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Dane Court Grammar School's annual Prize Evening at The Winter Gardens on Monday 15 September was an uplifting celebration of student achievement. Chair of Governors Dr Virginia Austin welcomed the Mayors of Broadstairs and Margate, parents, staff and students.

In his first speech as Head of School, Andrew Fowler took the theme of Hope. In a striking visual image, he referred to a crumbling mansion on his way to school, called, ironically, 'Hope Villa'. Reflecting on the natural beauty of parts of Thanet and the contrast they present with sometimes difficult social conditions, he spoke about how the achievements of students at Dane Court give great hope for the future. These achievements include outstanding examination results in the International Baccalaureate, which have enabled the large majority of students to take up places at prestigious universities, including three at Cambridge, two to study Medicine and Pharmacy, and six to read Engineering. These successes have Year 11 students achieved excellent GCSE results, despite some last-minute changes to the national examination system. Students alsoparticipated well and achieved notable success on the sports field and in creative activities.

Students have been generous with their time in helping others, raising thousands of pounds for different charities and helping younger children. Mr Fowler emphasised that the personal qualities of Dane Court students, including their intellect, their generosity of spirit and their practical abilities, give cause to be hopeful for their futures, both individually and for the future of the society they will create.

Paul Luxmoore, Executive Head, spoke about the local and national context in which Dane Court operates. He commented on changes which had taken place recently. The Introduction of the International Baccalaureate was a very visible change to the sixth form curriculum, which was now starting to bear fruit. Other changes were less obvious, including the creation of the Coastal Academies Trust, a self-supporting network of local schools where excellent practice in teaching and learning is shared and where innovation can be encouraged. Local collaboration, he said, represented the best opportunity for students in this area, since it was the best way to improve schools and raise the quality of education.

High levels of student creativity were on show during the evening. The Jazz Band entertained as parents, students and guests entered. Year 9 winners of a poetry competition very movingly read their poems, inspired by First World War poetry. Esme Votta charmed and captivated the audience with her sensitive playing of a piano Prelude by the Russian composer Lyadov. The evening ended with an extract from the school's production of High School Musical, in full costume, with energetic singing and dancing from a cast of thirty.

Prizes were awarded by Dominic Woodward-Lebihan, last year's Head Boy at Dane Court, who is now working at the heart of Government as a fast-track policy officer within the civil service. He engaged the prize winners with a speech that was impressive and absolutely inspirational, telling them that they had very good reasons to be proud of themselves, their school and what they had achieved; that they should enjoy being 'experts' in their own different areas, since the world puts great value on expertise; and that they should be confident in everything they do.
Twenty-five years' service by Mr Fred Munday was recognised with the award of a cut-glass vase. Shayan Ashfaque and Yu Meng Li, Head Boy and Head Girl, inspired by Dominic's example, gave a confident and articulate vote of thanks.