insideKENT Magazine Issue 24 - March 2014 | Page 45
EDUCATION
Dover College
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
'BECAUSE CONFIDENCE MATTERS'
Dover College is an independent day and
boarding school for girls and boys aged 3-18
years. The school is dynamic and small enough
– 330 pupils – to provide a disciplined and caring
environment with small class sizes enabling pupils
to work to their individual best.
Pupils benefit enormously from the excellent
teaching they receive here and the breadth of
education on offer. They leave the school with
qualifications, skills and the experience needed
to face the future with confidence.
Most day pupils live within a 25-mile radius
to Dover College and the dedicated minibus
service operates in various locations within
that range.
Infants and Juniors enjoy a well-balanced
curriculum, enabling them to succeed and to
acquire other life essential skills both inside and
outside of the classroom.
Strong moral values such as discipline and
respect for one another go hand in hand with
the breadth of academic and extra-curricular
activities already available at Dover College. Pupils
benefit from having access to all facilities of the
school, including the Astroturf, Playing Fields,
Sports Hall, ICT Centre, Music School and Dance
Studio. The homemade healthy food served to
all pupils in the 12th- century Harry Potter style
Refectory is all part of the healthy ethos the
school believes in.
The Senior School is not academically
selective. Entrance to the school is generally via
the school’s own entrance test and interview at
11+, common entrance at the age of 13 or on
the strength of reports and public examinations,
for example GCSEs, which have been taken
elsewhere. In order to stretch the brightest pupils
and to support pupils who find academic work
more challenging, subject teachers are well versed
in the practice of differentiation. Extension work
is frequently set for the capable academics and
reinforcement work for those pupils who need
it. Pu pils can enter the school at any level and
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often achieve far better than their potential
suggests on entry to Dover College.
The Sixth Form is very vibrant thanks to
its highly flexible curriculum. Pupils generally
choose four subjects to study at AS level in the
Lower Sixth Form and three at A2 level in the
Upper Sixth Form. A number of pupils opt to
follow BTEC courses in Sport, Health and Social
Care, Business Studies and Leisure and Tourism.
The broad-based provision of subjects is tailored
to meet the needs and aspirations of the broad
mix of pupils within the school.
A dedicated in-house Careers Officer gives
sound and sensible careers and UCAS advice.
Most pupils go on to Higher Education but when
appropriate, pupils are encouraged to enter the
world of employment, directly from school.
'Because confidence matters' is Dover
College's ethos. The teaching and co-curricular
activities are designed to foster self-confidence
and develop leadership skills. To arrange a visit
of this little oasis in the heart of Dover, please
contact Jane Ivor-Jones on 01304 244522.
Dover College
Effingham Crescent
Dover, Kent
CT17 9RH
www.dovercollege.org.uk