Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School is an historic school in Dronfield, Derbyshire tracing its roots back to the formation of the original Henry Fanshawe School in 1579. The current school was created in September 1990 with the merger of the original school with both Gosforth and Gladys Buxton schools. Following an Ofsted rating of Outstanding in November 2015 the school was designated as a National Support School and works with other institutions to support and facilitate improvements.

Students are both challenged and provide with support to achieve their full potential across a wide range of curricular and additional opportunities.  This includes official Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification supplied by Prodigy Learning.  Students are supported and encouraged to sit this valuable employability certification which helps to prepare them for entry into the wider world with key digital skills demanded by today’s employers.  Dronfield Henry Fanshawe have been offering MOS certification since September 2015 and in  this academic year they have already completed over 500 exams across the school.

Richard Potts (Head of IT, Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School) said: “Since the introduction of the Computer Science National Curriculum, we began to see the IT skills of our school leavers diminishing. Computer Science is very important, but employers still need recruits with strong word processing and spreadsheet skills. Similarly, universities need students who have the skills to word process a report or dissertation. We believe that official Microsoft Office Specialist certification (including Office Master) provides our students with these important key skills. Further to this, as an internationally recognised qualification, MOS is giving our students a crucial advantage in the employment and higher education markets.”

Andrew Lenehan (Regional Account Manager, Prodigy Learning) added: “The results from Dronfield Henry Fanshawe have been exceptional. To hit the milestone of 500 exams in one school year is a testament to the broad, forward thinking focus at the school. Having these globally recognised qualifications when going on to university and the world of work will be invaluable. We know that digital skills are one of the biggest areas of concern across the country. Having recognised this, Dronfield Henry Fanshawe are setting their students apart from their peers. Wherever students from the school go into work around the world they will have a qualification that is recognised by potential employers.”

Dronfield Henry Fanshawe are one of an increasing number of schools across the country who are recognising the importance of professional certification when preparing students for the future. For further details about Microsoft Office Specialist and other industry recognised qualifications from Adobe and Autodesk, see www.prodigylearning.com.