Starting school
What link do you have with partner primary schools?
Settling into a new school quickly and happily is an important building block for future success. This can be an anxious time, so we plan carefully for your child's arrival here. We have close links with our partner junior and primary schools and we work with them to put your child into an appropriate tutor group. A senior member of staff visits them at their current school to answer questions and tell them about Denbigh.
What contact will I have with the school before my child starts at Denbigh?
As a parent of a prospective pupil, we will invite you to a personal meeting with a member of staff to discuss how we can work together to best support your child's learning. We give pupils the opportunity to spend a day in the school towards the end of the summer term of year six so they can experience some lessons, meet staff, find their way around and begin to form new friendships. In July parents and pupils are also invited to an evening where they can meet members of staff and discuss any issues.
What support can my child expect when they arrive in their new school?
When new students arrive in September they have special induction sessions with their form tutor to introduce them to the school. Older students (learning leaders and buddies) are assigned to them to show them round school and keep an eye on them during the first few weeks. They are linked with these buddies' during their first year at the school.
How can I view the school before making a choice?
In October we hold an Open Day and Open Evening when prospective parents have the opportunity to look round school, visit lessons and meet staff, pupils and friends of the school. We encourage parents to use this opportunity to talk to us about the school and what we have to offer before they make a final choice. We also welcome parents to come and meet with us and have a look round at any other time by prior appointment.
How are children admitted to Denbigh?
We always look forward to welcoming new pupils to the school and have an admissions policy, drawn up by governors in agreement with the Local Authority. Parents of children in year 6 of junior or primary school will receive a letter from the Education Authority in October offering a place at the high school that would normally serve families in a particular area. There is also an opportunity to request a place at a different high school.
What are the criteria for being admitted to Denbigh?
We have 224 places available in Year 7. If the number of requests we receive exceeds this figure, then the following criteria, in rank order, have been agreed with governors and the LA for allocating places:
pupils who are "looked after" by a local authority where the person with parental responsibility completes the application form;
pupils living in the catchment area of the school;
on medical grounds supported by a medical certificate;
brothers and sisters of pupils currently attending the school;
on the shortest distance, measured in a straight line, between the main entrance of the school site and the pupil's home address (midpoint, front of house,) with those living closer to the school being accorded higher priority.
