Year 7

Welcome to Year 7 at Dartford Grammar School

Staff

Form Tutors 2023-2024

7A - Ms F Brett
7B - Mr C Gregory
7C - Mr P Farmer
7D - Mr M Roome
7E - Mr M Chow
7F - Ms E Pillow

Key Stage 3 Admin Manager

Mrs J Bennett (jbennett@dartfordgrammarschool.org.uk) is the Admin Manager for KS3 and deals with admissions,  Key Stage 3 letter reply slips and general administration.

Absence

To report absence, please ring or email Mrs K Brown on ext106 or kbrown@dartfordgrammarschool.org.uk.

The Key Stage 3 Curriculum - Year 7

Year 7 represents your son's first steps as a Dartford Grammar School student. In this exciting year, your son will leave behind primary school to start a new journey of learning which will last for seven years.

Year 7 at Dartford Grammar School is a year of discovery and intellectual rigour. Students will be pushed to achieve their potential in all subjects from Maths to Mandarin. Indeed, students will spend their time experimenting in laboratories, learning new languages and participating in team sports designed to build confidence and leadership skills.

Part of being Dartford Grammar School is about participating in the many clubs available at school. From Chess Club, to Key Stage 3 Debating Club , there is a club for everyone. Science Club allows students to build rockets and robots; Classics Club allows students to delve into the history and culture of ancient Greek and Roman civilisation. No matter what your son's interest is, there will be something for him to pursue after school.

Moreover, students at Dartford Grammar School are encouraged to be charitable citizens of a broader community. Each year, we raise thousands of pounds for charitable causes in Year 7 alone.

By the time that your son has finished Year 7, he will have spent one year learning a modern foreign language (Japanese or Chinese). He will have participated in school rugby and performed in a school musical concert (7@7). Your son will have enriched his learning in two creativity weeks. During this time, he will have made many lifelong friends; friends who will be with him in seven years’ time when he leaves to go to the university of his choice.  

The Global Contexts of the Middle Years Programme - Year 7

The key points of each Global Context are as follows:

Identities and Relationships – students will explore identity; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities and cultures; what it means to be human.

Orientation in space and time – students will explore personal histories; homes and journeys; turning points in humankind; discoveries; explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationships between, and the interconnectedness of, individuals and civilizations, from personal, local and global perspectives.

Personal and cultural expression – students will explore the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.

Scientific and technical innovation – Students will explore the natural world and its laws; the interaction between people and the natural world; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on communities and environments; the impact of environments on human activity; how humans adapt environments to their needs.

Globalization and sustainability – students will explore the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the relationship between local and global processes; how local experiences mediate the global; the opportunities and tensions provided by world-interconnectedness; the impact of decision-making on humankind and the environment.

Fairness and development – students will explore rights and responsibilities; the relationship between communities; sharing finite resources with other people and with other living things; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.

Through the environment provided by the Global Contexts, students will become more aware of the relevance of their learning to real-world issues, and shall come to see knowledge, concepts, skills and attitudes as an interrelated whole. In this way, students will appreciate that their subject groups are not isolated but complement each other.

Year 7 Creativity Activity & Service (CAS)

Core points in the 6^th form IB Diploma are calculated by combining an academic element and a service element. The aim is to replicate this system in Key Stage 3 – with our Creativity, Activity and Service component - CAS

In Y7 this year, the creativity element will be met by the Induction Challenges that students completed over the summer. The activity element will be an induction theme comprising participation and engagement with Saturday morning rugby next half-term that culminates in the Y7 Rugby Festival and 10 or more appearances at a school club [whether that is virtual or face to face]. The service element will be made up of charitable fundraising through the Readathon and student development through the new PHSE programme, a national and mandatory curriculum change. These 3 strands will help the Y7s create connections with the school, and will form the criteria for their 3 point CAS performance. The Y7 form tutor reports will reflect on student progress in regard to this. 

Key Events in the Year for Year 7 Students

• CAS Fayre - September
• School Photographs - September
• Inset Day 
• Y7 Welcome Evening 
• Key Stage 3 Rugby Festival 
• 7@7 Concert - 
• Creativity Weeks -  October & June
• Parents' Consultation Evening  
• Year 7 choose European Language options for Year 8 – February
• Lee Valley Athletics – February
• House Charity Fund Raising Activities - February
• International Rugby Festival – March
• Spring Grade Card issued to students – March
• Year 7 Examinations –  May
• Inter-form athletics – June
• Year 7 Full Report issued to students – July
• Sports Day – July 

Key Documents

MYP Assessment Overview

MYP Assessment Criteria