Denstone College

Overview

The college site of over 100 acres is located in magnificent countryside but is well served by road, rail and air. In recent years the school has benefited from a £10m development programme, with a new Music School and additional classrooms opened in September 2010. Further extensive classroom facilities and the Adamson's sports complex were completed and opened in June 2012.

Unique Points

A Denstone education gives students more choices and greater opportunities to expand their horizons. Frequent trips are a feature of our calendar, and a programme of more than 40 activities and an excellent record in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme also helps to ensure that Denstonians are always busy. We have a modern sports hall, swimming pool, two all-weather AstroTurfs, fives courts and an English Golf Union (EGU)-affiliated golf course.

Entry Requirements

Young people usually join Denstone into the First, Third or Sixth Forms (National Curriculum (NC) years 7, 9 and 12) although we do welcome pupils into other year groups from time to time. Those joining the First Form are mainly from independent primary or state primary schools, and those joining the Third Form may have taken the traditional Common Entrance route from prep schools or come to us from areas which still operate the three tier system of education. Candidates registered for the First Form will come to Denstone to sit entrance examinations in January or February before entry the following September. These examinations are in English, maths and science and are more or less equivalent in standard to NC Key Stage (KS) 2. They will also have an interview with the Headmaster or a senior member of staff, and we always request a reference from a pupil’s present school. Those registered for Third Form entry will come to us either through Common Entrance (through the Independent Schools Examination Board, ISEB), where their schools prepare them to do so, or they will sit our own entrance examinations in English, maths and science in the January/February before entry in the September. We always request a reference from a pupil’s current school. For Sixth Form entry, the minimum requirement for pupils who are applying to join the College for their Sixth Form education is 16 points at GCSE. (A* = 4, A = 3, B = 2 and C = 1). Pupils will need a minimum of grade B in their chosen AS / A Level subjects. Following registration we will request a reference from the pupil’s present school to include mock and / or predicted GCSE grades. A place may then be offered on the understanding that the pupil meets the minimum points requirement at GCSE.