Twitter @tcdskent

14/02/25

Always ready to celebrate a day in the calendar, our ladies at Independent Catering, again, pulled out all the stops! Look at these wonderful cakes and biscuits, all made and iced with love for a special day – Happy Valentines everyone and have a great half term break! pic.twitter.com/udqs44vby4

14/02/25

Some lucky pupils across Years 8 to 10 had the pleasure of attending a performance of ‘Matilda’ at the Cambridge Theatre, in London. Pupils were far from “Revolting Children”, and were ecstatic in their praise for the production.#cdsdrama pic.twitter.com/TNLRfQflrf

13/02/25

For the final week of this term’s KS4 Cooking Club, pupils literally smashed it! Each made their own version of a smash burger, where the ground beef is smashed down in the pan as it cooks at a high heat to create a charred finish which is both tender and flavoursome.#cdsfood pic.twitter.com/9WZFBnXDi1

03/02/25

This week is Children’s Mental Health Week, organised by Place2Be. The theme is “Know yourself, grow yourself” and this week, we will be discussing ways that pupils can look after their wellbeing develop their understanding of their own personal journey through Character. pic.twitter.com/WWWPaBt7Aw

31/01/25

Say “hello” to our phone holder, wooden robots proudly created by our Year 7 and 8 pupils who are just coming to the end of their 3 term rotation in Design Technology. Aren’t they quirky! Very colourful, and you would never forget where you put your phone!#cdsDT pic.twitter.com/nWAYaUF77L

31/01/25

CDS has achieved the Association of Character Education quality mark, one of few schools in the country who have achieved this . The quality mark provides recognition for transformative character education which is delivered in an explicit, planned and reflective way. pic.twitter.com/bklt0tLuOa

30/01/25

Y10 pupils attended the second Broadstairs Youth Forum having the opportunity to talk with Cllr Joanne Bright and the Mayor of Broadstairs & St. Peter’s. Their contributions were insightful and mature, showing real engagement in community issues. pic.twitter.com/p8Fc1Zs0Uo

29/01/25

Kooth Talks are running a free parent/carer webinar about the role of Kooth and Qwell in the care for young people with an eating difficulty, Tuesday 25 February and Thursday 27 February at 6pm. Please use this link if you would like to sign up.https://t.co/llyz9bR3sl pic.twitter.com/KFrD91IrLb

29/01/25

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28/01/25

“Cooking for life” KS4 Hospitality Club focused on making loaded potato skins, a great way to use up whatever you have in the fridge and the cupboards to create a delicious and nutritious meal. They tasted amazing! We think you’ll agree they look very tempting.#cdshospitality pic.twitter.com/5cfQJK8hJM

27/01/25

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21/01/25

KS4 Hospitality Club made a chilli-con carne from scratch, folded a wrap parcel and then dry fried it, in a pan, garnished with coriander. A great quick dish for dinner or lunch! Y11 intervention was focused on the high level skills required to make homemade mayonnaise. pic.twitter.com/0o1RNJnwth

20/01/25

A Year 9 CDS pupil attends the “Rays of Sunshine” choir via video call every fortnight. The group recently embarked on a project where a few members of the choir each wrote a verse to create an uplifting song. The video and song are available here:https://t.co/OKA82Zvtgo

20/01/25

Art pupils in Year 7 were asked to research and respond to a range of artists, using a variety of media. They really enjoyed making their personal responses and developing their skills. Well done Year 7 !#cdsvisualarts pic.twitter.com/E8oWa90SNM

17/01/25

Pupils were lucky to be invited to spend the afternoon with the high-risk photographer James Brabazon, a British documentary filmmaker, journalist and author. He took pupils through his journey, recounting events he had experienced while committing to his career. pic.twitter.com/zyXvVNMk3G

15/01/25

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14/01/25

CDS pupils are welcome to join us in Breakfast Club to celebrate National Bagel Day (15 January). Pick up a toasted bagel with a choice of topping for FREE in the canteen from 8:00am to 8:25am. Breakfast Club runs each school morning from 8:00am to 8:25am.#cdsbreakfastclub pic.twitter.com/XsRUYW6WJX

