The Charles Dickens School

04/09/2026

04/09/2026

The Customer Experience team at Southeastern has developed a guide to support parents, carers, and new Year 7 pupils who may be travelling independently by train to and from school, perhaps for the first time, at the start of the new academic year.

The guide covers a range of topics designed to help pupils travel safely and confidently, including:
• Personal safety and safeguarding
• Ticketing options and money-saving tips
• How to get help at stations and on trains
• Journey planning
• Rail safety awareness
• Train etiquette and consideration for others

If you, or your child, would like a copy of the guide, please pop into our reception and we will pass it on to you. Thank you.

02/09/2026

Summer is almost over!
We look forward to welcoming all pupils back to CDS on Thursday 3 September for an 8:30am prompt start.
We have a free Breakfast Club available from 8:00am-8:25am each morning. Please don't forget to sign up to the MCAS App for school messages, payments, attendance, reports and important notifications if you have not already done so. You can top up your child’s lunch account on the App (but new Year 7s will be fed while parents navigate the system). A self sign up guide will be issued to Year 7 parents/carers this afternoon).

20/08/2026

Year 11 pupils at The Charles Dickens School have again performed extremely well in their GCSE examinations.

Warren Smith, Executive Headteacher said, “We are delighted with our pupils’ GCSE performance. This year, as every year, the results reflect pupils’ dedication to their studies and the commitment shown by our excellent teaching team in providing the motivation and guidance that drives our high standards. We wish all pupils our very best wishes for their next steps.”

There were a number of exceptional performances:

- Abi Lee achieved 9 in Maths, 8-8 in Combined Science, 7 in English Lit and Spanish, 6 in English Lang, Distinction in Engineering and ICT.
- Tobie Gordon achieved 9 in Maths, 9-9 in Combined Science, 6 in History, 5 in English Lang and English Lit, Distinction* in Business, Distinction in Engineering and ICT.
- Madison Reynolds achieved 8 in English Lit, 8-7 in Combined Science, 7 in English Lang, Maths, French, Geography and Textiles, Distinction* in Hospitality & Catering
- Ersi Ismailaj achieved 9-8 in Combined Science, 8 in Maths and History, 7 in Photography, 6 in English Lang and English Lit, Distinction in Engineering and Merit in Sport
- Amelia Sherwood achieved 9 in English Lang, English Lit, 8 in History, 7 in Photography, 6-6 in Combined Science, 5 in Maths, Distinction* in Hospitality & Catering and Distinction in Drama.

Congratulations to all Year 11s on completion of their secondary phase education with CDS. Good luck for the future, and your next steps.

18/08/2026

Good luck, Year 11!
We are looking forward to seeing our Year 11 pupils return on Thursday 20 August when GCSE results will be available for collection.
CDS will be open for results collection between 9:00am-11:00am.

We are proud of the hard work and resilience you have shown throughout your studies. We wish you every success for the future.

18/08/2026

Good luck, Year 11!
We are looking forward to seeing our Year 11 pupils return on Thursday 20 August when GCSE results will be available for collection.

CDS will be open for results collection between 9:00am-11:00am.

We are proud of the hard work and resilience you have shown throughout your studies. We wish you every success for the future.

16/07/2026

Year 9 held a small fundraiser in support of QEQM, selling ice pops, lollies, sweets and homemade jewellery created by pupils from Jewellery Club and the DT Department.

The stall was a great success, with the Kane and Bellingham shirt keyrings proving to be our most popular items. The handmade earrings were a very close second!
Thanks to the generosity of pupils and staff, we raised over £70 for a fantastic cause. Our pupil volunteers were incredibly helpful throughout, showing excellent teamwork, enthusiasm and community spirit.
Well done to everyone involved, and thank you to all who supported the fundraiser.