Curriculum

Drama is not simply a subject but also a method, a learning tool. Furthermore, it is one of the key ways in which children can gain an understanding of themselves and others.

Drama is an important part of the education of every student at Dane Court. All students in years 7 to 9 have specialist drama lessons. More importantly, because the school is one of the few grammar schools in East Kent to offer drama to GCSE, it provides an excellent opportunity for significant numbers of students; 45 are currently following the GCSE course.

Both inside and outside the classroom, drama involves students in making, performing and responding to plays at various levels. This has resulted in some going on to professional theatre work. Students are also fully involved in the technical side of theatre, through the Tech Team who immerse themselves in the technical challenges of whole school productions, talent shows and numerous house events.

However, this is only part of the whole. Drama is far broader than just theatre work. It is a living, dynamic form of expression in all world cultures and can also reflect our own multi-cultural society. Students gain an awareness of issues outside their normal experience and are able to examine their own worlds more closely. By taking drama they can explore and express ideas in ways which engage and communicate with an audience, using methods appropriate to the context.

Responding to the drama of others is an important tool. From year 7 onwards, students learn to evaluate and discuss both peer group presentations and professional productions. There is an ongoing schedule of workshop productions for all year groups, continually aiming to extend and challenge their drama experience.

In addition to these activities in school, we also provide a number of trips to theatres, both in London and locally, and organise workshops in school, to provide our students with the theatrical experiences that are so enriching. Recent trips have included Things I Know to be True and Fatherland at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, Peter Pan at the National Theatre and An Inspector Calls at the Marlowe Theatre. We also welcome ‘Splendid Productions’ to perform annually: in 2020 their last visit before the Covid lockdown saw them perform a modern take on Doctor Faustus and 2022 will see them return to perform an adaptation of Alfred Jarry' s Ubu. We are also working alongside the English department and in December of this year are taking 96 students from a mixture of year groups to experience The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time at the Troubadour theatre in London.

The English curriculum at Dane Court Grammar School has been specifically designed to allow our students to analyse and explore complex methods of creating meaning. We aim to foster a love of reading and knowledge of our literary heritage, thus building cultural capital. Ultimately, by studying English at Dane Court, students are equipped to take their place in a multicultural, globalised world.

Further to this, our English course develops oracy in our students, encouraging self-expression, articulation and understanding of different perspectives. Our curriculum seeks to create effective communicators, with the confidence to craft powerful and open-minded ideas.

English in Key Stage 3 is organised into thematic units in years 7, 8 and 9, supporting our students to become confident, articulate and passionate consumers of literature. We also use this time to embed vital analytical skills to prepare the students for their GCSE course in Key Stage 4. Students are encouraged to develop an appreciation of a variety of literary forms, including plays, poetry and prose (both fiction and non-fiction). We are committed as a department to widening our students’ cultural landscapes, through an appreciation of different literary movements, periods and figures.

Meaningful assessment and feedback provides the foundation for progress in all years. These assessments comprise: analysis tasks, longer essay-responses, creative writing and presentations. Debating and group discussion forms an integral part of class work, and students are encouraged to use the library as a valuable resource. Year 7, 8 and 9 classes have fortnightly library lessons in which to explore the literary delights on offer, giving them time to enjoy and discover new authors and prize-winning texts, and to discuss their reading with peers.

All students are prepared for GCSE English language and GCSE English literature. In English literature, a Shakespeare play, nineteenth century novel and modern drama text are studied in detail, plus an anthology of poetry. Students are prompted to look beyond the narrative and consider the function of characters, the purpose of texts and the importance of themes. In English language, students further develop a range of writing skills from the creative to the transactional and enhance their ability to analyse and evaluate a wide range of written material. In 2019 (the last year of external examinations), 98% of students gained a pass in English literature and 97% in English language. 63% of students secured the top grades 7-9 in either English literature or language, and 23 students achieved level 9 in both.

English is one of the core subjects of the IB diploma with all students studying literature at either higher or standard level. As part of the international dimension, world literature texts are studied in translation. In 2021, 86% of the higher level students gained level 5 or above (which is equivalent to grades A*-B at A level) while 93% of the standard level cohort achieved level 5 or more. No student in the whole English IB cohort gained less than the equivalent of an C grade at A level.

Food and Nutrition is studied by all students to the end of Key Stage 3 and is optional at Key Stages 4 and 5.

