A mixed Academy for students aged 11-16
Our Values
We aim for
excellence and
innovation in
teaching and
learning
We are inclusive
and collaborative
and promote
a culture of
openness
We promote
trust, honesty
and respect of
self, others and
the environment
We provide
a safe and
supportive
environment
which promotes
resilience and
courage
Welcome
As the principal of The Dean Academy, I would like to thank you
for considering our school for your child’s secondary education.
The Dean Academy will extend your child’s world through an
appropriate balance of academic, artistic, sporting and cultural
experiences. Our focus on relentless school improvement
will ensure that your child’s progress is closely monitored to
ensure that s/he is successful, challenged, engaged and,
most important of all, enjoys the whole learning experience.
The academy will build on the strong tradition that we already
have for providing a caring, supportive environment,
ensuring that your child is happy and safe and able to make
the most of the exciting opportunities on offer to 16 and beyond.
Our hugely successful outdoor education course is being
developed with the support of Prospects Academies Trust,
to enable every child to develop leadership and team building
skills, to grow in self-confidence and develop self-esteem.
Ultimately, our aim is to watch each child grow into a successful,
confident and articulate young adult, equipped for life beyond
secondary education and with a desire to understand the world
around them that will never diminish. We would welcome the
opportunity to show you our academy, to discuss the experiences
that are available and to work with you to fulfil our shared
ambitions for your child.
David Gaston
Principal
Curriculum
“Teachers take account of
individual needs… to maximise
the learning and progress of all”
Ofsted
At The Dean Academy, we offer students an
innovative, broad and balanced curriculum
which meets the needs of individuals whilst
creating the best conditions for all our
students to excel and succeed to the best
of their ability.
We have a highly qualified and committed
team of specialist teachers and support staff
who work together to develop our students
as life-long learners. Students in Years 7 to 9
study the following subjects:
Art
‹‹ Humanities (History, Geography, RE)
‹‹ English
‹‹ Modern Languages
‹‹ Mathematics
‹‹ Performing Arts (Music, Drama)
‹‹ Science
‹‹ Physical Education
‹‹ Technology
‹‹ Personal, Social, Health &
Citizenship Education
‹‹ ICT
‹‹
See the information book for more details
on subjects.
Challenge
Students are currently taught in half-year groups, in a
variety of teaching sets based on ability. Students may be
moved between groups in any subject, depending on their
performance. Some students will have the opportunity to
study a second foreign language. Parents/carers will always
be informed so that we can continue to work together to
ensure our students make the most of their opportunities.
In Years 10 and 11 we offer our students further
opportunities. In addition to the statutory subjects of
English, Maths, Science, ICT, RE and PSHCE, students also
have a choice of over 20 optional subjects, which are
organised into learning pathways to enable students to
make choices which best suit their needs. The range of
subjects available covers both traditional academic subjects
including separate Sciences (Chemistry, Physics, Biology)
and more vocational areas including Engineering and
Construction which may be partly studied off-site. We also
have an Outdoor Education course which gives students
the opportunity to experience new pursuits whilst
developing leadership and team building skills.
“Superb
help and
dedication”
Year 8 Parent
Beyond the classroom
We are building opportunities for all students from
Years 7 to 11 to engage in work related learning
in order to help them to make the right choices
when the time comes. In Year 10 all students
participate in work experience for at least one
week, and are involved in Industry Days and other
careers events in school. All Year 11 students are
offered careers guidance and some students are
given the opportunity for a regular work placement
for one or two days a week. With our extensive
programme of learning outside the classroom,
encompassing everything from visits linked to
curriculum areas to residential trips which
encourage confidence and independence,
we believe that our curriculum offers a wide
range of opportunities for every student.
Care, Guidance & Support
The academy has an innovative student-lead
‘college’ structure, designed to significantly
increase opportunities for both students and
staff and improve the whole academy. The
colleges have been named after NASA space
shuttles, reflecting the academy’s specialist
engineering status.
The student voice is at the heart of the system
and the Student Leaders will in turn create
opportunities for others to get involved in
every aspect of the school.
