Year 9
DLD College London is consolidating the school’s unique space in the education sector as it innovates and leads new ways of delivering education, while striving to create unique learning opportunities for its students.
Central to the pioneering Year 9 offering is a curriculum which is designed to spark a love of learning for the younger years, preparing students for the careers of tomorrow whilst at the same time providing a solid bedrock of knowledge and skills.
This unique programme delivers a hybrid of the traditional and the unconventional, thereby introducing students to the rigours of grammar and algebra while also learning about topics such as NFTs and cryptocurrency.
Our Year 9 provision forms the first stage of a DLD student’s journey, as they progress through to our Year 10 & 11 Key Stage 4 programmes and then onto Sixth Form, university and beyond. At DLD, students are empowered at every step to tailor their learning and to develop skills and experience to pursue their passions.
AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH
The world we live in is becoming increasingly connected, in technology, in business, and in culture. Our Year 9 programme at DLD College London both reflects and prepares students to succeed in the world as it is today, and as it will be tomorrow.
The curriculum is designed to be a hybrid of the best of traditional and modern learning. Students will develop a solid foundation in language and numeracy skills, whilst the teaching of other subjects blends together and overlaps to reflect the connectivity between academic disciplines and how this is applied in the real world.
Students will learn the core knowledge and subject skills needed to successfully progress on to the next stage of their learning, but at DLD they will also extend their learning beyond the normal syllabus. Unconventional and relevant topics such as NFTs and Cryptocurrencies for example, will be studied and learning will be brought together and connected over multiple academic strands in thematic teaching.
Making the best use of our London location, every Friday our ‘Urban School Project’ will take learning out into the city we call home. Students will get involved in the local community, and at the same time develop their research, inquiry and reflection skills and make small, authentic changes to their own lives and that of others in the process. At DLD, London truly is our classroom.
YEAR 9 STUDY PROGRAMME
Core Subjects
Our Year 9 programme focuses on the core subjects in which students need a strong foundation, by studying Mathematics and English at depth to support the levels of numeracy and literacy that are required across all other subjects.
Thematic Courses
Students will then study thematic courses which are interdisciplinary in their approach including Science, Creative Arts, Digital Futures and People & Places. From this, students will be better prepared with the academic skills required to gain deeper content knowledge in their choice of Year 10 and 11 study. They will become independently able to integrate conceptual learning from several sources, and to engage methods of inquiry and problem solving across a range of subjects.
Urban School Projects
Taking advantage of the college’s central London position on the South Bank, our innovative curriculum has an Urban School Project element where, once a week, London truly is the classroom. Students will work on cross-curricular projects, getting involved in the community in which they live, and develop their research, inquiry and reflection skills, actively using everything the capital has to offer, thereby instilling an awareness and interest beyond the conventional.
Supplementary Learning & Activities
In addition to subject lessons, each week students will have additional timetables sessions focusing on their physical, social, emotional and professional development.
Each of these interdisciplinary courses draws content from the subject areas featured.
STUDENT DEVELOPMENT
Year 9 students will progress onto our exciting GCSE programme, continuing the theme of tradition combined with innovation, as we are offering BTEC subjects such as Esports and Entrepreneurship alongside traditional GCSEs.
Through the school’s exceptional, award-winning pastoral system, students will also be supported in developing their confidence, independence and resilience, further preparing them for the future.
As integral members of our Upper School, Year 9 students will have a dedicated Tutor who will oversee their daily needs at morning registration, whilst the Head of Upper School will track their Academic and Pastoral needs with a weekly surgery. In addition, each student will be allocated to one of our Houses which are linked in to the Sixth Form and offer an opportunity to participate in the wider activities of school life such as House competitions and assemblies.
When lessons end at 4pm, each student will be required to sign up to at least two Co-Curricular Activities per week and these take place after school. With over 50 clubs and societies from Debating to Photography, Duke of Edinburgh to Model United Nations, DJ-ing or Bands to various sports teams, yoga or boxing, there really is something for everyone.
Combining this rich tapestry of school life with the awareness that comes from having so many different nationalities of students joining us from overseas creates a unique, diverse culture within which we develop mature, global citizens.
JOINING YEAR 9
Every student who wishes to join DLD College London will be invited to an informal interview. This enables us to get to know each other and gives us an insight into how an individual might fit within our unique offering.
For Year 9 entry, students will also participate in The DLD Challenge which will contain a Maths and English element, as well as critical thinking or a creative task.
International students will require a IELTS Level 4.5 to join this year group.
Press interest in our unique Year 9 offering
The Education sector has been extremely interested in our new Year 9 offering, and Prep School Heads are telling us it is a breath of fresh air and a real alternative for their students.
Read more about our coverage by clicking on the following news items:
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Why Study at DLD College London?
- A distinctive, multi-award-winning school on the South Bank
- Developing confident & independent young people
- First class teaching and wellbeing support
- Expert university guidance
- Unique learning opportunities
- London is our classroom
- Innovative 5* boarding
Much like the city that we call home, DLD College London is a fusion of the historic and the modern. Our history dates back to 1931, and we still hold close traditional values such as academic rigour, discipline, and exam success. We have combined these values with a focus on student wellbeing and personal development which means that DLD graduates are well-prepared for life after college.
As central London’s only purpose built on-campus boarding school, studying at DLD puts you in the heart of the city. Students wake up to the iconic London skyline, and our home on the South Bank puts some of London’s best leisure, cultural and entertainment experiences on your doorstep.
Our co-curricular programme of after school and weekend clubs make the most of our amazing location whilst ensuring that students remain safe and focused on their studies.
