ISI INSPECTION REPORT, FEBRUARY 2024
Based in Kent, Dover College has been educating young people for over 150 years. Today we are a co-educational day and boarding school for children aged 3-18 years of age. The Christian faith has been at the heart of Dover College’s spiritual identity since the School was founded. In the 21st Century, multi-cultural Britain, we seek to remain true to those Christian foundations, whilst welcoming those from a variety of faith backgrounds (or none). Pupils are encouraged to be open-minded and think for themselves as they encounter the Christian faith in the Chapel and on other informal occasions. The spiritual aim of the College is to nurture faith where it exists while arousing curiosity in all pupils towards their spiritual dimension.
We offer a vibrant national and international community, committed to academic excellence and providing a holistic education. But doesn’t every school in our sector do the same thing? What makes us different?
It is our belief that as a parent, or a school, we can ask no more of our children than for them to achieve their best – in the classroom, in their personal development, on stage, in sports or in the varied activities they engage in daily. At Dover College, personal bests matter and these look different for each and every child.
There is no better time than at school to start ticking off items on the list of things we wish to achieve. There are so many opportunities during school years to learn, develop, push yourself out of your comfort zone, try something new, take a risk or master that which you choose to focus on. Whether it is securing a place at a top university, turning a 5 into a 6 in Geography, winning a national competition or making a best friend for life, we are proud of the personal bests we see being achieved each time and every day.
All schools must provide a curriculum that is broadly based, balanced and meets the needs of all pupils. Under section 78 of the Education Act 2002 a PSHE curriculum:
PSHE
At Dover College, we teach Personal, Social, Health Education as a whole-school approach to underpin students’ development as people and because we believe that this also supports their learning capacity. Jigsaw, the mindful approach to PSHE, provides a programme which offers us a comprehensive, carefully thought-through Scheme of Work bringing consistency and progression to our students’ learning in this vital curriculum area.
This also supports the “Physical and mental health, and emotional wellbeing” and “Social and economic wellbeing and contribution to society” sections required under the Independent Schools Inspectorate Inspection Framework, as well as significantly contributing to the school’s Safeguarding and Equality Duties, the Government’s British Values agenda and the SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social, Cultural) development opportunities provided for our young people.
Dover College believes that social and interpersonal skills are vital, and that emotional literacy and positive mental health are key to young people thriving in school and in life. They need to be discerning and mindful to negotiate the many influences on them and to have a sense of agency, knowing they have a voice and can make a positive difference. So, woven throughout the Jigsaw PSHE programmes is a strong focus on developing these personal attributes in a structured, age-appropriate and developmental way. Mindfulness philosophy underpins the programme and mindfulness practice is built into every lesson, aiming to support self-regulation, self-awareness and stress management.
Statutory RSE and Health Education
In September 2020, the Department for Education (DfE) made Relationships and Sex Education compulsory in all secondary schools, and Health Education compulsory in all state-funded schools in England. Independent Schools were already mandated to deliver PSHE including Health Education (Independent School Standards, DfE, 2019)
At secondary school, teaching builds on what children learnt at primary school and develops their understanding of health, with an increased focus on areas like drug use.
Here, at Dover College, we value PSHE as a way to support students’ development as human beings, to enable them to understand and respect who they are, to empower them with a voice and to equip them for life and learning.
We include the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education within our whole-school PSHE Programme.
To ensure progression and a spiral curriculum, we use Jigsaw, the mindful approach to PSHE, as our chosen teaching and learning programme and tailor it to our students’ needs. The mapping document, ‘Jigsaw 11-16 and statutory RSE and Health Education’, shows exactly how Jigsaw and, therefore, our school, meets the statutory RSE and Health Education requirements.
Dover College, Effingham Crescent, Dover, Kent, United Kingdom, CT17 9RH