“High standards
of care and
support”
Year 9 Parent
Rewards
“Students are polite, friendly
and cooperative, and the
atmosphere in school
is calm and welcoming”
Ofsted
Our rewards system ensures that students are
able to accrue points for a wide range of
achievements: academic, dramatic and sporting
as well as many other things such as charity work
and community involvement. Out of school
activities are also recognised, and students are
able to accrue points not just for their College
but also for personal reward, from fast-track
lunch queue, and stationery pack, to iPads and
mountain bikes!
outdoor education
Our second specialism, Outdoor Education,
provides fantastic opportunities for our students to
develop confidence, self-esteem, leadership, team
building and team participation skills. We are
currently developing this course to provide an offer
to all students in every year group. This will ensure
that they all experience a wide range of outdoor
pursuits on site and utilise the school’s location in
the Forest of Dean with Symonds Yat and the River
Wye on our doorstep. The school already has a
number of qualified instructors delivering the very
successful Key Stage 4 course. It will also build on
the ambitions of Prospects to provide high quality
outdoor education through its water pursuit centre
at South Cerney.
“We were so impressed
with the behaviour of
your students”
Visitor
Church Road
Lydney
Gloucestershire
GL15 5DZ
T: 01594 843202
F: 01594 842025
E: [email protected]
THE DEAN ACADEMY
INFORMATION BOOK 2013
1
ACHIEVEMENT
TRACKING STUDENT PROGRESS
AND ATTAINMENT
Achievement Leaders
The achievement of every student is overseen by an Assistant
Principal responsible for Progress, Achievement and Intervention.
Naomi Browne Year 7
Adam Stradling Year 8
Sarah Wallett Year 9
Alastair Cornish % 5 or more GCSEs at A* - C
He works with a team of five Achievement Leaders, one for each
Steve Cashmore year group, who are responsible for monitoring the progress of
83
81
79
students and implementing a range of support strategies to82
help
students stay on course to reach their challenging targets.
Year 10
Year 11
% Making expected levels of progress from
% 5 orKey
more
GCSEs
A*Stage
- C 4 in English and Maths
Stage
2 to at
Key
100
90
90
82 90
80
80
80
70
70
70
60
60
60
50
50
50
50
40
40
40
40
30
30
30
30
20
20
20
20
10
10
10
10
0
0
0
Boys
Girls
100
64
81
68
57
79
69
63
83
81
80
61
70
Girls Boys
FSM Girls
79
100
100
100
100
100
90
90
90
80
80
80
61 70
70
70
60
60
50 60
50
50
50
40
40
40
100
82
83
90
81
79
Boys
Girls
86
84
90
80
70
70
70
70
60
60
60
60
50
50
50
50
40
40
40
40
30
30
30
30
30
30
30
30
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
0
0
0
0
0
FSM
64
50
57
63
46
72
53
50
32
0
Overall
Overall BoysOverall Boys
Girls Boys
Girls
English
FSM Girls
FSM
FSM
Maths
64
68
57
63
46
69
72
61
53
48
64
32
86
84
76
64
70
50
45
48
45
40
10
0
0
Overall
76
80
60
50
FSM
Maths
2013 Key Stage 3 Results
100
80
69
72
61
English
Maths
90
68
69
63
50
Overall
FSM
80
Girls
57
0
BoysOverall
90
Boys
68
60
80
Overall
64
% Making expected levels of progress from
% Making expected levels of progress from
GCSEs
at 2A*to- Key
C including
and
Maths
Stage
2 to
Key
Stage
in English
Maths % 5 or moreKey
Stage
Stage 4 English
in English
and
Maths3 Results
% 5 or %
more
GCSEs
at A*
-at
C
including
andand
Maths
2013
Key
Stage
5 orKey
more
GCSEs
A*
- C 4English
% 5 or more GCSEs at A* - C
82
90
72
50
Overall
FSM
100
83
English
90
% Making expected levels of progress from
Ofsted
Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 4 in English and Maths
100
Overall
100
“Teachers take account
of individual needs…
to maximize the learning
and progress of all.”
Matt BallAssistant Principal
(Progress, Achievement and Intervention)
At The Dean Academy the progress of all of our students is
rigorously tracked to help ensure that when students leave us they
have fulfilled their potential and are equipped with the
qualifications and skills needed for the next step of their journey.
