We hope you were able to visit our school at our Year 7 Open Evening on 11th October 2023 but if not then please access our virtual school tour and read all about our learning community.
Denbigh School is a successful forward thinking, 11 – 19 Academy offering an exceptional educational experience to 1750 students on the western flank of Milton Keynes. Our mission is to provide excellent education, care and opportunity to all our students and staff, and we achieve this through our core values of:
• Be Engaged
• Be Kind and Respectful
• Do No Harm
We are recognised nationally for our commitment to excellence in teaching and learning and we play a leading role in the development of education nationally, regionally and locally. We were the founding member of the Denbigh Alliance Multi Academy Trust which also runs Watling Academy and Watling Primary, a new eco-friendly primary school which opened in September 2023. Being part of this dynamic, growing Trust has created opportunities for Denbigh students and staff, helping them to thrive. We embrace the opportunity to challenge ourselves to move forward as a School, while always remaining true to our aim, which is to offer our students the very best life chances.
Virtual Tour
Join us for a virtual tour of our wonderful learning community. Visit each of our faculty areas and take a look at our outstanding Student Support Centre and Meeting Hall. See our dedicated Sixth Form study and social facilities, including their very own Cafe Pronto. Take a virtual walk down our Street where students dine and socialise before moving outside to see our outdoor facilities and sports pitches.
Prospectus
To find out more about our School community, please take some time to read through our 2024 School Prospectus. Our prospectus provides you with an in-depth look into our school values, educational ethos, supportive learning environments and opportunities.
Our Curriculum and Faculties
Please take some time to explore our faculty areas by clicking on the respective links below. Each faculty has a dedicated page on our school website which introduces the faculty and its staff and offers the opportunity to explore their curriculum and the extra-curricular opportunities they offer.
Learning through new opportunities
Our wealth of Creative Arts activities gives students the opportunity to develop as performers, artists and individuals. Our students benefit from bespoke Creative Arts accommodation, including a theatre space and dance, drama and art studios. Students can showcase their talents in events and exhibitions throughout the year. We are a ‘Music Mark’ school in recognition of the outstanding music education we offer our students.
Denbigh has a reputation for sporting excellence and participation across Milton Keynes and beyond. We have won ‘Secondary School of the Year’ at the Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Sports Awards Ceremony, for being the best secondary school in Buckinghamshire and encouraging our students, particularly girls, to participate in school sport. SportMK has also awarded us the ‘MK Secondary School Sports Achiever of the Year Award’ four times. We run an innovative Sports Performance Programme, which provides our cohort of elite sports students with support and advice on how to balance their academic studies with training demands.
Our Enrichment Day Programme allows students to come off timetable for three days throughout the year to learn beyond the curriculum, develop life skills, plan for their future and experience local and national visitor attractions. Our students benefit from an extensive range of curriculum related trips including theatre and museum visits, Science and Geography field trips and visits to successful companies.
Sixth Form students can experience the trip of a lifetime through our World Challenge Programme. This has enabled our students to visit Malaysia, Tanzania, India, Peru, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and China and most recently, Ecuador.
We believe students’ knowledge and confidence can be enhanced greatly by competing against their peers and therefore our students enter a large range of regional, national and international competitions with much success.
Our students can also choose from a wide range of lunchtime and after school extra-curricular clubs.
We are a licensing centre for the Duke of Edinburgh Programme (DoE) and commit to support every student who wishes to participate in this popular national award scheme.
House Ethos
We have a strong House ethos with all students and staff becoming a member of one of our five houses: Brunel, Curie, Darwin, Newton and Stephenson. Our staff House Champions work closely with the House Councils and student House Presidents Leadership teams to provide opportunities for inter-house events and competitions when students and staff represent their House with pride. They are are a visible presence for students, providing aspirational role models and encouragement. Inter-house competitions include events such as the Denbigh MasterChef, Denbigh Spelling Bee, quizzes, tug of war and dodgeball. Students also represent their houses during our annual Sports Week in the summer term. The House system drives our charity fundraising activities, with each House nominating its own charity to raise funds for.
