Twitter @tcdskent

18/03/24

pic.twitter.com/tuCbuI7SLS

18/03/24

pic.twitter.com/5GWY5yaQan

14/03/24

Y11 HSC pupils enjoyed a trip to the Canterbury Christ Church University Health and Social Care Simulation Suite. They were thought provoked and inspired by many interesting and engaging activities linked to higher education and future careers in the NHS and Social Care. pic.twitter.com/AYn0TrHDob

14/03/24

Y9 HSC pupils enjoyed workshops provided by the Canterbury Christ Church University Health and Social Care Outreach and Engagement Team. They took part in lots of activities. A very interesting and engaging session, enjoyed by all who took part.#cdsy9 pic.twitter.com/0wNLFC47Sb

13/03/24

is a crusade to drive change showing that football can, and should, be played by girls. You may have heard about it in the news a few days ago. This year’s event coincided with International Women’s Day, and we took Year 10 pupils to the event hosted at Ramsgate FC pic.twitter.com/c3DbVKvKjY

13/03/24

Y8 pupils took part in a dodgeball tournament in Folkestone playing different schools from all over Kent.Pupils worked extremely hard and played brilliantly, showing great teamwork and commitment. CDS played 9 games and finished the tournament undefeated! Well done! pic.twitter.com/fexje8fz6h

13/03/24

CMK Connect Programme is an opportunity for you to get active, take time for self-care, make new connections, learn new skills, develop positive habits, build confidence, and boost your overall wellbeing.More information can be found at their websitehttps://t.co/ixb7zNlCEQ pic.twitter.com/JbQknF5NYn

13/03/24

Any Year 9 girls interested in Engineering? This Summer School opportunity is fantastic!Sign yourself up!https://t.co/CELL4ULMtz#cdsDT

13/03/24

We are looking at the benefits of running. How does running improve wellbeing? You feel less worked up or irritated after a good run. Running relaxes the body and brain, at the same time. Here is a beginners guide if you would like to start running and not sure where to begin. pic.twitter.com/xq5562NI52

13/03/24

If you are worried about your child’s anxiety or have concerns about emotional based school avoidance, please contact their Head of Year for more support.#cdswellbeing pic.twitter.com/Yzl2tO7Whh

08/03/24

Y8 pupils had a fantastic session with Christ Church University in Canterbury! They completed a ‘More Than One Direction’ workshop which followed the journey from GCSE options, to sixth form and college choices and then all the way through to career options. pic.twitter.com/pIKiLTXt5w

08/03/24

Please see the attached poster for an upcoming event for our local Community Clothes Bank. pic.twitter.com/MwfrnsCEbI

07/03/24

Looking for something to occupy your Year 6 to 10 children this Easter holiday? Why not book into our own CDS Holiday Camp? See the attached poster for more details.#cdsHAF pic.twitter.com/QjZKZKaqEi

07/03/24

As part of World Book Day, our Dance Crew have been creating a piece to ‘A Cover is not the book’ from the film Mary Poppins Returns. Thanks to Author David Lee Stone for donating 30 books for our CDS Crew Dance Performance.#cdsdance pic.twitter.com/u69ola3WHL

06/03/24

pic.twitter.com/hk9gzY3dmL

05/03/24

Congratulations to all of our Y7-10 ‘Take it Further’ Competition Winners! A range of work was submitted on a number of topics including the impact of AI on advertising, designing their own business and creating appropriate food for a toddler, amongst others.#TIF pic.twitter.com/RgovoxBO2r

04/03/24

It’s up to all of us to keep children safe. That’s why the NSPCC are encouraging every adult in the UK to Listen up, Speak up. They have launched a new, free, training session for all parents to help them keep young people safe. https://t.co/CDDhOdVKQe pic.twitter.com/wSfKyQNkBy

29/02/24

Pupils from Y8 delivered French and Spanish lessons to Y3 pupils at Upton School.This is part of their Language Leader’s Award. Pupils must prepare, and deliver, 3 lessons to primary school pupils which they have created themselves.Well done to all involved!#cdsmfl pic.twitter.com/F2mwQ5o2zN

29/02/24

Y7 undertook training from Community Lifesavers!This is a project which provides first-aid training for all Y7 pupils across the district and involves learning how to administer CPR and be able to use a defibrillator. Vital life skills! Well done Year 7!#Year7 pic.twitter.com/pGFLgKcvDQ

