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  • Congratulations to Our Year 10 Silver DofE Qualifying Expedition Participants

    Published 30/06/25

    Congratulations to all the students who took part in the Year 10 Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Qualifying Expedition last week.

    On Thursday, 26th June, a group of Year 10 students set off on their planned routes as part of their Silver DofE Qualifying Expedition. After a day of walking and navigating, they arrived at Adamswell Scout Campsite, where they set up tents and cooked dinner before settling in for the first of two nights under canvas.

    Over the following two days, students continued their expedition, walking their pre-planned routes while putting into practice the navigation skills and countryside code awareness they have developed throughout their DofE journey.

    This expedition is a fantastic opportunity for students to challenge themselves, work collaboratively as a team, and enjoy the great outdoors—all while building valuable life skills and making lasting memories.

    A big thank you to all parents and carers for your ongoing support in helping your child take part in this rewarding experience.

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  • Year 12 Design and Technology Visit to Autoflame

    Published 24/06/25

    On Tuesday, 17th June, our Year 12 Design Technology students had the opportunity to visit a local company Autoflame and Limpsfield, gaining valuable insight into the workings of a global, modern, and efficient design and manufacturing environment.

    This successful local business generously gave students a guided tour of their operations, helping to bring to life the theory they’ve studied throughout the year.

    A huge thank you to Autoflame and Limpsfield for not only hosting the visit but also for their generous donation towards our Laser Cutter fund, which has now been successfully achieved thanks to their support.

    Mr R Baker
    Head of Design and Technology

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  • 'Matilda The Musical' Theatre Trip

    Published 20/06/25

    On Tuesday 17th June, the Expressive Arts faculty took 40 year 8 and 9 students up to London to watch 'Matilda'. We were incredibly lucky to have front row seats in the stalls and so were able to see the workings of the stage up close. The performance uses lots of secret doors built into the stage floor where props are magically revealed. At one point, a number of school desks mechanically unfolded, creating a classroom set in seconds.

    Although the majority of students knew the Roald Dahl story well, the challenge was to work out how certain moments were happening; how was one of the child actors swung around in a circle from just their pigtails?! The students were brilliantly behaved, excellent company and thoroughly enjoyed experiencing theatre up close.

    Our final theatre trip of the year is on Friday 18th July to see Stranger Things: The First Shadow. We look forward to seeing another great performance with those who have signed up.

    Gemma Currie 
    Head of Expressive Arts

     

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  • 2025 Ski Trip to Austria

    Published 09/05/25

    Our recent ski trip to Saalbach-Hinterglemm was a tremendous success. Whether students were first-time skiers or seasoned on the slopes, every participant made excellent progress and embraced the challenges with enthusiasm and resilience.

    The students’ behaviour and attitude throughout the week were exemplary. They demonstrated true grit and determination, both in their skiing and in representing the school with pride.

    In addition to skiing, students had the chance to enjoy a variety of exciting activities, including an exhilarating ice hockey match, a relaxing visit to a traditional Austrian spa, quiz night, Austrian skittles, and many other memorable experiences.

    We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the students for their fantastic attitude and to the dedicated staff who generously gave up their own time and holiday to make this unforgettable opportunity possible.

    If you are interested in attending next year's ski trip, please email ado@cdarwin.com to check availability.

    Tom Mills, Ski Trip Lead

     

     

     

     

     

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  • IET Faraday Challenge 2025

    Published 29/04/25

    On Wednesday 23rd April, six talented Year 8 students — Jay Ngyou, Sam Mitchell, Lucie Kempster, Thomas West, Ivy Bird and Elliot Johnson — proudly represented Charles Darwin School at the IET Faraday Challenge Day, hosted by Darrick Wood School. Competing against other local Bromley schools, they tackled a demanding project brief: to design, plan, resource, and present a device powered sustainably by battery technology. Opting to create a camping device, the Charles Darwin team engineered a working lamp that activated at dusk and switched off when wet. Although not the overall winner, they were led with distinction by project manager Ivy Bird. The team won commendations for best product design, perfect accounting, and outstanding teamwork — an inspiring glimpse into future careers in STEM.

     
     

     

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  • Geography Trip to the Natural History Museum

    Published 31/03/25

    We were delighted to take 17 of our year 9 geographers to the Natural History Museum last week as a reward for their hard work this term. The trip was to look at the 'red zone' in line with the student's current topic of tectonics. We had a great day, and the students were particularly excited about the earthquake simulator from the Kobe earthquake in 1995. The students were so fantastic that two members of the public contacted the school to congratulate them on their etiquette. 

    Miss Buckle, Geography

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  • A Level German and History Trip to Berlin, Germany

    Published 04/03/25

    During February half term 23 year 12/13 German and history students headed off to Berlin for three fun and full-packed days with Mrs Merten, Mr Lamb and Miss Kaye.

