Our Curriculum
Dartmouth Academy is proud to use evidence-based innovation in its curriculum so that it is creating the right environment for the learners in its care to progress, achieve and excel. Since its foundation in 2010, the Academy has worked to create an environment that allows all students to learn in a structured, supported and positive way.
To create this environment the Academy introduced the 'Stages' system.
Stages means that our learners are split into three distinct groups: Reception to Year Four are in Springboard Stage; Year Five to Year Eight are in Gateway Stage and Year Nine to Year 12 are in Pathways Stage.
Why Stages?
In our structured education system children historically do better and better the longer they stay within an education establishment, if it is supporting their needs as learners.
But when children move from one school to another, or from a primary education set up to a secondary one, or into studying towards exams such as GCSEs, their learning – and subsequently their grades – can suffer.
Stages aim to reduce and even eradicate this 'dip' in performance.
The way Stages work is to introduce changes to the structure of the student's situation in a stepped manner.
This reduces the impact of transitions and allows our teaching staff to build adaptability and positive attitudes into the learning strategies of our students.
This means that Primary-aged children get specialist teaching earlier which helps them to build skills more quickly. Whilst Secondary aged students have a smaller team of specialist teachers building from the experience of Year Six.
So Year Seven students don't move from a class with only one or two teachers to suddenly having 15 or even more, they will step up to having nine teachers for a while before having separate teachers for every subject.
From Year 5 they are included in the 10th Day programme which often will see them working with students from older age groups which helps them to be part of the older Academy community, feeling accepted and supported as they move up the Academy.
As the students move on they will find learning strategies which will help them at GCSE and A Levels introduced earlier, leaving them better prepared for vital exams and courses.
The @altitude system allows teachers and students to continuously monitor progress and discuss regularly strategies that will help them to achieve their goals.
Stages allow us to focus on our learners and their journey – helping them to set targets, create goals and fulfil their potential.
Click the links below to for more information about the individual Stages:
