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Curriculum Overview
The Opportunity Curriculum is another level to our whole school curriculum and provides a platform to guide HDHS students to learning opportunities outside of the classroom. This takes the form of reading, watching documentaries/films, researching and visiting interesting places.
Further details can be found in the following documents:
Every fortnight HDHS has a Root Word focus, where we embed the Root Word across the school via assemblies, tutorial and subject areas. Further details can be found here:
At Harwich and Dovercourt High School we recognise that the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of students plays a significant part in their ability to learn and to achieve their full potential. As such, SMSC is integral to the school’s ethos. We believe that students cannot and will not learn effectively unless they are both happy and secure; unless their individuality is respected; their differences celebrated; their difficulties understood; their interests extended and their talents developed. For that reason, the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of students is as important as their academic development. As a consequence of this belief we aim to provide an education that gives students the opportunity to explore and develop their own values and beliefs, to engage with their spiritual lives; to develop positive and caring attitudes towards others; to develop an understanding of their social and cultural roots and to hold an appreciation of the diversity and richness of other cultures.
Students are given the opportunities to explore the SMSC aspects of their personal development through school pastoral activities, themselves designed to foster and cultivate the values above; through collective worship, delivered in year group assemblies, which provide rich opportunities for personal and collective reflection; and through all curriculum areas, each making a contribution to students spiritual, moral, social and cultural development within their particular context.
Students in Key Stage 3 will benefit from the study of RE. They will explore a wide range of religious traditions, learning both about and from religion while reflecting on personal values. Key themes such as comparative religion, revelations, belief and practice, and ethical dialogue provide a foundation in understanding the role and impact of religion. This stage encourages meaningful questions and critical engagement with religion in society.
Parents of students are permitted to request that their child is withdrawn from receiving all or part of religious education and/or collective worship given at the school and any such request shall stand until such time that the parent’s request is withdrawn. Sixth form pupils may, on their own behalf, wholly or partly withdraw from attendance at collective worship at the school. Requests should be made in writing to the Deputy Headteacher (Curriculum).