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Sixth Form Prospectus 2021

GCSE results 2021

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CO1A6226 420pxYear 11 students at Dane Court Grammar School celebrated some excellent GCSE results this morning.

Chatter 18 - Summer 2021

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Chatter8 250pxThe end of this school year is upon us, DCGS Chatter members have worked incredibly hard fitting in time between end of term events, to bring you a variety of articles from members of the team across the school community.
We have, as always, so many delightful articles within this edition. We hope you have as much fun reading as we have had putting this edition together for you. We have had reporters detailing information & results on the various mini ‘bubble’ sports days that were held across the school, book & film reviews, we have lots of ideas to keep you entertained this summer and of course the school year ending brings some farewells to staff and students.
If anyone would like to join the chatter team in September, we shall hopefully be returning to the library for meetings, you can find out more details by emailing Mrs Cronin, Mrs Finlay or asking your form mentor when we return. All students from across the school are very welcome, we look forward to meeting our new Year 7 students & if you aren't very good at writing we always need a hand at editing, or you could draw some art!
Chatter would like to wish all DCGS student's, staff, the PTA and their families a safe and happy Summer. Look after yourselves, stay safe and enjoy the weather. The Chatter team would like you to all have a good well earned rest over the holidays, ready to come back refreshed for the new school year!

pdf Read Chatter 18 (3.15 MB)

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Minimising risk and dealing with anxiety

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boars head 54x64pxWhilst we have been sheltered in our homes, it is natural to feel some anxiety about venturing back into the wider world. As you will be aware, students of compulsory school age must be in school unless a statutory reason* applies. We are here to support our students and their families – we will work with you to support you as best we can so that students can start accessing face to face education with us again.

If you choose to keep your child off school and your child is not Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV), is not self-isolating and does not have covid, or any other illness, or any other pre-agreed absence, the absence will be classed as unauthorised.

*Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) Students and Shielding

We understand from the most recent government guidance, 'that many children identified at the start of the pandemic as clinically extremely vulnerable are not at increased risk of serious outcomes from coronavirus (COVID-19) and children are gradually being removed from the shielding patient list (SPL) as appropriate, following review with a clinician'. (Schools Coronavirus Operational Guidance February 2021)
If your child continues to be classified as clinically extremely vulnerable, you will have received a recent shielding letter.
The advice for pupils who have been confirmed as clinically extremely vulnerable is to stay at home as much as possible until further notice. They are advised not to attend school while shielding advice applies nationally. We will continue to provide remote learning for these students.
If your child is CEV, we would ask for you to contact the School Office to notify us of this at the earliest available opportunity, providing a copy of the shielding letter sent to confirm that they are advised not to attend.

Please find below a brief summary of some of the measures we will be using to minimise the risk with some suggestions of how students and their families can help us in this respect.

A full outline of our current protective measures can be found on the school website.

