Newsletter from the Head – Week 10
Dear Parents and Guardians
At the time of writing, we are preparing for the most remarkable of events: Speech Day and Prizegiving. I always reflect on these events as a time for celebration, for reflection and critically a time for community pride and today sets to be exactly that. We look forward to spending time together at our first ‘in person’ event since 2019. Our pupils have continued to work hard in all areas of school life and today has been a mere snapshot into all the wonderful work completed in the last year.
Captains
I am delighted to announce the pupil leadership team for next year. Denstonians in the Upper Sixth are all afforded the opportunity to act as a School Prefect and we are looking forward to their leadership of the School. In addition to the Prefect roles, I am delighted to confirm the following:
Captains of College
Nicolás Galí Junquera (H)
Charlotte Joseph (S)
Vice-Captains of College
Oliver Clark (W)
Milli Fryer (Sh)
Captains of Boarding
Alex Garrett (P)
Imogen Cooper (M)
House Captains
Jack Cowgill (H)
Lucas Wood (M)
Helena Deeney (P)
Katie Nelson (S)
Kate Naylor (Sh)
Isaac Cooper (W)
This is a particularly talented and impressive year group of fine leaders and making decisions of this kind is never easy; there will be some disappointment. Please do be reassured that there are many ways to lead and other opportunities will present themselves throughout the year.
Uniform
At this time of year, it is always useful for our boarding houses and pastoral team to have a small supply of uniform ‘spares’ for emergencies. If you are planning on throwing smaller sizes away this term, we would welcome an opportunity to put this to good use here in College. Items which are clean and of good repair can be donated to the Lodge any time before August 1st.
I would also like to take this opportunity to remind parents of the expected standard for general uniform. Pupils are expected to be correctly and appropriately dressed at all times, whether in school uniform, correct sports kit or informal dress. Combinations of school uniform and informal clothing are not allowed. School uniform is worn throughout the working day until the time of day pupils’ departure.
A full list of school uniform is sent to your parents with the joining instructions, and all uniform for First to fifth Form should be purchased from School blazer.
All pupils are to wear jackets except when summer dress is allowed. Girls in the Third Form and above have the option of either continuing to wear the long skirt or to wear the straight skirt; skirts must be a maximum of 2 inches above the knee. Alternatively, girls may wear trousers.
Shoes (no boots or trainers) should be black (Sixth Form may wear brown) and kept clean. They should be suitable for walking around the College campus.
Sixth Form pupils should wear a tailored suit as school uniform. These should be black, mid-dark grey or mid-dark blue. They may have discreet stripes or checks. They may also wear a shirt (or blouse with collar and sleeves for girls) in quiet colours or stripes but not highly patterned as their uniform. Girls may wear either a tailored dress suit, trouser suit or a skirt suit, skirts must be a maximum of 2 inches above the knee - no skirts of a stretchy material are permitted. Sixth Formers are also permitted to wear a standard unbranded V-neck or round neck jumper. These jumpers must not be patterned and should be in quiet colours. Sweat tops and cardigans are not allowed.
Jewellery should be plain and not stand out. Pupils may wear a fine chain around the neck, a ring, and a plain stud in each ear lobe.
Make-up should be discreet and only clear nail varnish is allowed, no acrylic nails or gel nail polish are permitted.
Hair should be clean, neat and tidy and of a natural colour. Length should be no shorter than a grade 3.
All pupils should be clean shaven, with the exception of religious grounds as agreed by the Head.
Sports kit should not be worn in the dining hall except with permission for team teas (usually summer).
Hats may only be worn as part of correct sports equipment and not indoors. Coats (but not hoodies, tracksuits, any sports wear etc) can be worn around school but must not be worn in the dining hall.
Informal dress should be clean, tidy and suitable for school.
Activity Week – Clothing Guidance
Please see the document located on the Parent Site regarding clothing guidance for Activity Week next week. Parents are reminded that, especially where pupils may be spending large parts of the day outside, sunscreen is advisable, but equally given the British summer weather, suitably warm / waterproof outer clothing may also at times be useful.
Staff Updates
At the end of this academic year, Rhys Locke will be leaving Denstone College as a teacher of Spanish. We are grateful for his academic commitment to the pupils and hope to be able to announce his replacement shortly. For exam candidates, arrangements are already in place to ensure continuity of provision.
Concert in the Quad - Reminder
On Thursday 7 July we will be hosting our annual 'Concert in the Quad' event. This concert showcases the College musical ensembles, and takes place in the Lonsdale Quad. We cordially invite parents to bring along a picnic and refreshments to enjoy a summer's evening of music.
The event will start at 7.00pm, and will be around an hour to an hour and a half long.
Sports Finals
We are absolutely delighted to host sports finals next Saturday for the first time since 2019. In order to make the event safer for all concerned, we have made a few changes to how things will run. Please find located on the Parent Site a map of how you can access the event, and the locations at which spectators can watch and set up and tents. As always, we are incredibly grateful for your support of Denstone Sport and the College in general.
Communications Available on the Parent Portal
The following letter can be found on the Parent Portal by visiting https://parents.denstonecollege.org
- Activity Week Clothing Guidance
- Sports Day Map
- Student Mouthguards Letter and Flyer – First Form to Lower Sixth Form
- Girls’ Hockey Pre-Season 2022
As we enter our final week of activities, fixtures and preparation for the next academic year, I look forward to spending further time with you and your children.
With kindest regards,
Lotte
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