“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 for life 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, ensuring 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:
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 for which they are capable.
Each subject has a carefully sequenced curriculum map that builds knowledge in a cumulative manner. Teachers use regular formative assessment to identify gaps and adapt teaching accordingly.
Our knowledge-rich curriculum is complemented by our Skills for Life programme, which brings together PHSE (encompassing Sex and Relationships Education), Citizenship, and employability skills, 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.
Our curriculum has the learner as a whole individual at its centre, and, in addition to providing the best opportunities for our students to maximise their potential in terms of outcomes, we are focused on nurturing their emotional and physical well-being.
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 a 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 our Curriculum for Life programme, our ‘Ready to Learn’ behaviour system, and our dedicated Growth Mindset days, we ensure that our students are supported in becoming healthy, independent, and responsible members of society who possess all the attributes necessary to flourish and succeed in life.
Our character curriculum is intrinsically woven throughout the curriculum to support our students in their preparation for the world, work, and their own well-being. We believe that to lead a successful and happy life, who you are is as important as what you achieve. Our curriculum aims to instil the character virtues of Honesty, Integrity, Compassion, Courage, Generosity, Gratitude, Personal Responsibility, Resilience, and Self-Discipline.
At The Dorcan Academy, equality and diversity are 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:
Please refer to our Equality Policy for more information on our objectives.
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 core curriculum.
Students who study the core curriculum may have demonstrated aptitude in several areas of the curriculum; however, their current progress suggests that they would benefit from additional focus in either English or Mathematics, as well as a more concentrated study of one language.
Your best student in Maths may follow our main curriculum offer if they require additional focus on another curriculum area.
For students following the extended curriculum, they will have demonstrated an excellent aptitude in English, Maths, Science, and Languages, as well as an overall positive attitude and effort level. Students are supported to access the curriculum that best meets their needs at that time, with regular review points to ensure ambition and opportunity are maintained for all. Students following the extended curriculum have the opportunity to study an additional language in KS3.
It is expected that students following the extended curriculum will continue this at GCSE, which would require them to study a language in addition to English, Maths, Science, and a Humanities subject, and would qualify them for the EBacc qualification – recognised by top universities. Opportunity to achieve the EBacc is open to all students.
Mr Morgans has sent out information on the Options process for 2025 and links can be found at the bottom of the page.
Year 8 into 9 students select 3 of the 6 options.
All students have to choose
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 get in touch with the Head of Faculty for the subject.
