Twitter @tcdskent

15/05/25

As part of last week’s VE day celebrations, pupils created artwork to be a part of the exhibit organised by Broadstairs and St Peter’s Town Council, at Broadstairs Bandstand. We hope you had the chance to see some of the work there! Here’s a sample of our budding artists' work. pic.twitter.com/1CCpE8s7wa

15/05/25

Our last Cooking Life Skills session with Noi Silk had our budding chefs making Prawn Tom Yum (hot and sour) soup, using some of the biggest king prawns we have ever seen!#cdshospitality pic.twitter.com/EHPkRh92vM

14/05/25

Building community is really important in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young people. Please see the poster for some helpful tips from the National College for parents. pic.twitter.com/8K2dufuXw3

13/05/25

We have 32 entries in the Thanet Schools Artists Festival 2025, presented by Margate Rotary Club. The exhibition of all entries across Thanet will be on display in Sainsbury’s at Westwood Cross between 12th and 18th May. The award ceremony will take place on 17th May at 12pm. pic.twitter.com/vBSJLc9SAr

13/05/25

Year 7 got fully involved in a an immersive lifesaving experience! The ‘ Community Lifesavers’ visited CDS, where they communicated the importance of turning ‘bystanders into lifesavers’. They demonstrated how to administer CPR and how to use the defibrillator/AED. pic.twitter.com/PKxlb3O3sy

13/05/25

The last lesson for many Hospitality & Catering pupils was one to remember. After a 3 year journey we thought we would treat them to a practical lesson they wouldn't forget - Chocolate Pizza! Good luck to all our Year 11s as they take their exams and complete their time with us. pic.twitter.com/rAcT86KPNK

01/05/25

Tuesday was International Dance Day and our Matilda Jr cast enjoyed dancing and performing during their rehearsal. Here’s a sneak peek into the cast rehearsing ‘The School Song’ and spelling the alphabet out with their bodies.#cdscapa pic.twitter.com/8IC28GWkWp

15/04/25

One of our uniform suppliers, Monkhouse, is currently holding a 60% sale on CDS uniform items when you shop online. Grab yourself a bargain, while the offer lasts. pic.twitter.com/ssQB12ZHhu

06/03/25

Y11 HSC & CD pupils enjoyed a trip to CCCU Health and Social Care Simulation Suite. They engaged in lots of activities linked to future careers in the NHS and Social Care, including correct handwashing and CPR! An inspiring glimpse into University life!#cdschsc pic.twitter.com/RatINMFH1F

04/03/25

KS4 Cooking Skills Club embraced the season by making pancakes to celebrate Pancake Day. Enhanced with lemon, chocolate, strawberries, syrup and banana, we are pretty sure not many made it home!#cdshospitality pic.twitter.com/jixKzHpz1d

03/03/25

Today marks the start of National Careers Week. The National Careers Week website has created a Virtual Careers Fayre where pupils get the opportunity to explore careers in a range of professions. The link to the website is below:https://t.co/URx6RoIyJP#cdscareers

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

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The purpose of our College system is to divide a large school into small, permanent, cross-sectional components that promote both learning and loyalty as well as a sense of belonging.

The Colleges are permanent, cross-sectional, family-like, co-curricular societies, led by a member of the School’s Senior Leadership Team. They will have a rich and regular rhythm of life throughout the year that lets students feel personally secure while the academic curriculum works to stretch their abilities.

Aims:

The College system is an integral part of life at The Charles Dickens School and aims to provide a sense of cohesion, team work, competition and fun through a range of school based activities.

Benefits:

  • A greater sense of belonging to the School
  • A more aware, stable and involved school
  • A greater sense of community
  • Greater student involvement in the School
  • More opportunities for participation in inter-house competition and school events
  • Greater connection between year groups
  • Further motivation for academic and personal excellence
  • Opportunities for friendships outside of usual peer groups
  • Reflection of the ethos of the School by maintaining high standards

Every student and staff member at The Charles Dickens School is assigned to a College. The College structure creates competition, promotes good work and behaviour, encourages teamwork, provides opportunities to take on responsibilities and brings everyone in the School together. The College system runs alongside the Year Group structure, not instead of it.

The Charles Dickens School works to foster a sense of College pride and belonging. This is accomplished by creating College identities, building on the College colours and shields established a number of years ago.   The four Colleges, Cobham, Fort, Gower and Tavistock are all named after places where Charles Dickens lived. Students are assigned to a College on entry to the Charles Dickens School. This is done by the Admissions Officer. If a student already has a sibling within the School, then they are assigned to the same College. Then all other students are assigned. Every effort is made to ensure an equality of distribution by

  • Gender
  • Ability
  • Behaviour
  • AEN need
  • Gifted and Talent identification
  • Sporting Prowess

Each College is run by a member of the SLT and College Captain.

College events run throughout the year with CDS reward points being awarded for each event. The running total of CDS points, for each College, is regularly updated and portrayed through the College notice boards around the school, on the portal and the website.

Although there are many one off events students can take part in, day to day work and conduct can achieve points or in some cases have points deducted! Staff and students alike are encouraged to run any appropriate event/competition for the whole school or year group.