Pupils, including students in the sixth form, participate in an extensive range of sporting, creative, technical, cultural and spiritual pursuits. - Ofsted 2021
Discover+ offers students a unique opportunity to explore subjects beyond the core curriculum and participate in enriching activities. The program runs from Years 7 to 13, taking place on Wednesdays and Fridays each week. Students can choose from a wide variety of sessions across all four days of our Discover+ programme. Discover takes place during the TD period (13:55-14:30).
The Discover+ program is divided into two rotations each year:
Each rotation, on every session day, students rank their session preferences from 1 to 5. These rankings are used to allocate sessions, with the aim of fulfilling the highest-ranked choices for as many students as possible.
Over their 7-year journey (or 2 years if joining in the Sixth Form), students have the opportunity to shape their own Discover+ programme. Students select sessions that align with their interests, enhance their skills, or explore new areas of learning. We also provide opportunity for older students to develop their leadership skills with the opportunity to run student led sessions.
Overview of our typical offer (sessions available vary by year group):
| Week 1 Wednesday | Week 1 Friday | Week 2 Wednesday | Week 2 Friday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Curriculum | Enrichment | Super Curriculum | Enrichment |
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At DRHS, we recognise the vital role that strong speaking and listening skills play in a student’s academic success, personal development and future career pathways. We are proud that many of our students already demonstrate above-average oracy skills, supported by positive home environments and high-quality primary provision such as Voice21. Our Oracy Curriculum is designed to build on this strong foundation while ensuring every student is confident and capable when communicating.
The DRHS Oracy Curriculum aims to:
Oracy is not confined to a single lesson or subject; it is embedded across the curriculum and reinforced through a wide range of classroom activities. Students regularly take part in discussions, debates and presentations that allow them to practise and refine their speaking skills in a supportive environment.
This consistent approach ensures that:
Oracy skills are also linked to key areas such as assessments, career preparation (including interviews) and enrichment opportunities, enabling students to apply what they learn in meaningful, real-world contexts.
Through our Oracy Curriculum, we aim to nurture confident, articulate and resilient young people who are prepared to express themselves effectively in the classroom and beyond. By reinforcing these skills consistently, we help students develop the confidence and communication abilities they need to succeed in school and in later life.
| Year 7 | Presentations |
|---|---|
| Year 8 | Business Pitches |
| Year 9 | Famelab |
| Year 10 | Debate and Negotiate |
| Year 11 | Interview Skills |
| Year 12 | Verbal Critical Reasoning |
| Year 13 | Deconstructing Expert Topics |
At Denmark Road our people matter. We enhance the qualities of all our pupils through our holistic future minded curriculum which goes beyond any particular subject. We develop our pupils’ character, which will equip them for life beyond Denmark Road as they develop positive personal strengths. They are nurtured, celebrated and supported to become well-rounded successful individuals who achieve exceptional outcomes. Our curriculum provides the space for pupils to immerse themselves in life-shaping and life-changing learning and experiences. We believe that every child has the right to education which develops their intellectual, moral, civic and performance virtues (positive personal strengths).
Character is Caught through community, relationships, the House system, our school values and student leadership. All members of the school community exemplify this through culture, and inspirational influence in a positive ethos that motivates and promotes character development.
Character is Taught through curriculum, Discover+, through life-shaping and life-changing experiences in and out of lessons.
Character is Sought by pupils embracing challenges, developing life-long interests in learning, and pursuing & taking opportunities. We provide opportunities to develop character through trips/visits, volunteering, sport, performing arts and intellectual enrichments as they strive to achieve The Edge Award.
Our school values or Tenacity, Self-Awareness, Curiosity and Respect underpin the core virtues through the acquisition and development of character traits and employability skills which we believe are fundamental for the growth of our students.
Integral to our Character programme is our Careers programme which is relevant to each stage of the our student’s journey and our Oracy programme which seeks to enhance the skills of our students with regards to conveying their ideas, performing at interview and speaking with confidence and conviction.
We also develop the character of our student through a spiralised Character programme in which students explore our school values and reflect on their own virtue based on Aristotelian virtue theory.
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Please see below for an outline of our off timetable days and whole year group trips programme. Actual or estimated costing is also outlined below. Dates may be subject to change. Pupil Premium funding may be available depending on the nature of the visit. If all or part of the visit is taking place during school hours then lessons will be suspended during that time. Further details regarding each visit will be communicated nearer the time. Additional whole year group activities and smaller group trips may be communicated throughout the year.
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Please see below for a summary of the residential trips programme with actual (or estimated) cost per student. Residential trips may be eligible for Pupil Premium funding, this will be confirmed when the trip is launched. Please note that some trips may be oversubscribed when launched, if this occurs names will be drawn randomly to confirm who will attend. In order for these trips to run there is a minimum number of students required, this will vary per trip. If this threshold is not reached the trip will be withdrawn.
| Trip (*tbc) | Date(s) | Year Group(s) | Cost (actual or estimated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze DofE Expedition Package | Early September & Early October | 9 | £265 |
| Silver DofE Expedition Package | Early & Mid September, Early October | 10 | £340 |
| Gold DofE Expedition Package* | tbc | 12-13 | £575 |
| Music Tour, Barcelona, Spain (Music) | Mid October | 9-13 | £425 |
| Cologne Christmas Market (German) | End of November/Early December | 8 | £500 |
| Berlin, Germany (History) | Mid February | 10-11 | £715 |
| Ski Trip, Austria | February Half Term | 8-9 | £1,785 |
| PGL Netball | Early March | 8-11 | £226.50 |
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Normandy, France (French and History)* |
Late March | 12-13 | £tbc |
| Cornwall | Early June | 9 | £450 |
| France (French)* | Mid July | 10 | £tbc |
| World Challenge - Albania | Mid July | 10-13 | £2,695 |