20/12/24

Kooth is still available over the Christmas break for any pupil that may be struggling with their wellbeing. Please see the video for more information. Winter 2024 Education short .mp4 - Google Drive#cdswellbeing pic.twitter.com/aO3wS1G5H3

19/12/24

Thank you to everyone who took part in our “reverse advent” and Christmas foodbank collection this year, for Green Kitchen in Clilftonville. Your contributions will make a huge difference to some families who maybe struggling this year.#cdschristmas pic.twitter.com/SEtXs1af8A

18/12/24

Awards Evening is a chance for the School to celebrate the achievements of its pupils. Thanks go to our special guests, staff who organised and supported this evening, pupils who attended and parents/carers who continually support the progress of their children. pic.twitter.com/EPj1dtOHAq

18/12/24

Y7 music pupils have been learning how to play the djembe drums! They have learnt techniques such as call and response, as well as performing polyrhythms and produced their own notation on a score, then teaching it to their group. Excellent teamwork!#cdsmusic pic.twitter.com/HATUN5RUeB

17/12/24

PRESS RELEASE The Charles Dickens School is the highest performing non-selective school in East Kent for the second consecutive year. pic.twitter.com/8w9OkSAs7D

17/12/24

Congratulations to our CDS Christmas card competition winner, Violet! The design that Violet created has been turned into the School’s Christmas card this year. Well done!#cdschristmas pic.twitter.com/rnm1kVA3Al

17/12/24

The School is incredibly grateful to CT10 Charities for their generous donation towards our CARE boxes. It has allowed us to fully restock all of our boxes for pupils in need of any hygiene products. Thank you!#cdsCARE pic.twitter.com/eMB4SDcEqe

16/12/24

Y11 high skills, hospitality pupils made puff pastry from scratch turning it into these amazingly festive mince pies! Fabulous layering for a light and airy puff pastry treat. A new skill learned in time for the festive season! Well done everyone!#cdshospitality pic.twitter.com/WJfhG4csbB

Curriculum Intent

Our curriculum intention is to prepare students for further education and/or employment with a broadly academic curriculum, which suits the needs of our students. This is done whilst giving the students some autonomy over their studies, allowing them ownership for their learning.

We aim to create well rounded individuals who appreciate right from wrong and understand British values and what these mean in modern day Britain. Through our focus on PSHEE they will be happy, healthy and safe, whilst learning how to be considerate of others, enabling them to become good citizens via SMSC.

Students will leave The Charles Dickens School with a clear vision of, and prepared for, their chosen future. They will be equipped with the qualifications, knowledge, skills and morals needed to succeed.

Overview

At The Charles Dickens School we have developed a curriculum to offer a broad and balanced curriculum, which is both challenging and stimulating. All pupils in Years 7 and 8 will follow the National Curriculum and in Years 9 to 11 they will have the opportunity to study a range of GCSE, Vocational, BTEC, Technical and Creative subjects. The curriculum has been designed to meet the needs of all learners. In Years 9 – 11 our curriculum offers personalised pathways to success and future opportunities in training, Further Education and ultimately in achieving fulfilling careers.

For any pupil who has additional and/or special educational needs we have an outstanding team to support them. We ensure that no child is left behind and all make exceptional progress. Equally, we will ensure any pupil who exhibits exceptional talents will be nurtured to excel.

Students at The Charles Dickens School follow a curriculum that provides opportunity for students to study at a pace that suits each individual.  This curriculum has been designed to allow students to focus on the key knowledge and understanding required whilst eliminating, as far as possible, repetition of topics already covered in primary school.  English, mathematics and science strategies enable students to select a route that meets the individual needs of students.

The advantage of this scheme is a greater degree of flexibility and choice across the whole curriculum as students’ progress from Years 7 – 11.  Students will have the opportunity to choose from a variety of learning pathways which will allow for a personalised curriculum for both GCSE and Technical subjects; thereby selecting subjects that are relevant to their interests and talents, along with providing the appropriate challenge for each individual.