Denbigh High School
Located in Luton, Bedfordshire, Denbigh High School has a strong local and national reputation as an outstanding school. We have 1120 students between the ages of 11 and 16 and are a high-achieving school with an excellent track record for academic and wider achievement. Driven by our core value statement, ‘high achievement for all is our shared responsibility’, we are completely committed to inspiring and supporting our students so that they seek excellence in all aspects of school life – regardless of their ability or background.
As a result of the implementation of a successful Technology for Learning Strategy, the school has achieved both national and international recognition, with achievements over the past seven years including students presenting at the BETT Show, The Academies Show, at WE Day UK (at Wembley Arena) and on BBC World News. Students have also won the BAME Microsoft Schools Award and five awards at the national Apps for Good Awards, including the School of the Year award. In 2017 we introduced a Chromebook Scheme which parents “opt in” to, and we now have 1:1 devices across all year groups.
In 2018, 2019 and 2020 the school hosted international Technology for Learning visits from senior representatives from the Ministère de l’Education Nationale in Paris. The Chartered College of Teaching recognised the school as working at the cutting edge of pedagogy by filming a range of staff speaking about their practice and showcasing lessons for the CCoT’s two online Technology for Learning courses. In 2019 Denbigh was selected as an EdTech 50 school - one of the top 50 schools in the UK for effective use of technology to support and enhance learning. In 2021, Denbigh’s Director of Technology for Learning was chosen as a finalist for the Digital Innovator of the Year Award at the Pearson National Teaching Awards.
Finally, UNESCO has selected the school as one of just a handful of case studies illustrating worldwide best practice in the use of mobile devices to support attainment for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Denbigh case study and the practice that is shared morewidely across the Chiltern Learning Trust is hosted on the UNESCO website and has been showcased in a UNESCO publication which was disseminated to governments across the world.
2) As part of our work during the last phase of the EdTech programme we appointed a large number of Digital Practitioners across both schools. These Digital Practitioners comprise both teaching and support staff, which enabled us to offer 1 to 1 clinics and small group support to schools as well as whole school live training and webinars. This supported the work of the Project Leads across both schools who looked at developing strategy and practice with Trust CEOs and School Leaders. A number of our Digital Practitioners also led sessions at the National EdTech Summit and featured in online panel discussions throughout the year.
3) Moving forwards, we are happy to support schools in any of the areas of focus. Our Project Leads and Digital Practitioners have a wide range of expertise in different areas so we can offer a comprehensive programme of support to whichever schools we are matched with. In addition to the school/ college recovery, reducing teacher workload, school/ college improvement plans, school / college resource management and securing an accessible and inclusive curriculum, we are also able to offer significant support with 1:1 device scheme implementation.