DMS Curriculum

At Dedworth Middle School we aim to provide a broad and balanced curriculum that is fully inclusive ensuring that all of our pupils have the opportunity to achieve.  Our curriculum is supportive, ambitious and challenging, but also accessible to all pupils irrespective of their need, ability, background, ethnicity or gender.  Through the wide range of the different subjects offered, our pupils are exposed to exciting and challenging experiences that not only help create happy and engaged lifelong learners, but also young people that have acquired the knowledge they require to be ready and inspired for the next stage in their education.

As a school we ensure that our curriculum is coherently planned, methodically sequenced and research informed, to allow pupils to opportunity to develop knowledge, understand concepts and acquire relevant skills. The curriculum at Dedworth Middle school ensures that all pupils experience a continuous pathway of education throughout the four years they are part of our school.  As a staff team, we work alongside colleagues at the other Middle schools, First schools and Upper schools to make sure the journey we are providing is consistent, that it compliments prior and future learning and enables successful transitions.

Alongside fulfilling the national curriculum requirements, Dedworth Middle School strives to support every pupil’s physical development and promotes a happy, active and healthy lifestyle.  Our curriculum provides a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities, educational visits and residential activities to further enrich the pupils educational experience and encourage a positive attitude towards learning.  Together with our extensive pastoral provision we provide a vast number of opportunities to fulfil our pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development.  These activities also help develop independence and resilience creating happy, confident and inspired pupils.

Throughout Key Stage two and three, all lessons are sequenced and planned to ensure that pupil’s prior knowledge is taken into account; learning is revisited to guarantee content is secure; new content is embedded alongside key skills and scaffold is in place to support all types of learner.

Our curriculum aims are underpinned by the following school values:

These values are embedded throughout every aspect of our curriculum and school life and they allow us to create a culture where all pupils believe they can achieve.

Key Stage 2 Provision

Year 5 and 6 are taught mainly within a primary model and taught by the primary specialist teachers within their year group. However, our pupils in KS2 will receive specialised teaching for some foundations subject such as Physical Education, Science Computing, Music and Design Technology over the course of the two years.  Year 5 and 6 are taught as mixed ability classes apart from in Maths where there is some ability setting. We are also able to provide an extra teacher for Maths to enable the classes in each year group to be taught over an extra class to enable smaller teaching groups. 

Key Stage 3 Provision

Year 7 and 8 are taught as part of a secondary model with specialist teachers in every subject. They are taught within mixed ability classes apart from Maths where there is some ability setting.  Within Design Technology, lessons in KS3 pupils are taught on a rotation to include design technology and food technology. The pupils in each class are split for this lesson and taught in groups ranging from 12-15 pupils.

For additional information on our curriculum please contact the school office:

office@dedworthmiddle.co.uk 

01753 860561