Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9)
Key stage 3 (KS3) marks the start of the senior school curriculum and is designed as a three-year set of objectives across multiple subjects that are covered, re-covered and assessed over the duration of the years. Key stage three builds upon the subject knowledge and learning skills of the primary curriculum and gives them experience of 15 different subjects. There are no optional subjects at Key stage 3, allowing all students adequate time to decide on their options choices at the end of Year 9. Furthermore, the three-year programme ensures all our students are fully prepared to begin their GCSE courses Year 10.
All students will study:
Mathematics, English, Science (Biology, Chemistry and Physics), Arabic, French, Humanities, Art, Music Design Technology, Computer Science, French, Physical Education, Social, Moral and Cultural Studies.
All year 9 students will have a scheduled appointment with school leaders to discuss iGCSE options at DGPS for year 10. Each Year 9 student will have a one-to-one interview with the leadership team to discuss their subject choices. Parents are welcome to attend, but the meeting will be conducted with the students to encourage them to lead the conversation on their course selections. For those joining the school for year ten, the same process will be applied, and students will be given the same opportunity to talk about their learning, personal interests, and experiences as part of the admission process. This can be conducted via online interview if the family is out of the country. This ensures the process is fair and equitable for all.
DGPS students in Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8, and 9) follow a broad and balanced curriculum to prepare them for iGCSE study in year 10. In line with UK statutory requirements, each DGPS student will study the core subjects of Maths, English, and Science to GCSE level, along with three additional option subjects from a selection of 12 courses.
To assist in the decision-making process, we have prepared a GCSE options booklet [here] containing detailed information on each course available from September 2024. This booklet is also available from he school in hard copy.
This meeting is crucial as we cover the following mandatory and optional subjects for Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11) at DGPS:
- English (Language and/or English Literature)
- Core PE (non-GCSE, not examined)
- Mathematics
- Science (Double Award Science “Trilogy” equivalent to 2 GCSEs, or Separate Sciences equivalent to 3 GCSEs)
Additionally, specific provisions apply:
- Islamic Education (non-GCSE, not examined) for Muslim students.
- Wellbeing period (start of day) for non-Muslim students.
- Arabic
- Arabic A(for Arab passport holders, required by UAE law, three hours per week)
- Arabic B (for all other passport holders, optional GCSE qualification)
- Moral, Social and Cultural Education** (Year 10 only, not examined)
We believe in empowering our students to choose their preferred subjects. The choices made during the test run at the end of term two enable us to create a personalised curriculum while identifying any potential issues.
