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

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Cultural Capital

Developing Cultural Capital

Cultural capital is defined as the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours, and skills that a student can draw upon and which demonstrates their cultural awareness, knowledge and competence; it is one of the key ingredients a student will draw upon to be successful in society, their career and the world of work. At The Charles Dickens School we work to build our student aspirations and expose them to a range of experiences to helps them achieve goals and become successful.

We recognise that for students to aspire and be successful academically and in the wider areas of their lives, they need to be given rich and varied opportunities to develop their cultural capital. We do this in many ways, for example, through our curriculum, cultural capital days, extra-curricular activities, trips and visits and careers activities.

At The Charles Dickens School pupils follow a Cultural Capital Journey which spans 5 year of rich and diverse opportunities, this is planned and continually evolved to ensure pupils are exposed to a range of high and popular culture, alongside enrichment based opportunities.

We recognise that there are six key areas of development that are interrelated and contribute to building a student’s cultural capital:

  1. Personal Development
  2. Social Development, including political, current affairs awareness and debate
  3. Physical development
  4. Spiritual development
  5. Moral development
  6. Cultural development

We strongly believe that there can be nothing can be more important for our children’s education than ensuring they are supported to be the best they can be within our ever changing, diverse society that ensures everyone has an equal opportunity to live, learn, and achieve.

 

Personal Development

Careers and Information, advice and guidance provision; 

Personal Finance Education;

Employability skills,  

Personal, Social and Health Education curriculum; 

The school’s wider pastoral programme, PSHE drop-down and bitesize sessions;

Transition support and induction; 

Work to develop confidence e.g. debate clubs and interview skills workshops; 

Scholars Programme and Brilliant Club;

College ‘Bowl’ Competitions;

Activities focused on building self-esteem; 

Mental Health & well-being provision – Wellbeing Club, Mindfulness Training; 

Thematic Assemblies and Contextual Safeguarding Calendar

Social Development

PSHE curriculum; 

Form time curriculum; 

Whole School Charity work and Year Group fundraising activities; 

Pupil Voice – Debate and Activism; 

Social and Emotional Interventions Access; 

DFE Healthy Schools’ Accreditation; 

Access to CDS three levels of support (universal, specialised and bespoke) 

College competitions; 

 

Physical Development

Physical Education curriculum; 

Links with local sports clubs; 

Healthy Eating policies and catering provision; 

Anti-bullying and safeguarding policies and strategies; 

The health, drugs, alcohol, smoking and sex and relationships and elements of the PSHE curriculum; 

Extra-curricular activities available including Duke of Edinburgh Award;

Activity-based residentials; 

Food preparation and nutrition curriculum; 

Spiritual Development

The Religious Education/Ethics and Philosophy Curriculum; 

Our collective acts of worship and reflection; 

Support for the expression of individual faiths; 

School-linking activities – locally, nationally and internationally; 

The Assembly programme; 

Christian Workers Charitable Trust assemblies and outreach; 

 

Moral Development

The Religious Education/Ethics and Philosophy Curriculum; 

Behaviour Management policies, a culture of restorative justice approaches

Contributions to local, national and international charitable projects; 

Christian Workers Charitable Trust assemblies and outreach; 

Pastoral Programme; 

 

Cultural Development

Cultural Capital Programme

Educate and Celebrate ‘Bronze’ Award 

Youth Pride Network and ‘Pride’ Ambassadors

Access to the Arts; 

Access to the languages and cultures of other countries through the curriculum and trips and visits; 

Access to both high and popular culture through curriculum intent and enrichment opportunities

Promotion of racial equality and community cohesion through the school’s ethos; 

CDS ‘CARE’ values; 

Anti-Bullying Ambassadors through the ‘Diana Award’.

Assembly programme; 

Pastoral Programme

 

 

Documents

Cultural Capital  
Cultural Capital Overview Download
Year 7 Route Map Download
Year 8 Route Map Download
Year 9 Route Map Download
Year 10 Route Map Download
Year 11 Route Map Download