Year 6 Admissions 2022

Welcome to Dane Court Grammar School

Thank you for your interest in our school. I hope that you find this prospectus and our open events to be informative and enjoyable. We are very much looking forward to meeting you in person.

A caring, open-minded and principled community

We are very proud of our students. If you have had the opportunity to visit us recently, you will know that our students are polite, kind and keen to learn. We place great emphasis on being caring, open-minded and principled. These values guide everything we do and shape our school community. As a result, Dane Court is a happy, welcoming and inclusive community and a great place to learn. We like to describe our school as a ‘place of belonging’, a place where our students and staff feel at home. Our students respect and support each other. Older students act as role models and go out of their way to support and encourage younger students, and especially those who are new to the school.

Our multi-layered and responsive pastoral system is a great strength of the school. Our Year Leaders, mentors and dedicated Pastoral Support Team care for the wellbeing and welfare of the students, and keep a close eye on their progress. Our Year Leaders and mentors communicate regularly with parents and carers, and support the students in their groups as they progress through the school. Our mentors also lead our dynamic mentoring curriculum which provides regular opportunities to explore, discuss and reflect on important topical issues.

Our curriculum and teaching

As a successful selective school, our academic curriculum is broad and challenging. From their first day at Dane Court, our students enjoy an exciting blend of academic and creative subjects. We place great value on achievement and don’t shy away from teaching challenging content, but we always provide guidance and support to ensure that all of our students thrive and enjoy their learning. Our teachers are skilled and enthusiastic subject experts who utilise the most effective and engaging teaching strategies and bring their subjects to life. Our classrooms, labs, studios, workshops and sports fields are vibrant and exciting places to be. If you’re after a stuffy old grammar school, Dane Court is probably not the right place for you.

Personal development

In addition to their academic studies, students receive a comprehensive and rich personal development education in order to prepare them for life in modern Britain. This dimension of the curriculum includes Personal, Social & Health Education (including Sex & Relationships Education), careers and financial education, and citizenship (including coverage of British values such as, democracy and the rule of law, as well as learning about the importance of individual liberty and mutual respect).

Examination success

We have a track record of excellent academic outcomes at GCSE level and in the Sixth Form. At GCSE level, students attain highly, with around half of all grades at 9-7 (equivalent to the old A*-A grades). In recent years, our students have been particularly successful at securing GCSE grade 9s across the full range of subjects. This is so important as it provides superb preparation for Sixth Form study and beyond. Attainment in the core subjects - English, mathematics and the three sciences - is especially impressive. Our students make excellent progress from their starting points and the majority stay with us into our Sixth Form. Additionally, academic and vocational examination results in the Sixth Form are excellent. In 2021, our Year 13 students attained an average IBDP score in excess of 36 points. To put this in the context of university entry requirements, this is equivalent to an average of A and B grades at A level.

Our teachers know how to support and challenge students to succeed in their academic studies.

Our Sixth Form

Our Sixth Form curriculum is unique in Kent. Dane Court is the only school in the county to offer both the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and the Careers-related Programme (IBCP). This means that our students have access to one of the most highly-regarded academic qualifications in the world as well as the most prestigious and flexible vocational qualification in the UK. We have chosen these qualifications because they provide excellent preparation for study at world-class universities as well as entry into fulfilling careers and professions. There is good reason why these qualifications are found in some of the most expensive and successful independent and international schools in the world.

The exceptional academic success of our students opens doors to the very best universities and the most competitive undergraduate courses, including medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, engineering, architecture and the law. As you read this prospectus, our former students are enjoying their studies at world class institutions, including Oxford, Durham, Exeter, UCL and Warwick. We are very proud of our programme to support students with their university applications. This programme includes preparation for Oxbridge entrance examinations as well as practice and coaching for panel and Multi-Mini Interviews.

Our extra-curricular provision and the house system

At Dane Court, we are well-known for the diversity and quality of our out-of-lessons extra-curricular provision (again, you can read all about this aspect of school life in this prospectus). We believe that education is about much more than the formal timetable. It’s also about the arts, sport, games, volunteering, scientific investigation, cooking, languages, outdoor education, current affairs, public speaking, debating, reading for pleasure and brilliant educational visits. We’re very proud of the range of interesting and exciting clubs and societies here at Dane Court.

The house system is a very important feature of life at Dane Court. Every Year 7 student will join a house and remain with that house throughout their school career. The house system is at the heart of our extra-curricular competitions. It’s fair to say that students become very attached and loyal to their house, particularly on sports days, when competition is always fierce.

Collaboration

I’m very proud of our reputation as a collaborative and outward-facing school. We are proud to be part of the Coastal Academies Trust and, at all levels, we work very closely with colleagues from across the Trust and the local area. This work brings huge benefits for our staff team and our students.

Facilities

As you tour the school, you will see our fantastic facilities. We are fortunate to have such high quality buildings and facilities to support our teaching and learning. Our students very much appreciate the resources at their disposal.

Thank you

Once again, thank you for taking the time to visit us and read this prospectus. I am sure that you will enjoy your visit and we look forward to welcoming your daughter or son to Dane Court in September 2022.