Overall
Boys
English L5+Boys
Girls
English L6+Girls
English
FSM
Maths L5+FSM
Maths L6+
Science L5+
English
ScienceL5+
L6+
English L6+
Maths L5+
Maths L6+
Science L5+
Science L6+
Maths
2
% 5 or more GCSEs at A* - C including English and Maths
2013
Stage 3 Results
% 5 or more GCSEs at A* - C including English
andKey
Maths
2013 Key Stage 3 Results
ART, DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Director of Faculty: Mr Andrew Winstanley
Assistant Director of Faculty: Mrs Kate Charles
Faculty Vision
What our Students say about Art, Design & Production
The Art, Design & Production Faculty seeks to actively
enthuse students to challenge their boundaries of creativity
by allowing students to utilise a range of materials,
processes, tools and machines. Students will generate and
develop ideas to create products which solve problems and
challenge traditional concepts.
“Technology and Art gives you the
opportunity to explore your creativity.”
Students will leave us equipped with real life skills to help
them in their further learning, whether it’s an apprenticeship,
a vocational or academic course.
course structure
At Key Stage 3 all students work with a range of different
media and develop practical skills in a safe but challenging
environment to solve problems. Students develop a range of
skills in analysing and designing, using tools and processes
ranging from traditional to state of the art CAD-CAM laser
technology.
At Key Stage 4 students can opt from a range of GCSE or
vocationally focused courses from the specialised subject areas
of Art, Construction, Engineering, Food and Hair & Beauty.
“During the lessons you are challenged
and are pushed to do your absolute best
and no less is accepted. If I were to
recommend any subject for GCSE it would
definitely be engineering.”
“Whenever I’m in Engineering, Technology
or Art I am always happy and smiling
because no matter who you are, boy or
girl you are accepted as an equal.”
“I like Art because it is a lesson where
you can get to express yourself and learn
about Art from different countries and
cultures and have a bit of fun at the
same time.”
“In Art I like to let my imagination flow
onto the page. I feel that when I am
drawing part of me is put on the page
and I feel good when people compliment
my work.”
“When I come away from my Art lessons
I always feel a sense of achievement that
I have done the best I can do.”
“I love engineering because I always feel
like I’ve accomplished something after
every lesson. Since being in engineering
I have learnt so much and it has made me
consider taking an apprenticeship.”
“Art and Technology is a fun, active,
hands-on area of the school. The Art,
Design & Production Faculty is something
you would enjoy as there is a wide range
of skills being learnt and used.”
32
COMMUNICATIONS
Director of Faculty: Mr Victoria Eveleigh
Assistant Director of Faculty: Mrs Elaine Drew
“The limits of my language
means the limits of my
world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Faculty Vision
Lead by Victoria Eveleigh as Director, and Elaine Drew as
Assistant Director, our vision in the Communications Faculty is
simple. We aim to use language to expand the world of all our
students and to have as much fun as possible doing it. Learning
a foreign language encourages students to appreciate other
countries, cultures and communities beyond our shores and to
begin to think of themselves as world citizens. Communication
skills, such as listening, co-operation and negotiation, are vital
in modern life and regarded as an essential asset in work places.
We explore the role of English and Modern Foreign Languages
through a breadth of resources and multi-media approaches.
Novels, plays, media texts, films, newspapers, websites, blogs
and non-fiction texts are all used to help our students
understand their place in the wider world.
The Communications Faculty is made up of a team of
dedicated and specialist staff, including newspaper and media
experts and native French speakers. We work closely with other
departments to embed and secure language confidence and
literacy across the entire academy.
course structure
In English, at Key Stage 3, we provide a challenging and
engaging curriculum that covers a full range of classic and
modern literature. We also explore and investigate the use of
English in the modern world. Students experience a variety of
teaching styles and activities designed to prepare them for
GCSEs and beyond. In English at Key Stage 4, students
undertake dual English Literature and English Language, single
English GCSE, or English Language iGCSE depending on
which suits them best. We also offer Entry Level qualifications
and Functional Skills qualifications within the department.
At Key Stage 3 all students are involved in learning at least one
foreign language. It’s our aim to develop confidence when
speaking, understanding and writing. Foreign languages are
a critical part of a student’s arsenal when demonstrating a true
breadth of study and are hugely valued by higher learning
institutions. The GCSE allows students to demonstrate an
additional facet to their communication skills, even if they do
not choose to pursue the study further.
We have had great fun on some very successful foreign visits in
recent years. Calais, Paris and Futuroscope and Barcelona
have all been explored by students at The Dean Academy
allowing them to really see the impact of effective
communication on their lives as a whole. We encourage our
students to get involved with debating, creative writing, poetry
and public speaking competitions, reading groups, foreign film
and book clubs and many more extra curricular activities
designed to enrich their Communications experience.
“Learning a language means that you can
speak to people from other countries and
understand them.”
Year 9 Student
“Every time I have to use speech marks –
I just think of my Kung Fu Punctuation
and I remember how they work.”
Year 7 Student
“At the moment we’re comparing how the
same message can be shared through
different adverts, images, leaflets and
websites – seeing the way organisations
try to manipulate us is really interesting.”
Year 10 Student
“I love English because we get to use maps
and graphs and pictures to explore – it’s
not all about writing.”
Year 8 Student
“We’re reading ‘Lord of the Flies’ at the
moment – Golding uses awesome
personification to explore the power the
character has.”
Year 9 Student
“I like all the different activities we do to
help us learn French.”
Year 8 Student
4
LEARNING SUPPORT
Director of Faculty: Ms Jane Standen
Assistant Director of Faculty: Mrs Sue Hurcombe
“Learning is a treasure
that will follow its
owner everywhere.”
Chinese Proverb
“Instruction does much,
but encouragement
everything.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Our Ethos
Learning Support Department
A commitment to inclusion underpins all that we do in the
Learning Support Faculty. By inclusion we mean providing the
opportunity for all our students to achieve and delivering the
support which enables them to do so. The faculty strives to offer
comprehensive support for students with learning difficulties
using well-qualified and experienced specialist staff. The faculty
staff aim to provide early and effective intervention to support
our students, whether this is through in-class support; small
group or 1:1 specialist teaching; specialist resources or
mentoring. The teenage years can be some of the most
challenging and difficult for our young people and the faculty
offers emotional support and guidance to help them to cope.
We value the differences and individuality of all our students
and aim to encourage them in all their endeavours and to
foster in them the confidence and self-esteem to take on
anything, to keep trying and to have a positive attitude towards
life and learning.
As well as offering high quality in-class support in the
mainstream classroom as our principle focus, we also have
a superb learning support base, housing 2 classrooms one of
which is equipped with PCs programmed with a variety of
literacy and numeracy resources. We have a wealth of specialist
resources to support and enhance learning for those with
learning difficulties. Specialist staff carry out screening for
dyslexia and offer support to those who need extra help with
reading and literacy. This year there is also a new intensive
reading and writing programme, “Read, Write Inc”, which will
be taught to selected students in small groups. There is a
Learning Assistant who works directly within the Mathematics
Faculty to teach small groups of students with particular needs.
In Key Stage 4, students have the opportunity to follow an
alternative ASDAN course if they are not able to access the
content of some of the GCSE or BTEC courses. ASDAN offers
flexible, practical learning and is an accredited course
recognised by Colleges, Universities and Employers. All
learning support is directly tailored to individual student need.
“I get more help and I get better grades.”
Jordan, Year 9 student
“It helps us get through school.”
Year 9 Student
“Coming out into a smaller group for
some lessons means you get more
attention and more help with your
reading and spelling.”
Year 10 Student
“Teachers in Learning Support understand
your needs and they help.”
Year 10 Student
5
LEARNING SUPPORT
EPIC Centre (Enhanced Provision
& Interaction Centre)
A fantastic educational base has been developed within the
Learning Support Faculty to support students with difficulties in
the areas of communication and interaction and autistic
spectrum disorders. This base offers a common room area;
a sensory room and chill out area for stress and anxiety
management; a structured ‘zoned’ classroom equipped with
PCs; a life skills kitchen; a sensory garden and quiet play area,
as well as specialist resources. Students with communication and
interaction needs have access to a specialist Teacher and
Learning Support Assistants in lessons and for clubs and some
after school activities. The EPIC provides a calm, supportive base
and flexible access to small groups, 1:1 sessions and integration
into mainstream classes as appropriate, offering full inclusion in
academy life and access to the whole academy curriculum with
an emphasis on communication and interaction skills.
“Before EPIC, I felt lost in school. Having
the EPIC has helped me through the maze
and I have found my treasure.”
Year 11 Student
“I couldn’t cope in school without EPIC, it
gives me a safe place to go at break and
lunch times and helps me to be organised.”
