INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS
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Denstone College welcomes overseas pupils from a range of countries within Europe and further afield. They bring with them valuable cultural diversity. Our international students are fully integrated into Denstone and as full boarders they are an important part of our boarding school community.
International Places
A number of overseas pupils join Denstone for their GCSE and A level education or sooner, and we usually encourage applicants to come to us via an education agency based in their home country. The agency will then administer the application process, as we use CAT 4 assessments for entry. This makes the whole process easier for overseas families.
Pastoral Care
Students from overseas have particular and special needs and requirements and we have been complimented many times on the standard of care we provide. Above all they need to be assisted with the demands of boarding school life so far away from home. To begin with pupils miss family and friends; there are new expectations and often language difficulties. All students have a personal tutor who specialises in their age group, to offer support and guidance, and to keep in touch with the family.
Pupils are encouraged to share cultural events, for example Chinese New Year celebrations and international evenings, where pupils showcase their countries. In return, every day brings with it a taste of British school life.
Inspectors regularly remark on the “Excellent” pastoral care at the College, which is described as “complex but highly effective”. The welfare and happiness of all our children, including those far from home is very important to us and we work hard to make it happen.
If you are looking for an excellent UK boarding school which delivers excellence in the classroom, on the stage, on the sports field and in the boarding house, then please do consider a Denstone College education.
Studying for English Exams and Higher Education
The Learning Support Department aims to help pupils achieve to the best of their ability in curriculum subjects and to equip them with learning strategies which will benefit them beyond their time at Denstone. It provides help to a range of pupils including overseas children. English as an Additional Language (EAL) lessons are available on an extra-curricular or rota basis, often in place of a modern foreign language, or during Activities. We can also offer support in maths, literacy and study support.
The full range of core subjects and options that we offer is open to all overseas students to meet their needs and to develop their interests. Students in the Sixth Form are prepared well for British and overseas universities, and offered individual advice on courses and careers. Destinations include the USA, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong as well as the Russell Group and the Times Top Twenty. Most recently overseas pupils have left us for St Martin’s Chelsea, Warwick and Bristol. This year pupils have secured offers from Oxbridge, and include three for Medicine, two for Veterinary Science and one for Dentistry.
Short Term Students
A small number of pupils join us for a shorter period of time, usually for a year, but occasionally for one or two terms. They use their time at Denstone to improve their English, play their key sports, enjoy our fabulous Music School, but also to develop responsibility and initiative – and of course to make good friends, sometimes for life. In recent years, students from Germany, France and Spain have enjoyed their time with us and made some wonderful contributions to school life.
Location
Denstone College is on the Derbyshire/Staffordshire border, in the Midlands. The A50 makes it very accessible indeed by air, rail and road, and it is within an hour of three international airports.
Travel arrangements can be coordinated through the school. We have a number of drivers and locally trusted taxi companies who will ensure safe transportation for pupils at the end and beginning of term.
Denstone is a safe, rural campus, within easy reach of several major cities.
Life beyond the classroom
We believe that it is important that our pupils experience much more than the school environment and classroom teaching. This is especially important for our international students so that they develop their knowledge of England and her institutions. There is an excellent programme of trips and visits on offer every year.
