Member Article

A Successful Start for DLD’s Pioneering Year 9 Curriculum

DLD College London is marking a successful academic year so far for its inaugural Year 9 cohort, with overwhelmingly positive student feedback received for the unique new curriculum, particularly in relation to the Urban Schools Project.

As part of the multi-award-winning college’s groundbreaking Year 9 programme, students have the invaluable opportunity to participate in the Urban Schools Project, an initiative designed to take students out of the classroom once a week and into London. The trips are designed to broaden students’ learning experience, enabling them to develop skills beyond academia including independence, confidence and communication skills.

So far this year, students have embarked upon an abundance of outings including visits to the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square, Art in the Park at the Olympic Park, Otherworld Virtual Reality in Hackney, the London Transport Museum at Covent Garden, a Sustainable Fashion Workshop and Ice Skating at Somerset House.

Students overwhelmingly felt like they were learning more outside of the classroom, and 100% of Year 9 students would recommend it to their friends to study. One student commented: “It’s nice and different because you’re outside but still learning. My favourite trip was Otherworld where we experienced virtual reality, it taught me communication and coordination skills.”

This year’s initial Year 9 cohort is the first to experience the innovative curriculum designed by Dr Sarah Watson and the team at DLD College London, inspired by the World Economic Forum’s skills for the future. The programme was recognised earlier this year by Talk Education, who awarded the college the Innovation in Excellence Award for Entrepreneurship and Business in 2023, acknowledging how DLD is preparing students for the careers of tomorrow.

Dr Sarah Watson Vice Principal (Academic) at the college explains: “It is a unique curriculum that’s not based on any national curriculum that exists at the moment; we have looked at the World Economic Forum and the skills that are going to be needed for the future and we have designed a curriculum around that, combining your traditional subjects with cutting-edge, innovative subjects.

“We want students to have brilliant literacy and numeracy skills, but also for them to be able to problem solve in unique contexts so when they are looking at options for the future, they can access a full range of traditional GCSEs but also combine them with innovative courses such as e-sports and BTECs.”

Significantly, the students have recognised clear pathways for them at DLD to continue their studies, with one Year 9 student commenting, “one of the reasons I chose DLD was for the BTECs and the good GCSE choices”, boding well for the continued growth of the school and the Year 9 cohort for 2024.

A school of diverse thinking and influences, housed in a futuristic building with cutting-edge facilities opposite the Houses of Parliament, London is DLD’s classroom. Students aged 13 to 19 are offered the opportunity to study a wide range of GCSEs, A-Levels, BTEC courses and International Foundation Programmes (IFP). It also offers an Academic Preparation Programme (APC). In addition to a number of significant national award wins, DLD College London is also proud to be named by Tatler magazine, Good Schools Guide and Talk Education as one of the top schools in the UK.

DLD College London provides a ‘gold standard’ of educational quality. It is a school where students are respected, supported and honoured as individuals. Where they are immersed in the best possible environment to grow as successful and independent learners; where their vision can be made a reality, and where as happy and healthy people they feel free to make a contribution to the world around them, both now and into the future. The school’s beating heart is its award-winning wellbeing centre.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Melissa Chawner .