The Prep at Denstone College
Dear Parent / Guardian,
I hope you have had an enjoyable Summer and your son/daughter is looking forward to the new academic year.
This document provides an overview of the key academic dates, events and processes for 2023/24. You will find information and guidance here on academic matters including assessments, reporting schedules and parents’ evenings, key academic dates throughout the year.
Further information about academic events staged during the year will be publicised to students and parents in due course, and I would ask you to keep a close eye on the Head’s newsletter, sent out to parents on Fridays, as well as the College’s online calendar. Your son or daughter’s tutor should be your initial point of contact for most academic matters; please do get in touch should you have specific academic questions or concerns.
I hope your son or daughter has an enjoyable and productive year at Denstone.
Yours sincerely,
The Prep Team
Michaelmas Term
18 September – Meet & Greet with Form Tutors12 October – Pastoral Parents’ Evening with Form Tutors18 December - Michaelmas Reports Published on Isams
Lent Term
w/c 11 March – Lent Term Grade Reports Published on Isams 21 March – Academic Parents’ Evening with subject teachers
Summer Term
8 July - Summer Reports published
The majority of assessment in The Prep is formative and ongoing throughout the year. It includes a variety of methods e. g. short tests to assess a particular area or topic studied, vocabulary tests, questioning, reflection activities. Reception use a mix of play based activities, teacher knowledge and observations to inform summative assessments at the end of each term.
In terms of summative assessments, Prep 1 to Prep 6 use GL Assessments to assess attainment relative to national standards. The following standardised assessments are completed:
Cognitive Ability Tests (CAT4)
P2, P4, P6
Sept/Oct
Progress Tests in English & Maths
P1-P6
Sept/Oct, May
Progress Tests in Science
P3-P6
New Group Reading Test
New Group Spelling Test
Independent writing
P2-P6
P1
Every half term
Every term
In addition, students who have been identified as having weaknesses in reading or spelling will be retested in these areas during the Lent Term to evaluate the impact of interventions.
Term
Year Group
Attainment Grades
Attitude To Learning Grades
Subject Comments
Form Tutor Comment
Head’s Comment
Michaelmas
Reception
YES
Core areas of learning
Prep 1-2
English and Maths
Prep 3-6
Lent
Trinity
Attitude to Learning (Prep 3 – Prep 6) will be reported using the following grading:
1 Excellent 2 Good 3 Inconsistent 4 Poor
Grades awarded will reflect the current attitude to learning of a student as compared to the College’s statement of expectations …
Denstone pupils are…
Pupils who arrive on time with all the right equipment, ready to learn. They are academically ambitious, working hard to improve and go beyond what is expected of them. They are determined and resilient, always try their best and stay focused on their tasks. They are open-minded and reflective, listen to new ideas and act upon feedback. As they grow older, they become more independent, able to work on their own and finish their homework on time, using their own ideas. They take pride in their work, keeping it neat and organised. They are academically curious, always keep asking questions about what they are learning, and they can apply what they know to different situations. They are collaborative, able to work together in groups, helping and supporting each other with their work.
The grade reported by a subject teacher will be based on a consideration of a student’s proximity to all aspects of this statement. Achieving a grade 1 (Excellent) means that a student is, in the view of the subject teacher, consistently meeting all aspects of the criteria. Where a grade 3 (Inconsistent) or grade 4 (Poor) is reported then this will reflect an inconsistency or failure on the part of the student to meet some or all aspects of this statement. Report comments will often highlight such areas for future improvement.
Attainment (Reception – Prep 6)
Attainment grades should be read in conjunction with Attitude to Learning grades and the accompanying teacher comments (where available) to provide context.
Attainment grading on end of term reports follows the following criteria:
Emerging (R): Working towards the expected standard for children in this year. Expected (R): Reached the expected standard for children in this year. Exceeding: Producing work beyond the expectation of children in this year.
There are two parents’ evenings each year. Specific dates are confirmed on our online calendar and further information about how to book appointments at parents’ evenings is sent out prior to the meetings. Parents’ Evenings are held in the Drill Hall.
During the Michaelmas Term, all parents will have the opportunity to meet Form Tutors for a pastoral focused meeting to discuss how your child has settled into school. During the Lent Term, all parents will have the opportunity to attend a parents’ evening with a more academic focus, and will have opportunities to meet a variety of different subject specific teachers to discuss progress. Teachers have many other commitments over the course of a typical Denstone week and, as such, it is generally not possible to stage these discussions at other times although, should you be unable to attend a parents’ evening, please do feel free to contact your son or daughter’s tutor to arrange a conversation with them. In such circumstances tutors will usually be able to collate and pass on brief academic feedback from relevant teachers.