What we are doing in school to promote safety What students and their families can do to help
Symptoms
We are vigilant regarding symptoms in our students in school. Someone presenting symptoms will be sent home straight away or be supervised under strict guidelines provided by the government to make sure the risk of spread is minimised. Stay at home if you have symptoms of the virus (use government guidance).
Stay at home if you have been abroad following government guidance.
Collect children as quickly as possible if you are asked to.
Testing
Home testing kits provided to parents/carers collecting symptomatic children, and to staff who've developed symptoms at school (if unable to get a test elsewhere.) Arrange a 'standard' coronavirus (PCR) test and inform the school if there is a positive result
3 lateral flow tests provided to students within school, then home testing kits for testing of students twice a week. Carry out the home testing on Sunday and then on either Wednesday or Thursday.
Staff will also carry out the home testing on Sundays and then on either Wednesday or Thursday.
2 lateral flow home tests per week offered to staff.
We ask students and staff to share all test results with us, we'll keep accurate records of all results and will only share health records with the relevant people.
Cleaning
Deep cleans in the areas that a symptomatic person or student who has tested positive has been.
PPE will be disposed of properly, following decontamination guidance.		  
Cleaning staff will regularly clean frequently touched surfaces including:
Banisters
Bathroom facilities (including taps and flush buttons)
Door and window handles
Light switches
Fingerprint scanners		 Remember the basics of good hand hygiene and the 'catch it, bin it, kill it' ethos.
Avoid unnecessary touching of banisters/switches etc.
Try opening swing doors with your elbow.
Teachers to wipe the teacher's desk and any shared equipment available on arrival e.g. remote controls, HDMI cables. Teachers will use their own pens and board-markers. Don't touch anything in classrooms that is not your property unless directed by a member of staff.
Track and Trace
Thorough records kept to enable us to track and trace contacts of a positive case. We would ask parents to collect students as quickly as possible if you are contacted as part of track and trace procedures. Students should self-isolate as per the government guidance.
All close contacts to self-isolate in line with current government guidance.
Work with the local health protection team if there are 2 or more confirmed cases within 14 days, or an overall rise in sickness absence where coronavirus is suspected. Advice given by the team will be followed.
Hygiene
Sanitisers at every entrance to the school and mounted on walls in the corridors.
Promotion of good hand hygiene. Reminders given to students to sanitise wash and sanitise their hands frequently.		 Sanitise your hands every time you enter the building.
Remember 'catch it, bin it, kill it'.
Wash your hands more frequently.
Remember not to touch your mouth, eyes and nose.
Thorough cleaning at the end of the day.
Shared resources, such as sports, art and science equipment, will be either:
cleaned frequently and meticulously, and always between groups using them; or
rotated so they can be unused and out of reach for 48 hours (72 hours for plastics) between use by different groups.		  
Rooms will be kept well ventilated by keeping windows slightly open and opening more widely while unoccupied. Bring extra layers if it is cold weather – acceptable layers include; plain black jumper, sweatshirt or hooded top (Dane Court PE Hooded tops are acceptable, any logos must be discreet), underneath and in addition to your blazer, not instead of; your coat over your blazer and sweatshirt.
Bubbles and social distancing
Continued use of year group entrances and bubbles to reduce individuals mixing. Use the same entrances used in Terms 1 and 2 to enter the building. Stay in your Year group areas and use the one way system.
Take steps to stay further away from people in the corridors while moving around. Be proactive in protecting yourself. It is acceptable to request that someone stands further away if you are uncomfortable with their proximity.
Arrive at school from 8am and wait for the start of school in their inside or outside year group zones. Consider staying outside and away from a busier communal space before school.
Leave the building promptly at 3.20 and keep social distancing from those around you.
Reminders given to maintain distance and students should not touch staff or peers. If possible, students sit side-by-side and facing forwards. Try your hardest to maintain the 2 metre distance between you and your friends when in school.
Teachers will try to maintain a 2 metre distance from students and other staff members; although this is not always possible, close face-to-face contact will be avoided, and time spent within 1 metre will be minimised. Allow space for teachers in corridors.
Where you are allowed to enter a room ready for a lesson, be seated when the teacher comes in.
The canteen will not be open during morning break.
Lunchtime will be staggered to create two serving opportunities. Year groups will not mix whilst eating.		 Consider bringing a packed lunch with you.
Bring a bottle with a sports lid.
Consider eating and socialising outside to give you more space from your friends and to provide natural ventilation.
Revised behaviour protocols will minimise unsafe student conduct. Consider how you behave – be considerate of all those within our school community.
If we see unsafe behaviour, we will challenge it to keep our wider community safe.
Face coverings
Face covering will be promoted unless social distancing can be maintained or a face covering would impact on the ability to take part in exercise or strenuous activity (or they are exempt from wearing one). We would strongly encourage you to wear a mask in school.
Make sure you bring a mask to school (unless you are exempt).
Follow government guidance on mask safety.
Spare face coverings available for anyone without one or has a covering that's unsafe. Have a supply of face coverings ready at home. Keep a spare one in case one gets lost.
Lessons and Learning
Textbooks and student exercise books will be subject to a quarantine period. We will aim to use electronic methods to mark work. Bring all equipment you need for you own use; do not share your equipment with others.
Some lessons might have revised protocols; we will follow government's guidance for lessons involving drama, singing, chanting, shouting or playing instruments. When working in groups in larger spaces, consider whether you can build in some extra distance from the peers you are working with.
Remote learning for students are shielding (*see notes below) or are self-isolating due to government guidance.  
Visitors
Visitors will have guidance on physical distancing and hygiene explained to them on or before arrival.
Visits will happen outside of school hours wherever possible.
A record will be kept of all visitors.		 Parent and carers should not to gather at entrance gates or doors, or enter the site unless they have a pre-arranged appointment.
Consider whether you can email or call school instead.
If you need to visit our reception, please sanitise your hands on entry and remain 2 metres away from others.
Meetings will be conducted by telephone or using video conferencing.
Where this isn't possible, meetings will be conducted outside, outside of school hours, or in a room large enough to allow distancing.

Support for students anxious about the return to school

Consider using our school website support page to explore possible ways to alleviate anxiety:
http://danecourt.kent.sch.uk/parents8/wellbeing-and-mental-health
The page includes help for students and directions for parents wishing to support their children.
Anxiety particularly linked to the return to school can be found here:
https://www.priorygroup.com/blog/managing-children-s-fears-around-returning-to-school-after-coronavirus-lockdown
If your child is experiencing extreme anxiety and you can foresee difficulties that we may need to address to smooth the transition back to face to face learning, please let Mrs Holmes and Mrs Ives know as soon as possible on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We will endeavour to work with you to address these issues.

