Twitter @tcdskent

18/03/24

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18/03/24

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14/03/24

Y11 HSC pupils enjoyed a trip to the Canterbury Christ Church University Health and Social Care Simulation Suite. They were thought provoked and inspired by many interesting and engaging activities linked to higher education and future careers in the NHS and Social Care. pic.twitter.com/AYn0TrHDob

14/03/24

Y9 HSC pupils enjoyed workshops provided by the Canterbury Christ Church University Health and Social Care Outreach and Engagement Team. They took part in lots of activities. A very interesting and engaging session, enjoyed by all who took part.#cdsy9 pic.twitter.com/0wNLFC47Sb

13/03/24

is a crusade to drive change showing that football can, and should, be played by girls. You may have heard about it in the news a few days ago. This year’s event coincided with International Women’s Day, and we took Year 10 pupils to the event hosted at Ramsgate FC pic.twitter.com/c3DbVKvKjY

13/03/24

Y8 pupils took part in a dodgeball tournament in Folkestone playing different schools from all over Kent.Pupils worked extremely hard and played brilliantly, showing great teamwork and commitment. CDS played 9 games and finished the tournament undefeated! Well done! pic.twitter.com/fexje8fz6h

13/03/24

CMK Connect Programme is an opportunity for you to get active, take time for self-care, make new connections, learn new skills, develop positive habits, build confidence, and boost your overall wellbeing.More information can be found at their websitehttps://t.co/ixb7zNlCEQ pic.twitter.com/JbQknF5NYn

13/03/24

Any Year 9 girls interested in Engineering? This Summer School opportunity is fantastic!Sign yourself up!https://t.co/CELL4ULMtz#cdsDT

13/03/24

We are looking at the benefits of running. How does running improve wellbeing? You feel less worked up or irritated after a good run. Running relaxes the body and brain, at the same time. Here is a beginners guide if you would like to start running and not sure where to begin. pic.twitter.com/xq5562NI52

13/03/24

If you are worried about your child’s anxiety or have concerns about emotional based school avoidance, please contact their Head of Year for more support.#cdswellbeing pic.twitter.com/Yzl2tO7Whh

08/03/24

Y8 pupils had a fantastic session with Christ Church University in Canterbury! They completed a ‘More Than One Direction’ workshop which followed the journey from GCSE options, to sixth form and college choices and then all the way through to career options. pic.twitter.com/pIKiLTXt5w

08/03/24

Please see the attached poster for an upcoming event for our local Community Clothes Bank. pic.twitter.com/MwfrnsCEbI

07/03/24

Looking for something to occupy your Year 6 to 10 children this Easter holiday? Why not book into our own CDS Holiday Camp? See the attached poster for more details.#cdsHAF pic.twitter.com/QjZKZKaqEi

07/03/24

As part of World Book Day, our Dance Crew have been creating a piece to ‘A Cover is not the book’ from the film Mary Poppins Returns. Thanks to Author David Lee Stone for donating 30 books for our CDS Crew Dance Performance.#cdsdance pic.twitter.com/u69ola3WHL

06/03/24

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05/03/24

Congratulations to all of our Y7-10 ‘Take it Further’ Competition Winners! A range of work was submitted on a number of topics including the impact of AI on advertising, designing their own business and creating appropriate food for a toddler, amongst others.#TIF pic.twitter.com/RgovoxBO2r

04/03/24

It’s up to all of us to keep children safe. That’s why the NSPCC are encouraging every adult in the UK to Listen up, Speak up. They have launched a new, free, training session for all parents to help them keep young people safe. https://t.co/CDDhOdVKQe pic.twitter.com/wSfKyQNkBy

29/02/24

Pupils from Y8 delivered French and Spanish lessons to Y3 pupils at Upton School.This is part of their Language Leader’s Award. Pupils must prepare, and deliver, 3 lessons to primary school pupils which they have created themselves.Well done to all involved!#cdsmfl pic.twitter.com/F2mwQ5o2zN

29/02/24

Y7 undertook training from Community Lifesavers!This is a project which provides first-aid training for all Y7 pupils across the district and involves learning how to administer CPR and be able to use a defibrillator. Vital life skills! Well done Year 7!#Year7 pic.twitter.com/pGFLgKcvDQ

21/02/24

It’s Wellbeing Wednesday! - How do we teach ourselves to receive love? To be loved and nurtured by others is a basic human need. It is one of the main experiences in life that helps us grow into the best versions of ourselves. pic.twitter.com/fniwl4cp4Y

09/02/24

Attached is some information about FREE wellbeing activities that are taking place over February half term for young people aged 13-17 years in Thanet.More information about the programme can be found at https://t.co/QOKpbIgBlb via Instagram at . pic.twitter.com/mf3fmDmSPH

