The Kent Money Advice Hub is a free, confidential, independent, and impartial money advice service delivered by a network of Citizens Advice organisations in Kent.
The DCGS Chatter team have, as always, been working hard to bring you this final edition of Chatter before the summer holidays.
Chatter members have been getting involved with lots of exciting events both within and outside of school since our Easter edition and writing a variety of reports to bring you all the latest DCGS news!
This edition includes exciting articles on the Medieval Banquet, Grease, International Food Evening and Sports Day, as well as recent school trips and updates on fundraisers, competitions and celebrations. We say goodbye and good luck to Year 11, Year 13 and some wonderful members of Dane Court staff and offer advice to those starting their GCSEs in September.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been a part of Chatter over the past 5 years, from attending meetings to writing articles, getting involved in school events and raising money for our Chatter fundraisers.
We hope you enjoy reading this edition of Chatter as much as we have enjoyed putting it together, and wish you all a restful and safe summer.
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.
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.
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)
On Monday 26 June 2023, year 11 celebrated the end of their GCSEs on the red carpet.
We have been incredibly proud of this remarkable group of individuals who have not only demonstrated unwavering dedication and hard work but have also fostered a strong sense of togetherness within Year 11 and also within school. The students were impeccable, as usual, in their conduct and it was an honour to be able to celebrate their achievements in their final assembly for the year. We look forward to seeing the majority of the year group return to sixth form as IB students to embark upon an exciting and rewarding curriculum.
Some of our photographs taken during this event cannot be published on this website.
We cannot provide copies of photographs taken during this event.
Webinars for parents/carers
Details
Written by Mr M Alderson
Schools and Colleges Early Support Service
Information regarding Webinars for Parents/Carers - May 2023
Dear Parents/Carers,
We would like to invite you to attend the May 2023 webinar series specially tailored for parents/carers of adolescents, in collaboration with the Schools and Colleges Early Support Service.
Topics have been chosen to reflect core developmental processes in adolescence and common difficulties parents can struggle with. The content is psychoeducational, strategy-based and solution focused. The webinars will cover the following topics:
Anxiety in adolescence: how can parents help?
Adolescent self–harm: how to make sense of it and when to seek support
Weathering the storms of strong teen emotions: do’s, don’ts and when to consider talking to someone
Building resilience, staying connected and nurturing your relationship with your teen
Managing teen behaviour that challenges: tips and tricks
We have two NEW webinars taking place this term:
Supporting a young person at exam times
Low mood in adolescence
Further details on each webinar are below. To register please click on the relevant Zoom link.
Supporting a young person at exam times
Wednesday 3 May 5-6pm AND Thursday 11 May 5-6pm
Venue: Virtual via Zoom
Tests and exams can be a challenging part of school/college life for young people and their parents or carers. Supporting young people through exams is all about reducing stress, optimising wellbeing and putting good study processes in place.
Parents/carers play a vital role in helping their young people maintain a positive outlook in the run-up, during and after exams are over.
This webinar will offer advice around communicating with your young person at exam time, help you to spot the signs of stress and offer you strategies to support your young person in managing exam stress in a healthy way.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Low mood in adolescence
Tuesday 16 May 12:30-1:30pm
Venue: Virtual via Zoom
Low mood does not just affect adults. Young people can experience low mood too. Common signs of low mood often include sadness that does not go away, feeling irritable all of the time, not being interested in things that used to be enjoyed, feeling tired and exhausted a lot of the time. Things that might increase low mood include family difficulties, bullying, bereavement, parental separation, friendship issues. Our webinar will offer some insight into spotting the signs and symptoms of low mood, understand why young people are vulnerable to experiencing this and offer evidence-based strategies to support a young person.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Anxiety in adolescence: how can parents help?
Tuesday 9 May 5-6pm AND Monday 15 May 12:15-1:15pm
Venue: Virtual via Zoom
It is normal to sometimes feel anxious, however for some adolescents, anxiety can become a significant problem that stops them from doing things, e.g., talking to new people, going out with friends, or doing their best in exams. The focus of this webinar will be on what parents/carers can do to help their teens who are experiencing anxiety. It will cover when anxiety is normal vs. problematic, common anxieties during adolescence (exam stress, social anxiety and worries about identity and development), the relationship between parent-child anxiety, and how and when to access support for you and your child. We will also discuss a couple of ‘real world’ examples of common adolescent anxieties and different strategies that may be helpful in those situations.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Adolescent self–harm: how to make sense of it and when to seek support
Tuesday 2 May 5-6pm
Venue: Virtual via Zoom
Adolescence brings about many challenges, including insecurity, self-consciousness, anxiety about one’s own body, and peer pressure. It is not uncommon for teenagers to engage in some self-harmful behaviour for a period of time, for instance cutting, hair pulling or scratching. Understandably, these behaviours can be very concerning, distressing, and confusing for parents. This webinar will provide an overview of the risk factors and methods of self-harm. It will explore the various reasons why young people may self-harm and offer ideas on how parents can talk to and support their teens. Lastly, it will discuss instances of self-harmful behaviour that may require professional support. Places on this webinar won’t be limited and there will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Weathering the storms of strong teen emotions: do’s, don’ts and when to consider talking to someone
Wednesday 3 May 12:30-1:30pm
Venue: Virtual via Zoom
Adolescence inherently consists of many storms that parents, families, and young people have to weather, many of which are driven by an intensity of emotions that is unique to this developmental stage. Teenagers grapple with their own identity, their social relationships, and their need for autonomy, and in turn parents face the challenge of being left out, managing their own reactions to strong teen emotions, and finding different ways of connecting with their teens. This webinar will provide an overview of the changes adolescents go through, why teenagers experience such strong emotional fluctuations and how these are linked to processes in the brain. It will offer ideas on how to support teenager with their strong feelings and what to best avoid. Lastly, the webinar will discuss the difference between normal emotional difficulties in adolescence and issues that may need additional support. Places on this webinar won’t be limited and there will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Building resilience, staying connected and nurturing your relationship with your teen