Here is some specific advice from our colleagues at Thanet Inclusion Support Service. It is possibly aimed at parents of slightly younger children, but it does contain some useful advice if your child is worried about our return to school.

preparing your child for the return to school

Other useful websites:

Click below for a series of short videos on building resilience in children provided by the Kent Resilience Hub:
https://kentresiliencehub.org.uk/resources/resilience-webinar-for-parents/

IB results 2021

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Year 13 students at Dane Court are today celebrating an exceptional year of results in their International Baccalaureate courses, with an impressive IBDP average point score of 36.5 across the cohort and 61% of all grades at 7 or 6 (the very highest IB grades), and 33% of IBCP grades at 7 or 6.

Martin Jones, Headteacher, said “We are delighted for the students. These outstanding outcomes are the result of an enormous amount of hard work and determination. This group of students has faced the challenges of the past 18 months with perseverance and resilience and we are very proud of them. All of our IBCP students have received their award and 97% of our IBDP students have achieved the full Diploma, which is a remarkable achievement. Our IBCP students must wait until August for their vocational results, but their success in their IB subjects and their excellent Reflective Project grades have given them the very best chance to progress onto their chosen destination. Our IBDP students have attained an average of 36.5 points across the year group, the highest average point score in the school’s history. The vast majority of students have already secured their first choice university or employment-focused offer and they can look forward to an exciting future.”

  • All students in the sixth form study one of three prestigious and demanding courses:
    The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, which comprises 6 IB subjects including Maths, English, Science and a language. Students must also complete the ‘Core’ which consists of a 4000 word Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge and CAS
  • The International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme where students study one Level 3 vocational course and 2 or more IB Diploma Programme courses, graded on a 7-1 scale. The students are also required to pass the IBCP core which comprises of: a personal and professional skills course, a service learning project, a 3000 word reflective essay and a language acquisition course.
  • A bespoke course comprised of a range of IB subjects

Chris Pleasant, Head of Sixth Form said “It has been a wonderful experience to be able to share this set of results with the students after a difficult couple of years. They can say with pride and confidence that they have truly earned these grades, as they are the result of assessments and coursework completed over the course of two years. I am immensely proud of them all. I want to particularly congratulate the 17 IBDP students who have achieved 40 points or more, way above the national and world averages and Aliya Andrews, Nikos Kouthouri-Whittaker and Zara Ahmed who achieved the maximum 45 points, a truly remarkable achievement. Well done to you all and I hope the next stage of your life is a happy and successful one.”

Find out more about our sixth form.

Examples of work completed by this year's IB Visual Arts students

View the embedded image gallery online at:
http://danecourt.kent.sch.uk/#sigProId6c4136e601

Supporting wellbeing and mental health

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coronavirus 420pxHere at Dane Court, we understand that life brings its difficulties, especially at the moment, and we want to support our students and their parents or carers through these challenging and uncertain times.

Taking care of your and your family’s minds, as well as your bodies, and feeling better on the inside, really is important at this time.

Click the image on the right to read about the range of services in Kent to help you look after the mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and adults.
Here are some suggestions for students to increase positive wellbeing.

Click here if you are a parent or carer looking for advice on supporting a young person’s mental health.

UPDATE: Japanese cooking competition - results

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boar drop shadow alpha trans 100pxThe winners have finally been chosen from the many enthusiastic entries for this competition and certificates and small prizes were awarded.

Collect your 2020 examination certificates

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boars head 54x64px2020 Exam Certificates

Calling all 2020 GCSE and IB students, your Summer 2020 exam certificates are now ready for collection. Certificates can be collected from the main reception between 2:00pm and 4:30pm Monday to Thursday and between 2:00pm and 4:00pm Friday.
Your certificates are important legal documents that you will need throughout the course of your career. Employers, colleges and universities often insist on seeing original qualification certificates. It is therefore vital that you collect your certificates and keep them safe. Regulations do not allow certificates to be put sent by normal post due to the risk of loss or damage. If you are unable to collect the certificates yourself, you can nominate someone else (this includes parents and other family members or friends) to collect your certificates by emailing Claire Sayer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Certificates will not be issued to anyone other than the person named on them without written permission and ID.

Exam Certificates - 2019 and before

We have many unclaimed exam certificates (believe it or not, we even have certificates dating as far back as the 1960s) that we are keen to get to their owners. If you took your exams prior to 2020 and you didn’t collect your certificates, please email Claire Sayer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to arrange collection. Please note that certificates will not be issued to anyone other than the person named on them without written permission and ID.

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    Missing a letter from us?
    Need a duplicate?
    Many documents sent to parents are also available in our downloads area.

    We also provide special pages for employment opportunities and statutory information.

  • boot fair 28x32pxboot fairs

    The Dane Court Grammar School Parents Association's monthly boot fairs usually take place at the school from 6:30am on the second Saturday of each month with breaks over winter and during the summer holiday.
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    Teacher training opportunities at Dane Court and other schools
    East Kent Learning Alliance

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    We are a member of

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    Details of the multi academy trust and our fellow academy members.

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    Help and advice for families in a digital world.online safety 250px

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