Curriculum Statement

Curriculum Rationale at The Dorcan Academy

“World, Work and Wellbeing”

The curriculum at The Dorcan Academy has been designed to facilitate our students in becoming model citizens who are Kind, Show Respect and Do their Best.

Our curriculum aims to prepare students for the WORLD in the 21st Century, by equipping them with rich and powerful subject knowledge which will enable them to achieve well, choose their future and transform their own and others’ lives. It is ambitious, broad and balanced, in order to ensure that our students can apply, from a position of strength to the top universities should they wish to do so. We exhort students to ‘Aspire to Greatness’.

The curriculum comprises rigorous, traditional academic subjects in a range of domains including:

  • the core subjects of English, Mathematics and Science
  • the humanities of Geography, History and Religion and Worldviews
  • the languages of French and Spanish
  • the expressive arts of Music, Dance, Drama, Art and Photography
  • the 21st Century technologies of Food and Nutrition, Engineering, Design Technology, Engineering and iMedia.
  • the health and well-being subjects of Business and Enterprise, Physical Education, Skills for Life (Personal, Health and Social Education) and Sports Studies
  • the social science of Sociology

Our aim is for students to develop a love of learning that will stay with them throughout their lives.

The curriculum is designed to prepare our students for WORK and therefore students are expected to Do their Best and strive to become the best version of themselves that they can be; this should culminate in achieving the highest examination results of which they are capable. Our knowledge rich curriculum is complemented by our Skills for Life programme which brings together PHSE (encompassing Sex and Relationships Education), Citizenship and the employability skills of LORIC*, delivered via the taught element of Digital Skills. We believe that learning does not stop in the classroom, and we offer a wide range of additional activities that complement and broaden the curriculum, including the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh Award.

*Leadership, Organisation, Resilience, Initiative and Communication

Our curriculum has the learner as a whole individual at the centre, and as well as providing the best opportunities for our students to maximise their potential in terms of outcomes, we are focussed on nurturing their emotional and physical WELLBEING.

We promote a strong sense of belonging, whether that be as part of a Tutor group, a House, a member of The Dorcan Academy or as a British citizen. We teach students about the strength of working with others in community, how society is organised and governed and about rights and responsibilities. We ensure that they understand and experience what British values are, what it means to be a positive member of a diverse multicultural society and why they should be proud to be British. We place high importance on fostering a love of reading, ensuring our students are well-read and literate, supporting their health, wellbeing and happiness and increasing their life chances.

Through the curriculum for life programme, our ‘Ready to Learn’ behaviour system and our dedicated Growth Mindset days, we ensure that our students are supported to become healthy, independent, responsible members of society who have all the attributes necessary to flourish and succeed in life.

We believe that to lead a successful and happy life, who you are is as important as what you achieve. Our curriculum seeks to actively teach the character virtues of: Honesty, Integrity, Compassion, Courage, Generosity, Gratitude, Personal Responsibility, Resilience and Self-Discipline.

Curriculum Equality and Diversity

At The Dorcan Academy equality and diversity is promoted through an inclusive curriculum offer. We provide all our students with the opportunity to succeed, reach their highest level of personal achievement and become the best version of themselves that they can be.

We shall achieve this by:

  • Promoting equality of opportunity
  • Challenging discrimination in all areas of the curriculum
  • Ensuring that curriculum planning takes account of the needs of all
  • Monitoring and evaluating curriculum provision at the academy so that it represents a diverse culture and society and encourages tolerance and respect and promotes British values
  • Ensuring that the teaching methods used in the delivery of the curriculum are appropriate for the needs of all our learners
  • Providing resources that reflect and promote equal access for all
  • Promoting cultural understanding and awareness through the content and delivery of the curriculum
  • Actively closing gaps in attainment and achievement between students, for all pupil groups; especially students eligible for Pupil Premium, students with special educational needs and disabilities, looked after children and students from minority ethnic groups.

Please see our Equality Policy for further information on our objectives.

Pathways Rationale:

All our students have the best opportunities to maximise their potential through being placed in the most appropriate pathway.

The majority of our students will follow our main curriculum.

Students that study the main curriculum may have shown aptitude in several areas of the curriculum, however their current progress suggests that they would benefit from additional lessons in either English or Mathematics as well as focussing on only one language.

Your best student in Maths may follow our main curriculum offer if they require additional focus on another curriculum area.

For students in the Extended Pathway students will have demonstrated an excellent aptitude in English, Maths, Science and Languages as well as an overall positive attitude and effort level.

These students have the opportunity to study an additional language in KS3 as well as lay foundations to study Triple Science at GCSE.

These students will be recommended to choose subjects that allow them to gain the EBACC qualification at GCSE which would require them to study a language in addition to English, Maths, Science and a Humanities subject.

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Options  

Mr Morgans has sent out information on the Options process for 2023 and links can be found at the bottom of the page.

Year 8 into 9 students select 3 of the 6 options

Year 9 into 10

All students have to choose

  • 1 between Geography, History or French
  • 3 Free options

If you would like to find out more information on your child’s curriculum, please have a look at the subject pages where you can view the current curriculum map for each subject, or please contact the Head of Faculty for the subject.

ASPIRE TOGREATNESS
The Dorcan Academy
St. Paul’s Drive
Covingham, Swindon
Wiltshire SN3 5DA
Switchboard: 01793 525231
Fax: 01793 431461
Email: enquiries@dorcan.co.uk
The Dorcan Academy is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales under company number 07831414. The registered office is St. Paul’s Drive, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN3 5DA.
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