As usual on a Friday I went to Chapel at Dover College. The Infant & Junior School (IJD) attend Chapel on a Wednesday and a Friday and the Friday service is a Celebration Assembly that parents are encouraged to attend.
The Chapel is in the grounds, a beautiful 11th Century church, and the service is given by Dover College’s own Reverend Katie Jones.
Building Confidence
I love Friday mornings. It really sums up what this private school is all about for me. We start with a hymn (which takes me back to my own school days!) and then two students do readings from the front using the microphone. I am astounded every week with the quality and confidence of their reading especially given that they are doing it in front of their school chums and assorted teachers and parents. How nerve wracking must that be?
Rev Jones then hands over to Mrs Miller, Head of the IJD, and Mr Jones, Headmaster of Dover College Independent School who go on to present various pupils with various awards.
Celebration of Success and Achievement
We have red certificates for particularly good achievements and efforts made during the week both academic and personal/social; children sharing their achievements from outside school, like swimming certificates, ski badges, scouting awards, completing excellent holiday diaries and so on who all get ‘Headmaster’s Wristbands’ to wear to show their achievement, pupils getting bronze, silver and gold stars for reaching certain levels of house points during the year; and we usually finish by singing Happy Birthday to at least one child!
Good Manners and Exemplary Behaviour
There are announcements and notices. For example last week Mrs Miller thanked the pupils who went on the recent school skiing trip for their behaviour and manners whilst they were away. She said that at every point they were complimented: at the airport, on the plane, at the hotel, by the ski school. She said it was a real pleasure for those teachers who went to accompany them and that everyone should be very proud.
We finish Chapel with a topical prayer followed by the Lord’s Prayer and then all the smartly dressed, extremely well behaved children troop out and go off to their lessons (with a few waves and kisses for parents amongst the Pre-Reception and Reception children!) while the parents go to the Sixth Form Common Room (empty at that time in the morning!) for coffee and a chance to catch up with each other (and try and learn some names other than ’someone’s Mummy’!).
I think all prospective parents should come to Friday Chapel as part of their review of the school. I think it really shows Dover College Independent School and its pupils at its best.