In years 7 to 9, students develop key practical skills, which they then build upon. We aim for the students to cook every other week and ingredients are usually brought in from home. The year 7 coffee mornings, to which parents are invited, are planned, and delivered by the students in their mentor groups. The cross-curricular medieval banquet event is another popular event in year 7. Year 8 students develop an understanding of the functions of ingredients and continue to develop practical skills including soups, sauces, bread and pastry. There is a Christmas cake competition in which all students take part, and later in the year the International Food evening to which parents are invited. In year 9, students will extend the range of practical skills they have learned throughout years 7 and 8. They explore the dietary needs of others and have the chance to put this into practice when they invite guests to enjoy a two course meal at their own bistro event. All year groups focus on food science through the KS3, 4 and 5 curriculums.

Food preparation and nutrition is studied as a GCSE option, where students will focus upon issues such as nutrition and health, food science, food safety and hygiene, food choice and high level food preparation skills. There is an emphasis on food science, nutrition and practical skills throughout the course with a practical lesson every week. Visits to food events, speakers or chef demonstrators are used to enhance student learning. All GCSE food students have the opportunity to gain a level 2 award in food safety in catering. The course assessment is 50% coursework and 50% examination.

The department offers an IB course for sixth formers in Food Science and Technology which is a Group 4 science subject. Since all A level Food courses in the country were discontinued this IB subject is one of the few academic Food courses providing students with an insight into many exciting and well paid job opportunities for graduates in food science and nutrition. This subject has produced excellent examination results.

Health and Social Care (Key stage 5)

The food department offers the highly successful level 3 Cambridge technical diploma in health and social care as part of the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme, which is studied over two years. The course develops effective communication skills, raises awareness of issues associated with equality, diversity, rights, health, safety and security. It examines development through the life stages and explores psychological and sociological perspectives for health and social care. Year 13 is tailored to suit the particular interests and career paths of the students, such as safeguarding, public health and dementia care. There is also the opportunity to undertake a work-based unit and students have worked in nursery schools, reception classes as well as residential care homes.

Geography is a wide-ranging subject, a synthesis between the sciences, both physical and social. Young people take a lively interest in world problems and environmental issues; geography should enable those studying it to understand and appreciate some of the complexities of the world in which we live. In time and with maturity, students of geography may offer reasoned, informed opinion on topics that are of concern today. These could range from the environmental to the political.

The department aims to foster an awareness of environment and community: an understanding of people, places and the relationships between them. With increasing globalization in an ever-shrinking world, students learn about development and the inequalities that exist between countries.

Studies in years 7 to 9 introduce students to key geographical skills, such as map reading, use of atlases and more advanced GIS resources. Students will investigate the natural and human worlds, including units on weather and climate, rivers and flooding, tectonic hazards, ecosystems, population and settlement, development and energy resources. Individual country and regional investigations such as, The Middle East, Asia, China and Russia, are also included.

At GCSE and IB Diploma, geography continues to be a popular option choice, and is acknowledged for the wide skills base and career path opportunities it can offer students. Students are equipped with a variety of skills – numerical, written, oral and analytical – to enable them to make decisions, solve problems and be aware of the importance of attitudes and values. These skills are transferable to other subjects. Among these skills are the collection and interpretation of data, with deduction and evaluation of findings; the use of statistical techniques to facilitate hypothesis testing and formulation; selectivity of material, training in powers of discrimination rather than simple acceptance of facts given; literacy and numeracy to enable ideas to be explained and statistics understood; understanding and use of models in geography.

We promote the learning of geography “through the soles of one’s boots” by using fieldwork where possible. Accepting that fieldwork is essential, it is undertaken in Key stage 3 on a regular basis and at GCSE and the International Baccalaureate Diploma as part of their examination courses. Year 12 students usually undertake a residential trip and year 10 visit the north Kent coastline for their fieldwork element. At Key stage 3, students undertake coastal investigations at Kingsgate and within the school grounds, with new fieldwork opportunities continually being explored. Students at Dane Court also have the opportunity to join wider school trips, with visits to Iceland, Namibia and Costa Rica undertaken in the past.

The History Department at Dane Court aims to develop students’ interest in history and to give them skills which can be used for all sorts of employment in today’s world.

Students in year 7 begin with a short introduction entitled ‘What is history?’ which aims to consider how historians are like detectives in the skills that they use. They then study the period 1066–1509 in their first year, starting with the Norman Conquest and including studies of the Black Death and what it was like to live in towns and villages in this time period. The highlight of this course is the medieval banquet in the spring term where students dress in medieval costume and role play a medieval character.

In Year 8 we cover the Tudors and Stuarts as well as the Industrial Revolution and the British Empire before moving on to the Twentieth Century in year 9: World War One, World War Two, the Cold War and 9/11.

