Curriculum Overview

Intent

We believe that ‘knowledge is strength’.
We want our students to be knowledgeable, creative, responsible and resilient citizens, becoming increasingly independent and with a love of learning.
Dormston’s curriculum builds upon each student’s knowledge, skills and understanding progressively.
Dormston aims to offer a curriculum which is inclusive for all learners.
Dormston offers a broad and balanced range of subjects in all years. We complement these with extra-curricular opportunities designed to add enjoyment and provide knowledge and experience of the world beyond the classroom.
Literacy, reading and oracy are key elements of our curriculum in order to inspire articulate and expressive students.
Dormston’s curriculum reflects our five core values; Effort, Knowledge, Respect, Responsibility and Resilience.
We want to support happy, healthy students and prepare them to be the best version of themselves.

Implementation

Learning is sequenced to build upon prior knowledge and prepare students for the next stages in their learning. This is at the heart of our 5 Year Curriculum.
We believe all students are entitled to quality first teaching. This is evidenced through teachers implementing the ‘Dormston Standards’ and through our ‘Prepared for Success’ positive behaviour programme.
Understanding is checked and misconceptions are addressed through questioning in the classroom and through marking and feedback.
Assessment is rigorous and purposeful. Target grades are aspirational.
Staff share good practice and are pro-active in their own professional development.
Staff develop excellent subject pedagogical knowledge.

Impact

Students know more and remember more.
Students will excel academically and develop into the best version of themselves.
No NEET (not in education, employment or training) students because they are prepared for their next steps and are fully equipped to contribute to society.
Students enjoy coming to school. (Attendance on or above 97%).

Reporting & Assessment

Tracking student progress is an important part of school life. Students are constantly assessed on an informal basis by their subject teachers and this is used to develop and guide future learning.

More formal assessments are delivered throughout the year at different times by each subject and these are used to report back to parents each term along with challenging ‘target grades’ designed to push students into reaching their full potential.

To generate these Target Grades the school use Fisher Family Trust (FFT) data which looks at SATs information from primary schools in Year 6 and then generates a target which would put the student in the top 5% of pupils nationally based on their level of ability.

In the Summer Term students will sit their end of year examinations as part of our Exam Week. These are the most formal and most important assessments of the year and give students the opportunity to ‘show off’ their learning, dedication and hard work. Homework will be replaced by revision during this extremely important time and students will receive guidance from each subject on revision techniques and topics specific to that subject along with more general advice

Dormston School offers a wide range of courses under the National Curriculum leading to the General Certificate of Secondary Education.

Years 7, 8 and 9 pupils are taught the following subjects:

At the end of Year 9 pupils choose the options that they will be studying in Years 10 & 11. Information about these courses is circulated in the Spring Term with an Options Evening for Parents.

Certain subjects are compulsory during Years 10 & 11. These are: