Newbies at debate tournament finish in top three
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Published: Wednesday, 12 July 2023 17:17
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Written by Miss E Jessiman
We are delighted to share the remarkable achievements of the Dane Court Debate Club at their first ever tournament held in London. Our dedicated teams from all key stages demonstrated exceptional skills as they competed against schools from across England. With 108 speakers and 444 speeches across the day, We are proud to say that all of our teams won in rounds 2, 3 and 4 of the tournament, engaging with challenging and relevant motions.
We are also incredibly proud to announce that our Key Stage 5 team achieved an outstanding second place overall after a thrilling and very impressive final. A truly remarkable feat for their first ever tournament.
We would like to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of every single student. We are incredibly proud of all their achievements not only showcased today but in their dedication to attending weekly debate club across the year - their continued participation demonstrates their willingness to challenge themselves and, as a result, make wonderful progress. We look forward to witnessing their continued growth and success in future debating endeavours. They are a credit to our school and to our community as a whole.
IB results 2023
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Published: Friday, 07 July 2023 08:06
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Written by Mrs S Jellett
Sixth Form students at Dane Court Grammar School are celebrating an exceptional set of results in their International Baccalaureate (IB) exams. The average point score on the IB Diploma is an impressive 36, which exceeds the global average and is equivalent to A*A*A at A Level. A remarkable 41 students, accounting for 59% of the cohort, have achieved 35 points or above and a further 17% have been awarded an exceptional score of 40 points or more.
Once again, students from Dane Court have benefitted from the excellent preparation provided by the IBDP for Oxbridge applications. As a reflection of the high regard the IBDP is held in, the University of Oxford's standard offer to Dane Court students is 38 points. This year, a staggering 35% of IBDP students achieved this figure.
The IB programme not only provides a prestigious educational pathway but also offers flexibility to pursue a range of courses at impressive destinations. These are just some of the successes celebrated by top performing Diploma students at Dane Court this year:
- Linus de Syllas Hammond has achieved an outstanding score of 45 points (full marks) and will study Law at Bristol.
- Beth Tebbutt-Ford has achieved an impressive score of 44 points, exceeding her offer for Cambridge where she will study Law.
- Gabriela Austin has secured a place at Oxford to study English with 38 points.
- Cooper Roost, with a score of 43 points, has surpassed his offer for Philosophy and Politics at Kent by an impressive 13 points.
- Izzy Kirby, also with 43 points, has far exceeded her offer and secured a place at York to study Biomedical Science.
- Harry Dunk’s outstanding score of 42 points surpasses his Chemistry offer at UCL by 10 points.
- Riley Watkins has achieved exceptional grades in his higher subjects, with an overall score of 41, securing a place on a prestigious Mechanical Engineering course at Imperial College London.
- Febin D’Silva and Brono Kandathy have secured places to study Medicine at Sussex and Exeter.
- Stan Gadd has secured an international place at Leiden University in Holland.
- Nancy Edwards, who exceeded her offer by 9 points, will pursue her passion for writing for performance at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
In addition, 100% of our IB Careers’ Programme students have secured the full award, with 72% of the cohort achieving D*/D in vocational subjects. 63% of the IBCP cohort have also been awarded an A or B grade in their Reflective Project - a core component that requires the study of an ethical dilemma in their vocational subject, developing students’ commercial awareness and critical thinking.
The strength and breadth of the IB offer has enabled high achieving students in recent years to choose between degree courses at Russell Group universities and paid, degree-level apprenticeship programmes. Beth Doughty, Alexus Porter and Amy Wright are among those whose excellent grades place them in line for impressive apprenticeship and employment positions in accountancy, quantity surveying and criminal justice.
Headteacher, Martin Jones, said: "I am delighted for all of our students. These superb outcomes are the result of exceptional hard work, dedication and commitment. These stunning grades, and the prestige of the IB, have opened up exciting and hugely impressive destinations for our students, including elite and highly selective universities in the UK and around the world. It is wonderful to hear that our students have already secured places on the most competitive university courses, as well as prestigious higher and degree-level apprenticeships.