Student Voice
Student voice is very important to us at Denbigh School and is led through three strands:
- Student and House Council
- Satellite Groups
- Students as learning partners
Student Council
Our Student Council meets twice a week and our House Councils meet once a week. Students on these councils have been through an election and nomination process to reach their position or through an application process. They are supported by a member of the Senior Leadership Team and present at Leadership Team meetings. The House and Student Councils are run by the students with an elected president and vice president taking the lead.
Purpose of Student Councils
- To give students an opportunity to contribute towards decision-making, which will be supportive of their educational experiences at Denbigh.
- To give students an opportunity to contribute directly towards teaching and learning at Denbigh School.
- To provide practical opportunities for students to be involved in democratic processes.
- To provide opportunities to support charities.
Satellite Groups
We have Satellite groups set up through the Student Council that students can join, or even create. The Satellite groups relate to areas that students are interested in and want to promote and work towards within school. Some of our Satellite groups have included Eco schools, Youth SACRE, ICT and Remembrance.
Students as Learning Partners
Students are trained to work with teachers to support teaching and learning in the school. After students are trained, they work with a teacher over the year. They meet with the teacher to agree a focus for the observation, observe a lesson and then feedback to the teacher. Teachers appreciate working with students in this way. It supports them to understand the students’ learning from a different perspective. Students appreciate the training; they are able to gain real insight into the teaching and learning process and feel that they have an impact on the lessons taught in school.
Heads of Year (Pastoral and Progress Support)
Each year group has two Heads of Year, who oversee the academic and pastoral progress of students. They work closely with Tutors, class teachers, support staff and parents to support students throughout their time at Denbigh.
Pastoral Support
We have a dedicated team of teaching and support staff who provide individual and group support to students. Our Pastoral support is based around getting to know and understanding the needs of our students. We believe that providing routines and structure throughout our school community enable students to feel safe and achieve.
The Pastoral team, including our Pastoral Heads of Year, work closely with support staff, including our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities team, to provide support that is focused on the needs of our students. Support may be provided by our School Counsellor, Pastoral Mentor, Pastoral Assistant, Teaching Assistants and staff with specialist roles within the school. Some students may also receive support from professionals from outside our school community and we facilitate this support wherever possible.
Tutors
Your child’s Tutor is also a vital part of their Pastoral Team. The Tutor will be your main point of contact at Denbigh School and students meet with their Tutor every morning. Tutors will monitor all aspects of school life and provide consistent support throughout each week including the celebrations of achievements and outstanding contributions of our students. During Tutorial sessions, students will follow a programme of study incorporating PSHEE, structured around our school values of ‘be engaged, be kind and respectful and do no harm’.
Progress Support
The key role of the Progress Heads of Year is to ensure that students maximise the academic and pastoral opportunities that are available at Denbigh School. They work very closely with the Pastoral Head of Year to provide high quality student care for all our students.
Each Head of Year stays with their students as they move through the school; this ensures that there is a continuity of support. Our goal is that, when students reach Year 11, they have the confidence and ability to reach their potential in GCSE assessments and examinations and take their next steps with confidence.
Achievement
The Progress Heads of Year have a range of data and information which they can consult for each student. Students are expected to complete their homework and be engaged in their learning and part of the Head of Year’s role is to celebrate this. This positive culture motivates all students to contribute and succeed. Heads of Year also celebrate the achievements of students in extra-curricular activities including within Creative Arts, Sports, and charity work in the community.
Monitoring of the academic progress that every student is making enables proactive support. The Progress Heads of Year co-ordinate intervention when required, for example, one-to-one mentoring, additional sessions and bespoke careers advice. The Progress Heads of Year are also integral when considering students’ GCSE options and ensuring that students and parents are fully informed regarding their curriculum choices.
Questions/Queries
If you have any questions or queries, we would love to hear from you.
Please complete a query form through the Contact Us page of our website.
