DESS College - Curriculum and Learning

Key Stage 3 Subjects

Arabic A and B
Art and Design
Design and Technology
Drama
English
Food Nutrition and Preparation
French
Geography
History
ICT
Islamic Education (Muslim students only)
Mathematics
Moral Education
Music
Physical Education
Science
Social Studies
Spanish
Getting Ready for the Outside World

Key Stage 4

Students choose their subjects to study for GCSE examinations. More on GCSE options below.

Key Stage 5

Students undertake AS and A Level GCE examinations and BTEC qualifications. More on A Level and BTEC below.

Examination Boards

EDEXCEL
AQA
OCR
CAMBRIDGE ASSESSMENT INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

Our Teaching and Learning Philosophy

At DESS College, we are dedicated to being at the cutting edge of global teaching, learning, and assessment strategies, ensuring every student achieves both academic and personal excellence, irrespective of their initial starting point.

Our staff are deeply committed to preparing students to be 'future ready', equipping them with the necessary learning skills and a deep understanding of the British curriculum. This commitment aligns with our vision to cultivate independent, confident, and resilient learners who embrace challenges and realise their full potential.

Central to our approach is the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC), embodying the critical elements for achieving educational excellence. As a 'One-to-One Apple Device' College, boasting 162 Apple teachers and an Apple Professional Learning Specialist, our goal is to 'Develop Excellence and Skills Collaboratively using Technology.'

The dedicated Teaching and Learning Team (T&L Team) at DESC is pivotal in providing extensive professional development opportunities. They support and challenge our teaching community to continuously refine their expertise. The T&L Team champions the integration of neuroscientific, evidence-based practices and digital technologies into our teaching and learning strategies.

Our educators are not just excellent practitioners; they are reflective professionals always seeking to enhance their teaching methods. Through active participation in professional development, we foster a culture of sharing best practices and embracing innovative approaches to positively influence the student experience and outcomes.

Our Approach to Assessment

At DESS College, we believe that classroom assessment is fundamental to the teaching and learning process, necessitating a collaborative and focused approach.

Assessment is inherently interactive, requiring teachers to stay informed about their students' progress and challenges to tailor their teaching strategies accordingly. This adaptability is crucial, as student needs can be unpredictable and tend to vary significantly. Through assessment, students, teachers, and parents can make informed judgements to monitor progress, evaluate learning experiences, enhance planning, diagnose learning difficulties, identify advancement opportunities, personalise learning, and ultimately elevate the quality of education.

To maintain rigorous oversight of student attainment and progress, DESC utilises the Go4Schools platform, ensuring 'live' data reflects current student performance across all subjects. At Key Stage 3, both formative and summative assessments are conducted to track student progress. For Key Stages 4 and 5, our Curriculum and Assessment Calendar outlines a structured assessment pathway for each GCSE and A Level course.

Each year, three Progress Reports are issued, enabling students and parents to assess performance in terms of attainment, progress, and attitude to learning (A2L). Additionally, Parent Consultation Evenings are scheduled for each year group, offering personalised feedback on student strengths and areas for improvement.

DESS College employs a whole-school marking system known as ‘Box & Bubble’, designed to provide constructive written feedback. This system highlights successful aspects of work (Box) and offers guidance on improvements (Bubble).

The objectives of our marking strategy are to:

Enhance learning by providing meaningful feedback to both students and teachers.
Identify strengths and weaknesses in a constructive manner, informing future work.
Ensure frequent and regular feedback.
Incorporate Assessment for Learning within lessons, empowering students with the knowledge to improve.

Through these comprehensive assessment practices, DESS College is committed to fostering an environment where teaching and learning are continuously refined, supporting every student's journey towards academic excellence and personal growth.

DESS College students in Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 and 9) follow a broad and balanced curriculum designed to keep their options open and develop the essential skills to prepare them for GCSE study. The GCSE subjects offered at Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11) are designed to enable all our students to formulate a suitable programme of study according to their ability, individual interests, and future goals.

In line with UK statutory requirements each DESS College student will study the core subjects of Maths, English and Science to GCSE level, as well as a further 3 Option subjects from a suite of 19 courses.

We believe in allowing our students to choose without the limitations of ‘subject blocks,’ thus creating a personalised curriculum for every student. DESS College students select their GCSE subject choices for Year 10, in January of Year 9.

Subjects

Each of our subjects are listed below. To help with your decision-making process, we have produced a GCSE Options Guide that contains information on each of the GCSE courses that are available from September 2025.

English Language & English Literature	Core PE (non-GCSE, not examined)
Mathematics	Muslim students: Islamic Education (non-GCSE, not examined)
Double Award Science “Trilogy”= equivalent to 2 GCSEs or Separate Sciences = 3 GCSEs	Non Muslim students: G.R.O.W - Getting Ready for the Outside World (non-GCSE, not examined)
Arabic Arabic A (Arab passport holders) Arabic B (all other passport holders with optional GCSE qualification)	Moral, Social and Cultural Education (Year 10 only, not examined)

Ministry Arabic (Arab passport holders only)	French & Spanish
Art	Geography
Business Studies	History
Computer Science	ICT
Dance	Media Studies
Design & Technology	MUSPRA
Drama	Physical Education
Economics	Psychology
Food Preparation & Nutrition

A Levels

Our Sixth Form is aligned with the British Curriculum, offering GCE Advanced Levels (A Levels). Our status as a large, well-established Sixth Form enables us to provide a wide array of subject choices. A Levels are assessed through examinations after two years of study, with grades ranging from A*-U. For the academic year 2022/2023, 48% of DESC A Level grades were A or A*, and 75% were A*-B, figures that significantly surpass UK averages. This success underscores our expertise in delivering exceptional Post-16 education.

