Our Curriculum

The school provides an ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum for all students to ensure that they can grow in hope and wisdom.

Our curriculum aims to:

Challenge students to acquire the key knowledge, skills and understanding required for current and future success, as well as providing the basis for subsequent learning and behaviours to be successful in later life.

• Develop an ambitious attitude towards learning and making excellent progress.
• Provide an environment where student achievement is rewarded and celebrated.
• Ensure high levels of student progress and achievement against challenging national benchmarks.
• Ensure students experience success across a broad and balanced curriculum.
• Motivate students towards achieving ambitious personal and academic targets.
• Build cumulatively deeper understanding and the capacity for skillful performance.
• Develop ambitious plans for the future through high quality, age-appropriate Careers Information Advice and Education Guidance (CIAEG) to support future choices.
• Ensure students can use numeracy and literacy skills across a range of contexts.
• Enable students to acquire a range of nationally recognised qualifications which hold currency for future career and education pathways.
• Ensure students receive an appropriate curriculum for their needs, including an amended or alternative curriculum provision where appropriate.
• Provide a range of curricular and extra-curricular opportunities for students to represent and lead their school community.
• Provide a strong academic core through English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subject areas while giving equal value to the Arts and physical education.
• Support the development of student physical and mental wellbeing.
• Provide a wide range of unique life experiences through extra-curricular opportunities.
• Provide opportunities for students to develop cultural capital through social, moral, spiritual and cultural (SMSC) education.
• Develop pride in their local and national heritage as well as support and uphold fundamental British values.
• Help students develop character, personal moral values, respect for religious values and tolerance of other peoples’ beliefs and ways of life.
• Ensure students learn how to keep themselves and others healthy and safe, including online, through embedded personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education.
• Help students to develop healthy relationships with others through relationship and sex education (RSE).

Implementation – School-level

• All students will receive a broad and balanced curriculum at Key Stage 3 by ensuring full coverage of National Curriculum subjects.
• The curriculum will ensure continuity and progression between phases of education.
• All students will receive SMSC and PSHE education through the Values in Practice (VIP) programme.
• All students receive specialised religious studies education in Key Stage 3 with all students undertaking a GCSE in religious studies in Key Stage 4.
• Assemblies will be used to deliver SMSC and PSHE education.

For more information on our curriculum please contact: admin@dcea.org.uk