Year 9 Student
“The EPIC helps support me with my
homework and my course work. I keep
organised and up to date, which helps me
stay calm and not get anxious. I couldn’t
do that on my own.”
“The EPIC staff are awesome! They are
friendly and helpful. I think they are very
talented teachers. They understand how
our minds work and how we can be
different and they help us to be better
at talking to people.”
Year 9 Student
Student Support Centre
The Dean Academy Student Support Centre provides help for
a great many of our students who are experiencing difficulties
in a wide range of areas both in and out of school. They may
need help with social skills, self-esteem, behaviour, anger
management, confidence building, assertiveness skills, or with
self-organisation. We also provide help in coping with
bereavement, or family illness or breakup. We support many
students coping with a wide range of teenage issues. We also
have an induction programme to help settle new students.
“I had help from Mrs Bellingham with
anger and anxiety episodes. As a result,
I didn’t get so angry in school anymore.
If I had a panic attack I could stay in
school but go outside the class to calm
down. I understand it better now.”
“This helped me to control it more,
I understand what was happening now.
I have used the techniques to calm down –
like breathing. I keep conscious and in
control. The greatest help was being
able to talk about things. Some things
I had not spoken to my family or anyone
else about.”
Year 11 Student
The SSC often works with parents to support their children
and recommend reading materials and websites for useful
information. Here are some suggestions:
Books
The Secret of Happy Children by Steven Biddulph
Raising Boys by Steven Biddulph
Life Strategies for Teens by Jay McGraw
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey,
Whatever! A Down to Earth Guide to Parenting Teenagers
by Alison Baverstock and Gill Hines
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
Websites
Parentline Plus as Children aren’t born with instructions.
www.parentlineplus.org.uk
BBC Parenting: excellent links to other areas.
www.bbc.co.uk search on parenting.
Childline:
www.childline.org.uk
Year 10 Student
6
MATHS AND COMPUTING
Director of Faculty: Miss Rachael Lewis
Assistant Director of Faculty: Mr Gareth Simms
“Pure Mathematics is,
in its way, the poetry
of logical ideas.”
Einstein
Faculty Vision
The Faculty vision is to continually improve and react to the
ever-changing world. We recognise that to teach our subjects
effectively we must give students activities which they enjoy,
see the relevance of and are taught by teachers with excellent
subject knowledge. Students are encouraged to develop their
problem solving skills across the Faculty. We ensure that all
students are confident and effective users of communications
technology.
Maths is taught by seven full time Maths teachers, we also have
a maths learning assistant, who liaises between the SEN Faculty
and the Maths teachers. ICT is taught by two full time members
of staff and one part time member.
Course Structure
Business
At Key Stage 4 Level 2 Business is offered as an option to
students. This course is an Edexcel BTEC First Award which is
equivalent to a GCSE at Grade C or higher. Students will study
Enterprise in the Business World and Finance for Business as
well as two optional units. This course gives students an
opportunity to gain a broad understanding and knowledge of
the business sector and investigate areas of specific interest.
Computing
At Key Stage 4 Level 2 Computing is offered as an option to
students. This course is an OCR GCSE which is equivalent to
a GCSE. Students will have the opportunity to investigate how
computers work and how they are used as well as developing
computer programming and problem-solving skills.
ICT Nationals
At Key Stage 4 Level 2 ICT is offered as an option to students.
This course is an OCR Cambridge Nationals course which is
equivalent to a GCSE at Grade C or higher. This course reflects
the use of personal computers to smartphones, from apps to
websites that enhance their everyday lives. It provides students
with a solid foundation for understanding and applying this
subject in their future working lives.
ICT
At Key Stage 3 ICT is taught as a discrete subject. Students
follow in-house “Digital Learning” schemes of work with a new
emphasis on process driven solutions through the use of
computing. Year 11 core complete the OCR Cambridge
Nationals Level 2 National Certificate in ICT, which is
equivalent to one GCSE.
Mathematics
At Key Stage 3 we follow the medium term plans developed by
the department, using the National Numeracy Strategy as
a guide. Additional resources and ideas from Kangaroomaths
are also used to supplement our teaching. We use the Success
In Maths textbooks, Mymaths website and other innovative
teaching materials to enhance teaching and learning at Key
Stage 3.