A Level Subjects available:

Arabic
Art
Art Photography
Biology
Business Studies
Chemistry
Computer Science
Design Technology: Product Design
Economics
English Language
English Literature
French
Further Mathematics
Geography
History
Information Technology
Law
Mathematics
Media Studies
Physical Education
Physics
Politics
Psychology
Spanish

Vocational: BTEC

BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council) has been a popular vocational learning environment in the UK for over 25 years.

Unlike traditional GCSE and A Level courses, BTECs are assessed entirely through coursework, appealing to students who prefer this assessment style and offering a more practical skillset for the workplace. BTEC courses involve practical, work-related tasks, such as organising hospitality events or running a business, providing hands-on experience. Learning is enriched through visits to local organisations and exposure to industry professionals, adding real-world context to the coursework.

BTECs suit hard-working students who can manage the coursework-heavy load juggle multiple tasks and can benefit from 'hands-on' learning experiences.

We offer Level 3 BTEC courses, equivalent to A Levels, in various sizes. For example, a Subsidiary Diploma is akin to one A Level, while a Diploma equates to two A Levels.

There are six BTEC courses to choose from, each designed to cater to various interests and career paths:

Vocational: RSL (rock School London)

In November 15th, DESS College became the first school in the world to be accredited as an International Centre of Excellence by Rock School London (RSL), the provider of contemporary vocational qualifications in music, performing arts and creative digital media.

Launched in 1991, RSL Level 3 Awards are offered to teachers and students in 50 countries as an alternative to A levels and BTEC. The programme’s alumni include music celebrities Jess Glynne and Ed Sheeran.

Each of the vocational and technical Awards programmes is designed for students seeking a flexible and highly personalised qualification that equips them with the practical skills needed to flourish in a contemporary creative career. They are popular among aspiring musicians, actors, dancers, performers, and sound technicians.

Though Key Stage 5 students at DESS College are no strangers to RSL’s Level 3 CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts) and MUSPRA (Music Practitioner) Diploma programmes as A-Level alternatives, this is the first year in which they have replaced A-Level Drama and Music respectively, at DESS College. CAPA modules include Acting Workshops, Acting for Camera, Ensemble Dance and Acting through Song. MUSPRA modules include Musical Theatre, Music Technology, Sound Engineering and Backstage Management.

Each Vocational Qualification (VQ) has been developed in collaboration with industry professionals and earns students UCAS points; the entry currency used by British universities and colleges. Other RSL VQ paths include television company apprenticeships, recording contracts, and live sound work.

Students who might otherwise have studied for A Levels or BTECs find the VQs flexible and practical, and GCSE Drama and Music students enjoy the step up to a Level 3 course that allows them to create a bespoke programme of study to suit their individual talents and interests. It’s this flexibility that sits behind DESC’s astonishing record of every Level 3 CAPA and MUSPRA student having achieved a Distinction* over the past four years during which we’ve offered the VQs as A-Level alternatives. Last year, the MUSPRA VQ scored the highest value added across all our A Level results at DESS College. We are quietly confident that we will enjoy similar success again this year.

In terms of outcomes, but BTEC and RSL pathways have consistently produced outstanding results, enabling students to access a wide range of top-tier universities. The coursework demands are high, but the potential for excellent results is significant, offering students a broad spectrum of higher education and career opportunities.

There are two Level 3 RSL courses to choose from:

Outcomes:

Both our vocational pathways have led to outstanding results, with students gaining access to prestigious universities and competitive courses worldwide. The comprehensive nature of BTEC and RSL qualifications ensures that DESS College students are well-prepared for success in higher education and beyond.

Careers

DESS Careers, led by Miss Reidy (Head of Information, Advice and Guidance) supports and guides Year 9 students in choosing their GCSE subjects. As part of their careers journey, all students in Years 9-13 at the College have a Unifrog account. This platform is a one-stop-shop which gives students unlimited access to a wide range of resources to support with careers and university research. Some of the functions available to students include:

Psychometric testing based on interest, personality, and skills. These assessments help to increase student’s self-awareness and guide them in selecting subjects for GCSE and post-16, degrees, and careers pathways.
Massive online open courses (known as MOOCs) which can be used to supplement learning outside the curriculum.
Regular webinars with careers, industry, and university experts across the globe.
Articles, podcasts, and other media presentations which students can filter according to the subjects they are studying and their personal interests.

In Year 9, Unifrog is launched with the students during tutor time as part of their Career Conversations week. Students begin by completing the psychometric testing, the results of which are recorded in their Character and Careers Conversation Journal. Form tutors then use this to structure their 1:1 Careers Conversation and refer any students who need further support to Miss Reidy. Future focused careers lessons also take place during GROW lessons where the use of Unifrog is further embedded. Additionally, the annual British Careers Week, which takes place during term 2 is another excellent opportunity for students to engage with and explore future careers pathways.

Curriculum and Learning