Deanes Prospectus

From a little spark may burst a flame Dante Alighieri

The Deanes School Putting pupils first, investing in staff

“Senior and middle leaders communicate a clear vision and high expectations.”

Ofsted 2012

Dear Parents and Carers, We were delighted to celebrate our best ever results with 85% of pupils achieving five or more A* to C grades.

Our inclusive school ethos has allowed us to focus on high attainment and progress. We believe in working closely with parents to ensure that each student is happy and strives to achieve their personal best. Our strong system of individual support and challenge for each child is reflected in our year on year improvement in examination performance.

“Everyone in your school is valued.” Ofsted 2012 We offer a dynamic, innovative curriculum which values the diverse interests and aptitudes of all our students. We are committed to preparing students for the challenges and opportunities of life and have created a purposeful and supportive climate for learning. Our Advanced Healthy School status is testimony to our commitment to our continued focus on healthy lifestyles and choices.

“The school invests effectively in nurturing its own future teachers and leaders.” Ofsted 2012 We are an Investors in People school, committed to training and development. This has created an outstanding and dedicated team of staff who work in partnership with governors and parents to provide the best possible quality of education.

Our inclusive ethos enables: • outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development • outstanding partnerships • dynamic, innovative curriculum • good and outstanding teaching

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accelerated learning for the Most Able outstanding sports provision through our Youth Sports Trust Leadership Partner School Status excellent staff training and development through our Teaching Alliance

Please feel free to come for a visit so you can see first hand how at The Deanes everyone is valued.

Jan Atkinson, Headteacher

A learning experience designed and personalised for every child “Leaders have been successful in raising achievement, raising the quality of teaching and improving the curriculum.” Ofsted 2012 A key philosophy for our curriculum is that it is personalised and relevant to every child. Our curriculum and learning aims to secure high attainment and achievement in all subjects and to equip learners with the personal, learning and thinking skills they will need to succeed in life.

As a Specialist Sports College, underpinning our curriculum landscape are features such as coaching, achieving personal bests, participation and performance, celebration of achievement and specialized training programmes. Equally, team building and leadership, setting aspirational targets and working with the community articulate our innovative approach to learning. We ensure that all learners are motivated and challenged in lessons; this includes how students are grouped, with top sets for more able students, a focus on active learning experiences and regular dialogue between students, staff and parents.

“Inspectors found that students made good and sometimes outstanding progress in the large majority of lessons.” Ofsted 2012 Key features of The Deanes Curriculum and Learning model comprise: • • • • •

100 minute lessons to enable deeper and more exciting learning experiences in every lesson, as well as greater opportunity for one-to-one dialogue between teacher and student Half-termly whole days focused on one subject area for Key Stage 4 in order to experience intensive and inspirational learning for option subjects Half-termly whole days for Key Stage 3 focused on enterprise skills and celebrating achievements Sustained links with schools in China and after school GCSE Chinese classes Half-termly reports to parents focused on the progress of your child

Flexible support which meets individual needs and celebrates success “Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a particular strength.” Ofsted 2012 We are totally committed to developing our students into confident and active citizens in a rapidly changing global society. We are passionate in our desire to improve the daily experiences of all young people in our care – focusing on their wellbeing, personal development and future prosperity. We actively encourage students to become emotionally resilient, sensitive to the needs of others and confident about how to ensure they take every opportunity to excel in their future lives.

We place great emphasis on the quality of care given to our students, providing a structured pastoral system that enables every child to receive excellent support and guidance during their academic career at the school.

The Heads of House, Form Tutors and Wellbeing Officers work in close partnership with parents and are integral to the academic progress made by each student. Personal mentoring through our Review Day programme, and for some students more intensive mentoring from our community mentors, illustrates the focus we have on individual learning needs.

“Students feel safe and their parents agree.” Ofsted 2012 We want our students to feel a real sense of belonging within our learning community. To achieve this we have developed a house system to which every member of the school community belongs. Our commitment to the Olympic values of Respect, Excellence and Friendship, ensures that all students share a sense of identity and a healthy sense of competition, as they represent their house in a range of academic, sporting, creative and cultural activities.

We are justifiably proud of our excellent reputation for international links, particularly with China, and the unique experiences we offer our students. Opportunities for students to travel abroad have included trips to Barcelona, Paris, skiing in Switzerland, Namibia and a language immersion programme in Beijing.

The Deanes School www.deanesschool.co.uk

Achieving Excellence “Partnerships to support the education and well-being of students are outstanding.” Ofsted 2012 School is not just about achieving good examination results - it’s also about opening doorways to a whole new world of experiences. Our extra-curricular programme offers plenty of opportunities for students to enhance their understanding of life, try new things and pursue their interests so they develop self-esteem and confidence.

Our Performing Arts school is now well established.

Excellent music, dance and drama activities are available, including gifted and talented dance, concerts and drama productions.

Opportunities to develop skills as an artist also abound, with students having opportunities to visit galleries in London and Paris, as well as working with art teachers and other local artists to develop and extend their skills.

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Whether a triple scientist, a potential linguist, a budding musician or a sporting enthusiast, students will be encouraged to excel. Our excellent partnerships with post-16 providers ensure that the majority of our students go on to further develop their talents and become lifelong learners.

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Daws Heath Road, Thundersley, Essex SS7 2TD. t: 01268 773545 f: 01268 770157 e: admin@thedeanes.essex.sch.uk

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