Year 9 also includes a trip to Ypres in Belgium to visit the battlefield sites and museum as part of the work on World War One.

Debate, role play, problem solving and independent research work also play important parts in the study of history at Dane Court.

A student of history at Dane Court will be well prepared for many areas of employment including management, law, local government, education, and the Police. In addition, history is a subject which many people enjoy for its own sake, helping them to explain the world around them.

Mathematics can be viewed in two main ways. First, it can be the study of the subject purely for its own beauty, and secondly, as a tool for use in other subjects. It is the intention of the mathematics department to introduce all students to as wide a range of mathematical topics as possible during their years at Dane Court. Once their imagination is fired it is our hope that they will find mathematics to be an active rather than passive learning experience. The mark of any good mathematician is the desire to explore, seeking for hidden connections and an underlying unity in all things. As a subject, therefore, it lies at the heart of a great deal of human activity.

The mathematics department has developed into one of the most successful in the county. Our setting structure and teaching styles provide all the students with the opportunity to achieve at least two grades 9 to 4 in their GCSEs. Since the start of the new GCSE (9-1) in 2017, at least 60% of the GCSE students achieved at least a level 6 and the pass rate has never been below 97%. This year (2021) nearly 48% of students achieved a level 7+ grade. Students are therefore well prepared for a wide range of further education courses or employment opportunities.

The National Curriculum guidelines state: ‘Both the broad nature of mathematics itself and the individual nature of learning need to be recognised in the flexibility and variety of teaching and learning styles in the classroom’. Our scheme of work is used consistently throughout years 7 to 11 leading currently to the new Edexcel GCSE statistics and the Edexcel maths GCSE (both where grading will be from 1 to 9).

Around 60 students each year are also given the opportunity to enhance their level of mathematics by studying a Level 2 qualification in further mathematics to test their skills against the best in the world.

Our blend of formal classroom teaching with numeracy, investigational and computer tasks provides a sound basis for learning. The formal teaching covers the basic principles necessary for all aspects of mathematics, including those needed in other subject areas, and on many occasions students enjoy the opportunity to investigate an aspect of mathematics for themselves. Each student's progress is regularly monitored by means of short topic tests, open ended tasks and longer more formal examinations. Any subsequent action necessary is then quickly administered. A variety of extra-curricular activities enhance the mathematics programme throughout the school.

Our well qualified staff offer the opportunity for students to study the full range of options beyond GCSE within sixth form courses.

By studying a language at Dane Court, you will develop your ambition and ability to communicate with other people from around the world. Studying a language will broaden your horizons and encourage you to step beyond your familiar surroundings, out of your comfort zone and develop new ways of seeing the world.

The Modern Languages Department at Dane Court Grammar School teaches French, German, Spanish and Japanese. We have nine specialist language teachers and we aim to give a good grounding and lasting interest for languages to all our students. We are also fortunate to have French and Spanish language assistants who work with small groups of students to help develop their speaking skills.

Classes and Examinations: Dane Court is a school which prides itself on its international outlook, and we therefore offer French, German and Spanish as part of our year seven curriculum, with each individual student studying two of these three languages in key stage three.

At the end of year 9 students are given the opportunity to continue with the study of two languages or they may opt to study just one language for GCSE. At Dane Court the study of a language is compulsory at GCSE level.

In the sixth form, for the IB, French, German and Spanish are offered at both beginners and advanced level. Japanese is offered at ab initio level.

Methods: We aim to develop skills that will be of real use in the foreign country, and so place much emphasis on listening and speaking in the early stages. As students’ progress, we develop their reading and writing skills and their understanding of the culture of the foreign country.

Resources: We have seven specialist teaching rooms. There are interactive whiteboards in every classroom and Chromebooks are available for use within the departments. We subscribe to a number of language websites and students use the internet to conduct research in the foreign language.

Visits Abroad: Every year we organise residential visits abroad, and we encourage regular contact with schools in France, Germany and Spain. The French department has run many residential trips to the Château de Broutel in northern France for years 10 and 12. In the past, the Spanish department has run a cross-curricular PE trip to Spain and an exchange to Madrid is offered to year 10 and 12 students.

In addition, the department has links with Kent University. Year 10 students attend a conference in March to learn about studying languages at university. In addition, year 8 students attend World Languages Day at the university in the summer term.