At Key Stage 4, students work towards the Edexcel GCSE
syllabus. We use the Edexcel textbooks, Active teach and the
Mymaths website to aid our teaching. The top sets are currently
covering Additional Mathematics alongside their GCSE, to
provide them with an insight into A Level Mathematics.
“It’s fun creating codes and
programming by yourself.”
Year 9 Student
“I like doing the coding as it may
become useful in the future.”
Year 9 Student
“Computing is fun.”
Year 9 Student
“I believe that Maths is a good subject
and a place where I can be myself
and a place where I feel safe.”
Year 10 Student
“The time seems to fly by whilst in Maths.”
Year 10 Student
“Maths is made fun and educational, which
helps us to understand the subject.”
Year 10 Students
“I enjoyed taking part in the Maths
Challenge last year as I found the
problems interesting and I felt a sense
of achievement afterwards.”
Year 10 Student
“Maths is a very important subject, without
it I would not be able to do the job I want.”
Year 10 Student
7
PERFORMANCE
Director of Faculty: Mrs Kathryn Rodway
Assistant Director of Faculty: Mr Peter Glynn
“Music washes away
from the soul the dust
of everyday life.”
Berthold Auerbach
Faculty Vision
The Performance Faculty at The Dean Academy prides itself
on enabling students of all abilities to succeed. The faculty
encompasses the teaching of Physical Education, Drama,
Music, Dance and Outdoor Education and has close links with
other faculties throughout the Academy, allowing students to
engage with performance both on and off the playing field and
stage. The faculty is led by Kathryn Rodway as Director and
Peter Glynn as Assistant Director. Our faculty vision is to ensure
that all Dean Academy students have the opportunity
to participate in Performance activities throughout their time
at the Academy.
Within Performance we want to inspire young people to
participate in and enjoy performance activities and to recognise
the importance of an active and healthy lifestyle as well as
playing a central role in the life of the Academy. We will instil
this through effective teaching and learning that is constantly
looking to move forward, providing opportunities for students
to assume responsibility for their learning, to engage inquisitive
minds and provide those students with a high standard of
learning that should be expected by them in every lesson.
A wide variety of extra curricular options are available in
performance; sports teams and leadership opportunities are in
abundance, as well as dance productions, and choreography
clubs. Various choirs, bands, and music ensembles practice
regularly at lunch time and after school, while drama plays a
huge part in the wider community of the school with an annual
production which encompasses Music, Drama and Dance.
Other opportunities include the annual Christmas Carol
Concert, which showcases musical, dramatic and dance talents,
academy shows and events such as Presentation Evening, and
college events, community festivals, trips to the theatre and elite
sports events, workshops and peripatetic music lessons which
can be organised for a wide range of musical instruments, with
students able to sit Associated Board and Guildhall
examinations. The Faculty also organises foreign visits within
their subject areas, such as the bi-annual ski trip to Austria and
Football trip to Valencia.
If you love these subjects, you will find numerous opportunities
to enjoy Performance on the playing field or stage, at
The Dean Academy!
COURSE STRUCTURE
Drama is taught to all students at Key Stage 3 as a specialist
subject, once a fortnight. The focus of Drama at Key Stage 3 is
to build key drama skills and an awareness of drama and
theatre forms and terminology. At Key Stage 4 we offer Edexcel
BTEC Performing Arts as a course. It is an exciting and
challenging course and has been designed to help candidates
to meet these challenges.
Music is taught to all students in Key Stage 3 as a specialist
subject. Students are also encouraged to bring their own
instruments to school and we are able to organise peripatetic
music lessons for a number of different instruments. At Key
Stage 4, we offer the OCR GCSE Music course and this is well
supported by students of all abilities.
Dance is taught to students throughout Key Stage 3 as part of
the P.E. curriculum. At Key Stage 4 students are able to choose
to continue their dance studies by opting for the Edexcel BTEC
Performing Arts course. There is a balance between practical
work, controlled assessment and theory work, with plenty of
opportunity to reflect on students choreographic and
performance skills.
P.E. is taught to all students for two lessons of one hour duration
per week. At Key Stage 4 students have the opportunity to follow
exam courses in GCSE PE, BTEC Sport and BTEC Outdoor
Education, all of which deliver five hours of curriculum time per
fortnight alongside core P.E. lessons which still follow the format
of two hours per week. At Key Stage 3 students experience rugby,
hockey, netball, gymnastics, swimming, dance, basketball,
football, fitness, tennis, cricket, athletics and rounders.
