developing for the future - Dulwich College Shanghai

developing for the future
Curriculum
At Dulwich College, Shanghai we aim to develop well-rounded young people who strive for excellence in all that they
do.
We promote effective learning and communication, and the pursuit of individual academic success: we encourage all
students to become principle – centred members of society.
The Junior School curriculum is largely based on the English National Curriculum. The objectives are taken from this
document and delivered in a creative and exciting cross-curricular way that incorporates both student interests and the
need to cater for differing learning styles.
The Curriculum also takes into account the China context, therefore adapting certain themes to make it more ‘real’ for
the community in which we teach.
In the Junior School we believe that teaching creatively means to give learning ‘sense.’ follows clear objectives.
The creative curriculum is a carefully planned, thematic approach to teaching and learning designed to support children’s
natural curiosity and stimulate their creativity.
It offers children the opportunity to work in depth, giving them the time they need to reflect, consolidate and transfer
their learning.
As DCS we will not identify exactly what will be taught each year as we look to be adaptive to both the child’s interests
and also the changing world in which we live. If it is appropriate to make use current news events, we will.
We believe that our curriculum allows children, adults and parents work with each other, drawing resources from the
school, locality and wider community to create a challenging, distinctive and exciting curriculum.
Below you will find a short synopsis of each area of the curriculum. Further details can be gained from staff within the
Junior School. We encourage you to ask the questions that give you peace of mind.
It is important to note that the College’s Philosophy and Objectives are taken into account when planning the curriculum
within the Junior School.
English
The role of the Junior School is to continue the language learning children have already begun and to help them to
become proficient users throughout their lives.
The Junior School follows the English National Curriculum objectives, and individual teachers adapt units to create a
flourishing working environment creatively incorporating their topics into their English lessons. Planning is carried out
with knowledge of the level the children are currently working at and teachers differentiate accordingly.
Each year group enjoys a daily hour of dedicated English teaching during which they learn through speaking and
listening, reading and writing. These three aspects of English are not only interdependent, but mutually enhancing.
Language is fundamental to communicating, learning and thinking. We want our children to become confident speakers
with the ability to listen carefully and critically assess the thoughts of others. Children are encouraged to speak clearly,
fluently and confidently to different people and for a range of purposes; to listen to others, understand and respond.
Through careful planning we enable them to develop these skills with the use of role-play, debating, class and group
discussions.
Mathematics
Mathematics is fundamental to children’s learning and one of the core subjects in the English National Curriculum. At
Dulwich College Shanghai, we follow the principles of the UK National Numeracy Strategy, which provides the key
skills and objectives that we teach.
Each class participates in an hour of Mathematics per day and lessons are adapted by the children’s teacher to suit the
needs and interests of the class. Even within each class, different levels of work will be produced to best help individual
groups of children learn.
Students in the Junior School are placed into ability groups based on their previous year’s achievement, teacher assessment
or entrance tests. There are two accelerated groups within each year group and three parallel groups. Dulwich has a
vast number of gifted mathematicians: many children in the parallel groups are still working at levels well above that
expected in the English system. The groups will change throughout the year dependent on the needs of the children.
To ensure your child feels confident in Mathematics, we have a strong emphasis on thorough leaning of mental arithmetic
and core skills. At Dulwich we will provide not only understanding of mathematical processes and concepts, but also
modern skills that are in high demand, such as the capability to analyse information and to solve problems.
ICT
ICT plays an important role in the Junior School and our aim is to provide your children with the tools needed not only
to continue their studies into the senior school, but also to prepare them for an ever-changing world where technology
plays an increasing part.
The role of ICT in the Junior School is three-fold. Firstly, each class has a dedicated hour in our suite of iMacs where they
learn the basic skills outlined in the English National Curriculum:
• Finding things out
• Developing ideas and making things happen
• Exchanging and sharing information and reviewing
• Modifying and reviewing work as it progresses.
Where appropriate, these are linked to topics occurring within the year group in other curriculum areas.
Secondly, the children have access to a range of technologies in the classroom including an interactive Smartboard.
Each year group also has access to a bank of 22 Apple laptops, which can be booked by teachers to support work in the
classroom as appropriate. This enables us to provide the children with a range of learning tools to support their studies
and help them to communicate their ideas in a variety of ways, whether it be through the medium of film, photography,
presentations or simply written reports.
Thirdly, the Junior School operates a virtual learning environment, Studywiz, which allows children and teachers to
extend their learning beyond the classroom, enabling them to continue school work, discuss ideas with their peers and
complete tasks set by the teacher both at home and at school.
The thread that links these areas is our dedication to ensuring that children learn to use the technology available to them
in a responsible and safe way. Each year, children are given specific lessons on Internet safety and guidance in how to
deal with intricacies of on-line communication. This is also extended into our PSHCE lessons.
We also feel it important to stress our belief that technology should be used to support the important work being done
in all areas across the school and it must always be purposeful.
The children are introduced to a wide variety of increasingly challenging literature, as well as non-fiction texts; they
develop as enthusiastic, independent readers who can analyse, evaluate and criticise. As children gain full fluency the
forms of teaching will shift to emphasise reading and composition skills at text level.
Children will write for a range of audiences, which gives them a
purpose for their writing. They will have frequent opportunities
to plan, draft and re-draft their work within group and whole
class teaching. They are taught how to structure their writing
and how to interest the reader by using a rich vocabulary.
In addition to their timetabled English lessons the children also
have an hour’s session in our excellent Junior School Library.
These are run by a teacher librarian, who works closely with
the classroom teachers to enrich the topics, and make crosscurricular
links, where appropriate
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