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16/09/25

Street Cricket is back at CDS!  Sessions run by Kent County Crick will start again on Tuesday 23 September and will run each Tuesday between 5.30pm and 6.30pm, at CDS.  AND IT'S ALL FREE!!

12/09/25

Kooth are running a webinar on Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA) on 23d October 2025. If you are interested in joining this free online session, please use this link to sign up:  connect.kooth.com/events/eve…

11/09/25

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08/09/25

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16/07/25

Barton Court Academy Trust has a Trustee vacancy, for a non-executive Director.  If you, or someone you know, feel you have the experience and expertise for such a role then please see more here: bartoncourtacademytrust.org/…

16/07/25

Barton Court Academy Trust are seeking to recruit Governors for each of the 3 schools within the Trust.  If you, or someone you know, feel you have the right attitude, experience, skills, and time to fulfil this role, then please see the role here:  bartoncourtacademytrust.org/…

15/07/25

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15/07/25

Another year of our Take it Further challenges, and competitions have come to an end and the final reward breakfast celebrating the achievements of our pupils over the last 2 terms has been held. Well done to all pupils who have gone that extra mile over the last year! 

14/07/25

Barton Court Wins Inaugural Trust Eco Challenge... find out more at: cds.kent.sch.uk/238/latest-n…

14/07/25

Barton Manor School hosts Inaugural Trust Eco Challenge... find out more at: Barton Manor Hosts Inaugural Trust Eco Challenge - Latest News - The Charles Dickens School pic.twitter.com/Qlnpy4pVH2

09/07/25

It has been an exciting year for Life Cooking Skills! Club members have made so many cultural and appetising dishes over the year,  The last club of the year was chicken fajitas – All of which were eaten before club ended!  

04/07/25

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25/06/25

From 02/07/2025, if your child receives income related free school meals, you can to book your child’s place on the HAF summer programme with Inclusive Sport.  They advise to book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.   Find out more here:  inclusivesport.org.uk/

19/06/25

Year 7 pupils raised a whopping total of £349.19 from their spring fair this year. The year group planned the whole in school event, with a little guidance from their Tutors. The money raised will go to our chosen school charity, Community Kindness Thanet.  

12/06/25

We are extremely grateful to the Rotary Club of Thanet for their recent donation of £2000 to our STEM Club. The money will be used towards 4 new SPIKE kits and 6 expansion packs which will allow the Club to cater to a larger audience and begin outreach to local schools.

11/06/25

KS4 Life Cooking Skills started this term in style! Pupils were taught how to make mocktails with talented Thea Barret from Thorley Taverns, at the helm. Pupils learnt how to “muddle, blend, shake and layer” and it was so much fun!

09/06/25

Y9 Technologists were lucky enough to take part in a STEM Challenge Day at the University of Greenwich in Medway. Working in pairs with other schools, they were set challenges in robotics, E-fit technology, electric cars and medical diagnosis. 

23/05/25

A big thank you to Rotary Club of Thanet for hosting our STEM Club leader, allowing him to present to the Club the ‘Disaster Relief Robot’ that pupils have designed, and programmed, in their after-school STEM Club.

21/05/25

Bounce Forward, supported by the Harry Kane Foundation, are running a free online parent course focused on building resilience in young people and supporting parents in raising resilient young people   bounceforward.com/bounce-for…

20/05/25

A Big Shout Out, and thank you, to Dan Cooper Garden in Broadstairs, who has donated lots of items to our Gardening Club. Our green fingered gardeners were out in the sunshine last week planting and tidying the garden!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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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