody Waters, Juliet Ford, Justin Reece, Liz Black, Matt Clarke, Paul Maddock, Rachana Shah, Rosamund Barnes, Sarah Edwards, and Shannon Anthony.
Posted on: 3/12/2025Learner Voice Council induction day
Danes Educational Trust was very proud to hold its fifth Learner Voice Council (LVC) Secondary Induction Day, hosted at Onslow St Audrey’s School on 18 November 2025. We were delighted to welcome secondary schools, including The John Warner School and The Beaconsfield School, which has recently established its own LVC. The day brought together students and staff from across Danes Educational Trust, fostering collaboration and leadership.
Students rotated through a dynamic workshop carousel, building crucial skills for their LVC journey. The sessions were expertly led by excellent practitioners. Claire Weetman (Onslow St Audrey’s School Oracy Lead) guided the students through a session on oracy, while Helen Cox (Assistant Headteacher at Croxley Danes School) led the teaching and learning session. Crucially, because of Helen's extensive involvement in the LVC, this session was acutely relevant and highly beneficial to the students.
The day also featured two practical, high-energy sessions: a teamwork workshop delivered by Onslow St Audreys School’s Sixth Form Team, and a workshop on research skills/top tips from St Clement Danes’ LVC Team (supported by Emma Smart). These essential tools, focusing on negotiation, communication, teamwork, research and successful learning missions, were delivered to equip our young leaders for success.
The Learner Voice Council is now celebrating its fifth year. It continues to serve as a vital platform for students to directly influence teaching and learning across their schools. The LVC empowers students to drive meaningful and lasting change by following a rigorous research cycle: planning, auditing, implementing, and evaluating. This year, we are especially pleased to report that two separate school groups are focusing their efforts on implementing adaptive practice methods to support students, directly aligning with DET and school priorities.
Miles Conway, shared:
"I am immensely proud to be in my second year as Trust Learning Lead for Learner Leadership and to witness the significant progress we’ve achieved. Over the last two years, the Learner Voice Council (LVC) has seen substantial growth, with all 13 schools now having an active LVC. It is particularly gratifying that The Cranbourne School, Roselands School, The John Warner School, and The Beaconsfield School have all successfully established their LVCs in such a short timeframe.
A major highlight for me is that the LVC was recently recognised in two different Ofsted reports:
Ascot Road School (November 2024): "The pupils in the 'learning voice council' are passionate about making the school even better."
The Cranbourne School (April 2025): "The school council ensures that pupils participate in competitions and can develop confidence in public speaking."
The DET LVC Secondary Induction Day remains a very special occasion where all our schools come together. I am incredibly grateful for the dedication shown by our workshop leaders and facilitators. Special thanks go to Claire, Helen, Emma and the St Clement Danes LVC team, and Malik, Vinuya, and Tomisin from Onslow St Audrey’s School for leading such valuable sessions at the event, Shannon Anthony for supporting the event, and also to the amazing LVC Facilitator team for their continuous support."
The LVC would not run successfully without the support of our dedicated team of in-school facilitators: Emma Smart, Helen Ansell, Helen Cox, Jody Waters, Juliet Ford, Justin Reece, Liz Black, Matt Clarke, Paul Maddock, Rachana Shah, Rosamund Barnes, Sarah Edwards, and Shannon Anthony. The Trust extends its sincere appreciation to all current and previous facilitators for their commitment and time devoted to making the LVC successful in their respective schools.
Posted on: 17/11/2025Leaders from the Trust attended a celebration of schools championing pupil engagement at the House of Lords
Leaders from the Trust attended a celebration of schools championing pupil engagement that took place at the House of Lords on Monday, Hosted by the Rt Hon. Baroness Nicky Morgan, former Secretary of State for Education, the event organised by The Engagement Platform (TEP) and ImpactEd Group highlighted how engagement data is driving real change nationally.
Toby Sutherland, headteacher of St Clement Danes School presented on the work taking place within our Trust to improve engagement. Toby shared that TEP has provided our trust with “the most powerful behaviour insights and evidence-based research tool in the last three years.”
Danes Educational Trust has been a significant contributor on the importance of student engagement acting as a predictive tool for teachers and leaders to tackle attendance, wellbeing and attainment gaps with our CEO, Dr Josephine Valentine acting as a commissioner on the national RCELI (Research Commission on Engagement and Lead Indicators).
We are extremely pleased that the work and research of RCELI and TEP is gaining national momentum and recognition. Our continued partnership with TEP is a testament to our commitment to listening to and responding to our pupils and staff, ultimately improving outcomes, retention, and pupils’ life choices. This event shows what’s possible when research, leadership, and community come together.
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