Thursday 4 May 5-6pm AND Wednesday 10 May 12:30-1:30pm
Venue: Virtual via Zoom
Adolescence is a time of insecurity, strong feelings and growing autonomy which naturally affects the parent-child relationship and requires parents to find new ways of connecting with their teenagers. Parents may feel left out and worried, and they may experience a sense of loss over the relationship they used to have with their children when they were younger. This webinar offers ideas on how to maintain and build trust with teenagers, how to stay connected and how to nurture the relationship with their teen. Places on this webinar won’t be limited and there will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Managing teen behaviour that challenges: tips and tricks
Thursday 11 May 12:30-1:30pm
Venue: Virtual via Zoom
Most adolescents will at some stage in their development engage in behaviour that parents find challenging and worrying, for instance, substance misuse, being overly argumentative and rejecting, oppositional behaviour and excessive social media use. It can become difficult for parents to find ways of discussing their concerns with their teens who may increasingly not want to hear any advice their parents have to offer. This webinar will provide an overview of adolescent development and the brain, including common challenging behaviours during adolescence. It will discuss different parenting styles and offer tips for parents on how to approach and discuss challenging behaviour with teens, and how to set boundaries. Places on this webinar won’t be limited and there will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Our Patron: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families is a company limited by guarantee, company number 03819888, and a registered charity, number 1077106.
DofE award presentation 2023
Details
Written by Mrs A Whelan
We had the pleasure of presenting Silver Award certificates and badges to our DofE participants at their award presentation evening on Wednesday 29th March 2023. We were very grateful to have our Chair of Governors, Dave Roberts, CBE in attendance to present the awards and we also welcomed Edward Gaskin, the DofE Operations Officer for Kent who gave a heartening brief on the DofE award. Additional congratulations to the six participants out of 25, Febin D’Silva, Eloise Evans, Jacob Hyland, Joseph Sykes, Bethany Tebbutt-Ford and Ryan Vincent. who also completed their Bronze award and who received their Bronze certificates.
In Summer 2021, 25 students were enrolled to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award programme. This included six students who were part way through a Bronze award program which they started through outside organisations.
They all undertook a combination of 3, 6 and 12 months to complete their Volunteering, Skills and Physical sections of the Award. This required regular weekly commitment to a chosen activity- For Skills, many chose cooking or singing or BSL or playing a new instrument; for the Physical section running, climbing or attending a gym was chosen and Volunteering involved a variety of house captain activities at school or running a subject support club, helping at scouts or working in a charity shop to mention a few. They all undertook training in campcraft, map reading, meal planning, route planning and first aid over a number of months after school. In May 2022, they took part in a practice expedition in the Reculver, Chislet, Minster area and this was followed only two weeks later with the qualifying expedition in the Eastry area. They worked well as teams, encouraging and helping each other and managed to keep their spirits up despite some challenging weather conditions especially on the assessed expedition where the amount of rainfall made hiking across muddy fields almost impossible. Their morale and attitude stayed positive throughout the three days and it was a pleasure to see them progress. Achieving a Duke of Edinburgh Award will give skills, confidence and an edge over others when applying for college, university or a job. Beyond academic achievements, universities and employers want to see evidence of so called ‘soft skills’ such as communication, commitment, leadership and teamwork that they have developed through extra-curricular activities. The DofE Award is a fantastic way to demonstrate and evidence these skills in practice. I am certain that our students have made a difference to other people’s lives and to our community. They have made new friends and have memories to last them a lifetime. Congratulations! The DofE Team at Dane Court Grammar school
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. Read more...
We offer access to several sources with the aim of keeping you up to date with the goings-on at Dane Court. Visit our Stay connected page to find out more about our Facebook and Twitter accounts and our in-house newsletter.
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The Kent Money Advice Hub is a free, confidential, independent, and impartial money advice service delivered by a network of Citizens Advice organisations in Kent.
The Year 13 CP students involved themselves in a lesson of Japanese cooking this term. The students made Soba noodles and Chicken Noodle Soup with
FREE wellbeing activities that are taking place over February half term for young people aged 13-17 years in Thanet. 
Please find below the link to listen to the recording of our third and final Tea and Topic session for this year - where parents met
Downloads
The DCGS Chatter team have, as always, been working hard to bring you this final edition of Chatter before the summer holidays.
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.
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.
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.
We had the pleasure of presenting Silver Award certificates and badges to our DofE participants at their award presentation evening on Wednesday 29th March 2023. We were very grateful to have our Chair of Governors, Dave Roberts, CBE in attendance to present the awards and we also welcomed Edward Gaskin, the DofE Operations Officer for Kent who gave a heartening brief on the DofE award. Additional congratulations to the six participants out of 25, Febin D’Silva, Eloise Evans, Jacob Hyland, Joseph Sykes, Bethany Tebbutt-Ford and Ryan Vincent.
They all undertook a combination of 3, 6 and 12 months to complete their Volunteering, Skills and Physical sections of the Award. This required regular weekly commitment to a chosen activity- For Skills, many chose cooking or singing or BSL or playing a new instrument; for the Physical section running, climbing or attending a gym was chosen and Volunteering involved a variety of house captain activities at school or running a subject support club, helping at scouts or working in a charity shop to mention a few. 
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