News

Dane Court is celebrating its extraordinary rating in the Sunday Times ‘Top 200 State Secondary Schools’. The table measures the percentage of students gaining A* and A grades at GCSE and the percentage of students gaining A* to B at A level or equivalent. Out of nearly 3,500 state secondary schools, Dane Court came 98^th equal in the whole country, beating other Kent grammar schools, such as Invicta Grammar School (112^th), Highworth Grammar School (151^st), Maidstone Grammar School for Girls (159^th), Barton Court (171^st), Sir Roger Manwood’s (174^th), Maidstone Grammar School for Boys (180^th), Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys (191^st) and Dover Grammar School for Girls (194^th). Simon Langton Girls came 228^th and Chatham and Clarendon House came 292^nd.
Paul Luxmoore, Executive Head of Coastal Academies Trust, said ‘This phenomenal achievement is proof of the effectiveness of the International Baccalaureate. Dane Court students are competing with and out performing students in some of the most selective schools in the UK. We offer the IB precisely because it gives our students a massive advantage. Young people from Thanet are easily outperforming those from towns like Tonbridge and this will, in turn, lead to offers from the better universities and better job opportunities in the future. Dane Court is punching well above its weight and that is an achievement that the whole of Thanet should be proud of.’
Andrew Fowler, Dane Court’s Headteacher, said ‘This brilliant result is no fluke. It is the result of very hard work by a hugely talented and dedicated staff, as well as the commitment and intelligence of our wonderful students. I am immensely proud of their achievement and determined that we should perform at an even higher level next year and into the future.’
The International Baccalaureate Diploma requires students to study six academic subjects, including an extended essay, a course of the Theory of Knowledge and 150 hours of community related work. Students must study a foreign language, Maths, English and at least one science. The IB Careers – related Programme requires students to study at least two IB subjects, as well as a vocational subject, together with a very well designed and flexible core that links these areas of study together. There is increasing evidence that universities and employers prefer the IB to A levels because it offers a broader range of study and develops students who are more resilient and self-reliant.