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29/10/25

CDS has partnered with the UK’s biggest parent charity, Parentkind, to create a new parenting language survey which allows parents and carers to discover ways to support their children and will help the school to work better with its community.

29/10/25

You probably know that Sparx Maths is our homework platform – here are this week’s stats from the online learning platform. Remember – If you have any queries relating to the maths homework or Sparx Maths, approach your child’s maths teacher in the first instance.

29/10/25

At the end of Term 1 we were proud to present our inaugural Mayor of Broadstairs Award badges to Year 8 and 9 pupils. Over the last year these pupils committed themselves to this new award, a real testament to their character.  Thanks to Cllr Mike Garner, Mayor of Broadstairs.

15/10/25

CDS uses Sparx Maths for maths homework setting and from their online learning platform we receive statistics, each week, on how our pupils are progressing and whether extra support is needed.  We will publish our overview of Sparx Maths each week for your information.

15/10/25

KS4 Life Skills Cooking Club upped their skills in piping to make some beautiful, sweet and crumbly, vanilla flavoured Viennese biscuits. Perfect with a cuppa after a long day! Great piping skills, they look very professional!

14/10/25

Pupils headed to the Detling showground for a fantastic event all about mental health and wellbeing. The ‘Big Mental Health Conversation’ event was packed with inspiring workshops and tips on how to look after your own mental health.    

13/10/25

We are so proud to announce that we have received the Kent School Award for Resilience and Emotional Wellbeing this year.  The award celebrates our whole-school approach to creating a positive and caring environment where every pupil feels valued and supported.

10/10/25

The Emotional Wellbeing Team are running a free online session for parents wishing to understand more about autism. This takes place on 2 December at 5:30-7:30pm. If you are interested in signing up, please do so via this link:  events.teams.microsoft.com/e…

10/10/25

The Emotional Wellbeing Team are running a free online session for parents to help better understand the changes that happen in the adolescent brain. This takes place on 16 November at 6pm. If you are interested in signing up, please do so via this link:  events.teams.microsoft.com/e…

10/10/25

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09/10/25

We’re proud to announce that we’ve been awarded the Equalities Silver Award! This recognition reflects ongoing commitment to creating an inclusive, respectful, and equitable environment for everyone.      

07/10/25

Pupils attended the Crime and Punishment workshop at the Tower of London where they learnt about the lives of prisoners and the concept of crime and punishment in the Tower’s history.  This was part of their own study of history, on the topic of Elizabethan England.

07/10/25

We are extremely proud of our Eco-Schools Team who have  completed the Eco-Schools seven step framework to receive Green Flag status, forming their Eco-Committee and conducting an environmental review of the school. They now have an action plan and are monitoring projects.

02/10/25

Year 11 pupils joined The Broadstairs Youth Forum, a Broadstairs & St. Peter's Town Council initiative where young people from local schools meet to discuss local issues, share their ideas for improving the area, and work on collaborative projects that benefit the community.

02/10/25

This week’s KS4 Life Skills Cooking Club went tropical making a delicious mango salsa, learning how to remove the mango stone and cut the fruit ‘hedgehog’ style before  creating the base for their salsa. It was a lesson in precision cutting – well done to all!

01/10/25

Do you have a child starting in September 2026? Come along to our Open Evenings and Mornings; please book for the Headteacher talks via our website:https://t.co/ITjphmVzH1 pic.twitter.com/y7ffSYeeeV

30/09/25

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26/09/25

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26/09/25

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25/09/25

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25/09/25

KS4 Cooking Life Skills Club focused on making homemade chicken tenders, a healthier alternative to takeaway food! Great work everyone, and for many pupils a delicious snack on the way home from school!  

22/09/25

The photos here are pupils that were successful in being chosen to trial for the Chelsea FC Pathway.  They represented the school amazingly and played really well.  Each of them made it through to the next stage and have now been asked to join the pathway programme.

19/09/25

Some of our budding football stars were given the opportunity to work with Chelsea Football Club, in school, to pre-trial in sessions for the Chelsea FC Pathway.  10 pupils have been invited to join the trial for this Pathway this evening.  Good luck to them all !!

19/09/25

Due to a sports fixture we are having to cancel Girls Football Club on Tuesday 23 September.  Apologies for any inconvenience.

19/09/25

Back by popular demand! This week at KS4 Life Cooking Skills Club we made chocolate brownies! Gooey, and warm, and a great way to welcome the changing season with comforting home cooked food. Don’t they look delicious!  

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Gifted & Talented

Vision and Mission

At The Charles Dickens School we wish to nurture and develop all students and to provide an environment rich in opportunities for learning and for the development of individual gifts and talents.

We aim to inspire our students to be global citizens prepared for the exciting opportunities and challenges of today’s world. They will be encouraged to develop thinking skills that can be applied across disciplines, to learn languages which will allow them to communicate with confidence, and to develop the skills of leadership, collaboration and self-knowledge essential for happiness and personal fulfilment.

Each student at The Charles Dickens School is unique and our programmes are designed to support the developing needs of our students. The Gifted and Talented programmes are created to ensure the very best success for those students identified as having a particular gift or talent but are also open to all students who wish to aim high and achieve the very best in their academic and personal development.

Our partnership with Barton Court Grammar School will allow us to share ideas, resources and best practice to ensure all students have access to opportunities to stretch and challenge in all subjects to encourage academic excellence, and with individual talents in Art, Music, Drama, Dance, Sport and Design Technology. 

Curriculum

In Years 7 and 8, almost all students to follow an academic pathway.

Students study an academic curriculum making sure they are stretched and challenged across a wide range of traditional subjects, which includes a Modern Foreign language. This programme provides ideal preparation for the EBacc programme at KS4.

In Years 9 – 11, all students start their GCSE courses and there is an opportunity for students to study the traditional EBacc programme. This is the most prestigious learning pathway offered and will lead to the English Baccalaureate qualification. The EBacc provides students with a broad range of academic subjects upon which to build any future career options. It is expected by this Government that all students, at KS4, follow this pathway and it is recognised as a highly prestigious pathway by school Sixth Forms, Colleges, Universities and employers and is ideal preparation for Post-16 study.

To achieve the EBacc, students must gain a GSCE grade 9-5 in six subjects. These subjects must include:

  • Mathematics
     
  • English Language
     
  • 2 Sciences (2 from Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Combined Science (2 GCSEs))
     
  • 1 Humanity (1 from History or Geography)
     
  • 1 MFL (French)

Talents – Art, Music, Drama, Dance, Sport, Design Technology

Students talented in a specific field, such as Performing Arts, Sport or Technology are provided with opportunities within and beyond the classroom to achieve their own personal excellence.

Extra-curricular opportunities, competitions, exhibitions, events, concerts, productions, are widely available and students are encouraged to take part with as many as possible to extend their skills further and to broaden their learning.