“P.E. is really fun and enjoyable, we do so
many different sports and have lots of
opportunities to join clubs and play
matches against other schools.”
Year 8 Student
“P.E. helps to improve my fitness and it
is one of my favourite subjects.”
Year 10 Student
“We’ve learned about different dance
music styles which is really fun!”
Year 11 Student
“I’ve been in the school production and
it’s boosted my confidence and I’ve met
loads of friends in different year groups.
It’s great fun!”
Year 9 Student
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SCIENCE
Director of Faculty: Mr Rahul Odedra
Acting Assistant Director of Faculty: Mr David Child
“Somewhere, something
incredible is waiting to
be known”.
Carl Sagan
Faculty Vision
Science at The Dean Academy is delivered by a team of
specialists under the direction of our Director of Faculty
Mr Rahul Odedra, seeking to inspire students with a true
enthusiasm for the way the World works. Drawing on inspiration
and personal experience from the many different fields of
science and industry, the team can not only offer an excellent
depth of academic subject knowledge, but also the relevance
that students need to place science within their own lives.
There are many ways that we can learn science – so we have
many different ways of teaching and examining science.
We follow a range of courses that allow us to match the
curriculum to the student, providing the maximum opportunity
to gain good qualifications in science.
COURSE STRUCTURE
The team come from all walks of life, combining experience of
commerce and industry with high academic credentials. This
allows science at The Dean Academy to not only be fun and
high achieving, but also relevant to all of our students, whatever
their aspirations.
“The teachers are so helpful
and supportive.”
Year 11 Student
“We get to learn so many new
things in a fun way.”
“I can now explain how and
why things around me happen,
it’s great!”
Year 7 Student
At Key Stage 3, we follow a general science course based
on the ‘Science Works’ publications, creating a solid
foundation of basics in Chemistry, Biology and Physics with
plenty of opportunity for practical learning and preparation
for Key Stage 4.
Key Stage 4 in our faculty starts at the beginning of Year 9.
All students start the OCR GCSE course and follow all three
sciences. At the end of this year, students sit the latest actual
exam for this content and they are marked in accordance with
the examination board guidelines. The results are then used to
direct students towards their optimum Key Stage 4 studies.
In Key Stage 4, students diverge into a variety of courses
according to learning styles and ability. These range from
separate GCSE qualifications in Biology, Chemistry and Physics,
through Core and Additional Science for the majority of
students to BTEC Applied Science for those students who are
much better at ‘doing’ science rather than remembering it in
an exam setting!
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WORLD AFFAIRS
Director of Faculty: Miss Joanne Rosbrook
Assistant Director of Faculty (Acting): Miss Sarah Wallett
“It is the mark of
an educated mind to
be able to entertain
a thought without
accepting it.”
Aristotle
Faculty Vision
What is a sustainable future? Is there such a thing as life after
death? Are criminals born or raised? To what extent were the
actions of the Suffragettes acceptable? The Faculty of World
Affairs represents one of the most diverse subject areas at
The Dean Academy and at the heart of everything we do is
the Socratic teaching “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Our programmes of study aim to link the local and the personal
with the national and international. They are designed to develop
a picture of a world open to interpretation and as such, students
are encouraged to adopt an enquiring, critical and reflective
approach. As a result, the study of subjects within the Faculty of
World Affairs enhances a student’s spiritual, personal, social
and moral development. At all times students are encouraged
to be open-minded, tolerant and respectful of opinions different
from their own.
“Every teacher is more than happy to give
extra support to students and they put in
so much effort, making the lessons as
accessible as possible on all levels. Their
dedication to their subjects definitely
influences our enthusiasm towards
learning and teaches us skills that we
can apply to other subjects as well.”
Year 11 Student
COURSE STRUCTURE
The faculty comprises of 7 full-time teachers who teach across
a range of subject areas including History, Geography,
Classical Civilisations and Religion, Ethics & Society. At GCSE
level the Faculty currently offers:
GCSE Classics – AQA Classical Civilisation
GCSE Geography – OCR Geography B
‹‹ GCSE History – OCR History A
‹‹ GCSE Modern World History – OCR History B
‹‹ GCSE Philosophy and Applied Ethics – OCR Religious
Studies B
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