On behalf of our students, I would like to thank our fantastic teachers for their guidance and expertise. I know our students would also like to thank everyone who has supported and cared for them throughout their time in our Sixth Form. Many congratulations to all of our students, we are immensely proud of them."
Andrew Coventon, who is joining Dane Court as Head of Sixth form in September, added: “Congratulations to Year 13 for achieving an outstanding set of results. It is clear that the school's world-class IB programmes have given students a powerful competitive edge in their applications to prestigious universities and top-level apprenticeships. I am excited to be joining Dane Court as Head of Sixth Form in September and am looking forward to contributing to the school’s strong culture of excellent teaching, individual support, and focus on aspirational destinations.”
Dane Court Grammar School continues to demonstrate its commitment to academic excellence, providing its students with a well-rounded education that prepares them for a range of excellent destinations. These outstanding results reflect the dedication and passion of both the students and the staff to this prestigious, world class programme. Having already secured grades and places on university courses and apprenticeships, the students can now enjoy a long and well-deserved, stress-free summer.
It's not too late to join us in September
Students interested in joining the school’s sixth form in September should contact the school on 01843 864941 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Read more about our sixth form here.
Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) club
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Published: Wednesday, 05 July 2023 15:36
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Written by Dylan (year 12)
Ikebana (Japanese Flower Arranging) club is a delightful experience in which a group of year 12 students arranged and displayed a variety of flowers and foliage in creative and satisfying ways.
After Ms Myers taught us the basic rules and methods to arrange the flowers, we all individually made our own arrangement. The flowers proved to be beautiful displays of harmony and peace; not only were they incredible to look at but also were calming to make.
Tia mentioned, "I’d never thought I’d particularly enjoy flower arrangement, however Ikebana was so different to typical European arrangements. I found myself really thinking about how to arrange the petals and stems. The club atmosphere was so quiet and secure; it was really a safe place to experiment with something new and enjoy it. I’ve just bought my own Ikebana supplies to practice at home!"
Miss Bowen who also attended the club commented, "how lucky we are to have access to this wonderful practice, thank you Ms Myers for your time and knowledge and patience. I have been doing this at home with my 6 year old and have bought my own Ikebana tools.”
This club was a great way to end the week and helped relieve the stress of school work.
ありがとう(arigatou: Thank you in Japanese)
Dylan (year 12)
Year 6 transition
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Published: Thursday, 25 May 2023 05:49
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Written by Mr M Alderson
We will use this webpage to help you get to know the school. Below are a series of resources for both you and your carers to help you become more familiar with the school and covering a range of aspects of school life. Our Year 7s have created some resources to support your transition and there is some additional information about transition in general.You will also be able to access electronic copies of information letters that have been sent out.
Year 6 new entrants' evening presentation
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Year 6 new entrants' evening 2023
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Top 5 tips if you are starting a new school
Starting a new school can be nerve-wracking, especially when making the move from primary to secondary school.
Here are some top tips to help you settle in, created by BBC Newsround.
Transition into Year 7 can be a really challenging time for both students and their parents/carers! Our NHS Emotional Wellbeing Support Team will be facilitating several workshops over the summer holidays aimed at parents of primary school aged children who will be making the move up into secondary school. We would like to promote these to help support a successful transition to us at Dane Court. Sessions of interest might be the Starting Secondary School workshop that will be run twice, Understanding Anxiety workshop, and the Resilience workshop (see links below).
Letters from our year 7s to Year 6s joining in September 2023
Transition Video produced by the Anna Freud Charity
Podcasts made by Year 7
Listen to our podcasts made for the Year 6s joining us in September on the reality of life at Dane Court.
Managing transition videos
Here are some really useful videos produced by Childnet to help young people make a smooth transition from primary to secondary. Videos cover issues such as having a first phone, group chats, and handling friend and follower requests.
Catching the bus to school
Stagecoach South East has created a useful video and leaflets for year 6 students intending to use the bus to travel to and from school:
Previous transition videos/slides made during covid
These were made during the covid pandemic. You may still find them useful.
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