21/02/24

It’s Wellbeing Wednesday! - How do we teach ourselves to receive love? To be loved and nurtured by others is a basic human need. It is one of the main experiences in life that helps us grow into the best versions of ourselves. pic.twitter.com/fniwl4cp4Y

09/02/24

Attached is some information about FREE wellbeing activities that are taking place over February half term for young people aged 13-17 years in Thanet.More information about the programme can be found at https://t.co/QOKpbIgBlb via Instagram at . pic.twitter.com/mf3fmDmSPH

09/02/24

pic.twitter.com/QtqLHp3lTs

06/02/24

9x1, 10x1 & 10x2 mathematics pupils entered into the UKMT Maths Challenge. This was an online challenge, testing logical abilities and problem solving skills. A big shout out to all who took part, we are very proud. Now to wait for the results!https://t.co/1RZtxaEPiH#cdsmaths pic.twitter.com/Z2Pt7DUjyD

02/02/24

This week’s Hospitality Skills Club saw pupils mastering the art of sushi making!Some great results and many headed off home with the intention of making more.#cdshospitality pic.twitter.com/567uzi6zQu

02/02/24

Y7 and 8 pupils worked with staff from Margate Turner Contemporary to create a range of abstract sculptures.Under the theme ‘Adapt’, pupils were challenged to create group sculptures but without talking to each other! How did they know what they were making?#cdsvisualarts pic.twitter.com/NAuIO7GhHr

Introduction

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)

Additional Opportunities

Students gifted or talented in a specific field or subject are provided with opportunities within and beyond the classroom to achieve their own personal excellence. They are consistently challenged to push themselves further and given opportunities to share their ability with others through leadership and challenging learning tasks. The success of our students is widely celebrated as we celebrate a culture where gifts and talents are nurtured and appreciated.

Extra-curricular opportunities, visits, 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.

Gifted and Talented students in Year 7 and 8 complete a programme within Tutor Time which is focused on developing key learning strategies which will support their ability to push and challenge themselves in lessons and become the most confident learners possible. Students in Year 9 and 10 are given the opportunity to complete the Extended Project Qualification. This GCSE course gives them the opportunity to research into a topic of personal interest and complete an academic piece of writing on it. Whilst completing the project they develop a range of transferrable skills including research, organisation, problem solving and communication. Year 11 students are supported to develop the strategies required to achieve the highest possible grades in their GCSE examination through effective learning and revision strategies. Students are also given the opportunity to be part of the ‘Brilliant Club’ scheme which gives them the opportunity to work with a PhD graduate to complete a series of tutorials and finally produce their own academic piece of writing.

The Charles Dickens School also works very closely with local universities to support our Gifted and Talented students. These opportunities push students to take their gifts and talents to a higher level and have experiences to support their passion for life-long learning. Some of these opportunities are summarised below

 

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

Year 11

BioScience Degree in a Day

Build a Student

University Life

GCSE Revision Skills

E-Mentoring

Transition Project

BioScience Degree in a Day

TechGirl Challenge

Science Day

Inspiring Minds

Build a University

More than One Direction

Medical Fayre

Inspiring Minds

GCSE Revision Skills

Narrative Literacy Project

Narrative Literacy Project

I’m a Scientist

I’m an Engineer

Summer School

University Visits

Peace Festival

Study Skills

Summer School

University Visits

Maths Challenge Project

University Visits

Ethics – Degree in a Day

What Happens Next

Subject Specific Days

 

World Languages Day

Presentation Skills Workshop

Presentation Skills Workshop

Revision Subject Support

 

Dynamic Dialogue

Debating Development

The Benefits of Student and University Life

 

 

Science Extravaganza

University Visits

University Visits

 

 

Source Skills Project

Confidence in the Classroom

Confidence in the Classroom

 

Latest News

View All News
Take it Further Competition Winners November 23rd 2023

Take it Further Competition Winners

View Article
PRESS RELEASE - The Charles Dickens School is the highest performing non-selective school in East Kent November 13th 2023

PRESS RELEASE - The Charles Dickens School is the highest performing non-selective school in East Kent

View Article
Broadstairs Remembrance Service 2023 November 12th 2023

Broadstairs Remembrance Service 2023

View Article