Physical education offers students the opportunity to improve their physical, mental and social wellbeing through a wide variety of challenges. They will also develop their ability to officiate, coach and offer feedback in a variety of activities. In meeting these challenges and participating in a termly project, they will begin to accumulate some knowledge of basic anatomy and to understand how the body works, as well as developing more holistic qualities that sport naturally delivers to help students in their everyday lives. Ultimately, we hope that students will take with them a positive attitude to exercise and will themselves engage in an active lifestyle and benefit from doing so.

The physical education programme at Dane Court is based upon a wide variety of different activities which take students through team games, racquet sports, individual activities and health and fitness activities. Through these various experiences students will become familiar with the concepts of sportsmanship and fair play whilst gaining an understanding of the principles of team work and fostering cooperation and leadership skills. In addition, we hope that they will also develop an appreciation of physical excellence in others as well as a tolerance of individual differences. Throughout the programme there is a regular focus on physical fitness and students are made aware of their own physical condition through the medium of varied fitness challenges.

At Key Stage 4 students continue to develop their performing skills. During this time, students discover their aptitudes, abilities and preferences, and make choices about how to get involved in lifelong physical activity.

Physical education is a well established GCSE course and students follow the AQA syllabus, with 30% of the course assessed on practical performance, 10% coursework based and 60% on their theoretical understanding.

Also at Key Stage 4, students have the opportunity to complete the sports leadership course as a part of their core curriculum lessons.

In the Sixth Form, sport and exercise science (BTEC) is offered as part of the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme qualification. This qualification offers theoretical understanding combined with practical coaching and other practical aspects.

The extra-curricular programme runs throughout the year and is open to students of all ages and abilities. A huge variety of sports is catered for, most of which lead to competitive and recreational opportunities via inter-school fixtures. The programme of activities available can be found on the school website, or Dane Court PE Instagram page and is updated every term.

Sixth Form students are encouraged to contribute to the running of extra-curricular activities, and many take up this leadership opportunity.

The department of religion and philosophy works within the Kent agreed syllabus for religious education.

We aim to:

• • Develop students’ knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other principal religions;

  • Facilitate informed debate on religious and moral issues;

  • Encourage students to express, reflect upon and develop their own beliefs and values;

  • Encourage critical thinking, self-awareness and empathy;

  • Examine the relationships between religion, culture and way of life.

Religious education is taught for one lesson each week in years 7, 8 and 9. Units covered include: global issues; did Jesus exist? Do animals have rights? Does the media teach morality? Good v evil; dealing with death; the soul; and responses to the Holocaust. In year 7 students visit a Gurdwara in Gravesend as part of a project on places of worship.

GCSE religious studies/philosophy and International Baccalaureate philosophy are useful for a wide range of careers from journalism and the media to law and politics.

At Key stage 4, students can opt to study GCSE religious studies which covers philosophy and ultimate questions. This is examined at the end of year 11. The course covers a range of topics, exploring key beliefs of Christianity and Buddhism before applying these beliefs to issues such as animal rights, war, equality and abortion. Religious studies has a varied programme of visits and visiting speakers.

At sixth form level, we offer IB philosophy. The course examines the thinking of philosophers from the ancient Greeks and Buddhists to the present day. The course covers debates about human nature, ethics and philosophy of religion.

Science, along with English and mathematics, is part of the national core curriculum and is studied by all students up to the age of sixteen. Dane Court has eight well-equipped laboratories, serviced by three technicians, and we are fortunate to have sufficient specialist teachers in all three science areas to deliver courses that provide all students with sound knowledge and understanding in a practical and stimulating way. In the first three years the separate sciences – biology, chemistry and physics – retain their identities, enabling students to experience the enthusiasm and expertise of the subject specialist staff, and to progress rapidly through a wide range and depth of topics so that, by the end of Year 9, students have considerable science capability. Key stage 3 science is based around the nationally recommended schemes of work with additional material taught in subject areas.

Although students are taught under the separate science headings, co-operation between the sciences is good, with careful coordination of the various approaches to learning, assessment and the development of scientific skills.

In Key stage 4 students follow either the AQA GCSE combined science trilogy course or the AQA GCSE separate sciences. In both cases students are externally examined at the end of year 11. These provide broad and balanced science courses that are nationally recognised suitable routes for entry to Sixth form study and the International Baccalaureate sciences.

There is a large take-up of the biology, chemistry and physics courses at IB higher and IB standard level. With one or more qualifications in science subjects, students can progress to a wide range of careers or study at a variety of higher education institutions, be it ‘Oxbridge’ or other universities. The technological revolution has provided excellent career prospects for our students and indeed, a number of people educated at Dane Court are helping to lead the way.