    Our itinerary included visits to the German Parliament building, The Reichstag where we climbed the glass domed roof, we had our photo taken at the iconic Brandenburg Gate and we stood on guard at Checkpoint Charlie.

    Our trip was made extra special because the weather was fantastic. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and we had a backdrop of snow. Magical!

    The students were impressed with Eastside Gallery where a long stretch of the Berlin Wall still exists.

    Each day students had a couple of hours to explore the cool shops and restaurants in Potsdamer Platz, Alexander Platz and West Berlin.

    The highlight for most of us was watching the sun go down from the top of the TV tower accompanied by Miss Wood (a former languages teacher) who flew out to join us and surprise the kids!

    Everyone learnt so much from the many museums and galleries, from the detailed research Mr Lamb had done and from Mrs Merten, who was brought up in West Berlin.

    We had a wonderful trip with all of the students. You can see some more of our photos from the trip on the notice board along the MFL corridor.

    Mrs Kaye-Chubb
    Head of Modern Languages

     

     

     

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  • Drama students experience a backstage tour of The National Theatre followed by a performance of The Lion King at The Lyceum Theatre

    Published 24/01/25

    On Wednesday 22nd January, 30 year 9 students attended a Drama/Dance trip to the National Theatre on the South Bank. Here they experienced a backstage tour, which took them behind the scenes to see the various components involved in creating a live performance. They saw the different theatre spaces, including a sneak peek into a technical check for one of the matinee performances. This involved them seeing stage crew and stage management in action, as well as experiencing some of the sound/lighting checks.

    Students then went backstage to see a glimpse of the other departments that help make live performance possible. This included the scenic arts department where flooring was being painted for a new show, a carpentry workshop, a huge prop and set storage area, prop making tables as well walking past the dressing rooms for the actors. The tour ended with students handling some props that had been made for specific National Theatre shows including a very realistic looking meat pie!

    The day finished with a walk across the river to the Lyceum theatre to watch a performance of The Lion King. The year 9's were delightful throughout and asked many brilliant questions during the day.

    We hope the trip broadened their knowledge of the variety of arts careers that exist and inspire them to continue to develop their skills and appreciation of live performance.

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  • French, Belgian and German Christmas Market Trip

    Published 06/01/25

    In December, 47 students who study French or German, had the opportunity to visit French, Belgian and German Christmas markets.

    On the first day of the trip, students got to explore the magical Christmas market in Namur in Belgian where they bought crêpes, hot chocolate and lots of other delicious treats as well as fitting in some Christmas shopping.

    On the second day of the trip, we spent time sightseeing in Aachen, which included visiting the cathedral and a visit to the Lindt outlet shop where students got to buy some delicious chocolate. The remainder of the day was spent enjoying the atmosphere of one of the best Christmas Markets in Europe, before visiting the very picturesque, traditional Christmas market in Monschau in the evening.

    The trip ended with a visit to the Christmas market in Lille in France, followed by the obligatory stop at the hypermarket for last minute shopping before heading home.

    It was a fantastic trip which the students and staff thoroughly enjoyed.

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  • School Choir Performs Christmas Carols in Local Community

    Published 05/12/24

    The CDS Year 7 Choir once again launched the Christmas season with their performances of Christmas songs at two local events: The Biggin Hill (New Life Church) Christmas Lights Switch on Saturday 23rd November; and Biggin Hill Waitrose Carol singing on Friday 6th December.

    They were joined by other musicians from across Years 7-13 at the school's annual Christmas Concert at St Mark's Church on Wednesday 4th December. This involved instrumental and vocal performances from across every year group in the school.  All the students sounded superb and put students, staff, and local residents in the Christmas mood!

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  • Duke of Edinburgh Award Presentation Evening

    Published 02/12/24

    On Thursday evening, 21st November,  it was an absolute privilege to celebrate our students’ Duke of Edinburgh Award successes alongside their families.  Congratulations to all the students who participated – your achievements are inspiring! We hope many of you will continue your DofE journey, further developing the valuable skills, attitudes, and character that the scheme fosters. This year, over 100 students took part and I would like to give a huge thank you to all the staff involved, particularly Mr Culver, Mr Mills and Ms Candy for their dedication and for making this incredible opportunity possible for so many.

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  • Year 7 Reward Trip to Winter Wonderland

    Published 02/12/24

    Top achievement point students from year 7 attended Winter Wonderland for a reward trip on Wednesday 27th November.  Students spent time ice-skating, going on rides and drinking hot chocolate! It was a fantastic day out.  

    		  

         

    		 

    		 

    		   
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