09/02/24

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06/02/24

9x1, 10x1 & 10x2 mathematics pupils entered into the UKMT Maths Challenge. This was an online challenge, testing logical abilities and problem solving skills. A big shout out to all who took part, we are very proud. Now to wait for the results!https://t.co/1RZtxaEPiH#cdsmaths pic.twitter.com/Z2Pt7DUjyD

02/02/24

This week’s Hospitality Skills Club saw pupils mastering the art of sushi making!Some great results and many headed off home with the intention of making more.#cdshospitality pic.twitter.com/567uzi6zQu

02/02/24

Y7 and 8 pupils worked with staff from Margate Turner Contemporary to create a range of abstract sculptures.Under the theme ‘Adapt’, pupils were challenged to create group sculptures but without talking to each other! How did they know what they were making?#cdsvisualarts pic.twitter.com/NAuIO7GhHr

Careers Advice

As part of improving the quality and effectiveness of The Charles Dickens Careers Education and Guidance for our students, Mrs Read (Lead teacher for Careers Education, Information and Guidance) and Mr Weller (Lead teacher for Gifted and Talented students) are working with governors, heads of year, teaching staff, students, parents, external agencies, further education institutions and businesses so that The Charles Dickens School continues to ensure that our students receive excellent Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG).

Contact details for key staff:

Mrs Read, Lead teacher for Careers Education
Email: eread@cds.kent.sch.uk Phone: 01843 862988 EXT: 1869

Mr Weller, Lead teacher for Gifted and Talented students
Email: aweller@cds.kent.sch.uk

The Charles Dickens School is working to achieve the 8 Gatsby Careers Benchmarks, which reflect international best practice, to improve careers provision. As a school, we will be ensuring that all 8 Gatsby Benchmarks are implemented by September 2020.

The school has used Compass, an online self-evaluation tool, to assess how careers support compares against the Gatsby Benchmarks and the national average. We have baselined ourselves using this tool to improve our careers programme based on these results, and track the school’s progress against the Benchmarks over time. A tracker planning tool will be used to help record activities clearly and easily, and will identify how the school is meeting the Benchmark scores. This is the key tool that we use to measure the impact of our Careers work across the school and is reviewed every six months to ensure that progress is being made and impacting the development of all of our students.

The Charles Dickens School is working with The Education Business Partnership (EBP) which will provide external support to the school. The aim will be for every student from Year 7 -11 to have at least one meaningful encounter each year with employers and that these encounters will inspire pupils and allow them to learn about what work is like, or what it takes to be successful in the workforce. In addition to this, the schools aim is for all or the majority of pupils to have encounters with further or higher education establishment. Students will have encounters with these organisations whilst in school (in addition to the access we provide to apprenticeships and universities).

From Year 7 through to Year 11 students are encouraged to actively develop knowledge and skills that contribute to their preparations for the world of employment across a range of subjects, tutor time and dedicated focus days.  Activities, including business and enterprise projects as well as workshops and specialist speakers, support our provision for our students.

In February the school hosts a Careers Fayre for all students.  This event involves 50 local and national business, who working with school staff and our partner EBP, meet with students from all year groups.  All students will have an opportunity to explore a wide range of career opportunities and discuss these with the employers.  This event ties in with the year 11 making their post 16 plans and also the year 8 students choosing their options.

In order to ensure all students have 24/7 access to resources that support CEIAG, there are dedicated areas in the Learner Portal for Careers as well as links to the online software packages and other useful sites to support decision making.

We are also able to ensure that all students have access to independent Careers advice through our Careers Advisor Juliet Lasslett. She is available in school and offers confidential guidance and support to students about careers, education, training and job options, as well as other issues such as health, money, relationships, and housing. All students will have a range of opportunities to work with Mrs Lasslett. Any student who would like a Careers interview should speak with their HOY who will arrange this for them.  The Charles Dickens School offers a general programme of group sessions for year 8 students on choosing GCSE options, individual interviews with actions plans for year 11 students, and attendance at parents’ evenings and options evenings to give advice for parents.

A Personal Advisor can work with you to help prepare your son or daughter for the future. There might be particular times when you need our help, for example when your son or daughter:

  • is starting to think about their GCSE subject choices at Key Stage 3
  • is considering their options after Year 11. Personal advisors can give them advice and guidance on staying on in full-time education, starting work, training, work-based learning or apprenticeships
  • may be experiencing difficulties and they need extra support to get back on track
  • needs advice on the benefits available to them to support their progression through education and training
  • has a learning difficulty or disability and needs help with their next steps

Every pupil, and their parents/carers, should have access to good quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. The National Careers Service offers information and professional advice about education, training and work to adults and young people aged 13 years and over. Pupils and their parents/carers can access support via a website, helpline and web chat. For more information see the websites listed below:

https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk

https://www.bestcourse4me.com

https://www.unifrog.org/