At Darwen Aldridge Community Academy, our core purpose is simple:

Our young people have only one chance at their education. We have to make it count.

Everything we do is shaped by our values:

BELONG • BELIEVE • BECOME

BELONG

We want every student to feel that they belong at DACA.

We are an inclusive and welcoming community where students feel safe, supported and valued. We celebrate individuality and diversity, encourage respect and create an environment where every young person can build positive relationships and take pride in being part of our academy.

BELIEVE

We encourage every student to believe in themselves and what they can achieve.

Through high expectations, excellent teaching and strong pastoral support, we help our students develop confidence, resilience and ambition. We believe that every young person has potential, and we challenge and support them to achieve their very best.

BECOME

We prepare our students to become confident, successful and responsible young adults.

Our ambitious curriculum provides students with the knowledge, skills and experiences they need for life beyond DACA. Through academic study, enrichment, careers education and wider opportunities, we help every student discover their strengths and prepare for their next steps.

Our Vision

DACA is committed to providing every student with opportunities that allow them to realise their potential in all aspects of life and learning.

We provide a safe, inclusive and ambitious learning environment where wellbeing matters, diversity is celebrated and everyone is encouraged to continually improve.

At the heart of this is a high-quality curriculum, designed to meet the needs of our students and delivered by dedicated staff who share our commitment to excellence.

Our Curriculum

Our curriculum is ambitious, inclusive and designed to give every student the opportunity to succeed. It:

• Builds knowledge and skills in a carefully planned and sequenced way.
• Develops strong literacy, vocabulary and a positive culture of reading.
• Provides experiences that broaden horizons and develop cultural capital.
• Encourages curiosity, independence and a lifelong love of learning.
• Develops teamwork, creativity, determination and problem-solving.
• Ensures students have access to the arts, technology, sport and enrichment opportunities.
• Provides ambitious careers education, work-related experiences and opportunities beyond the classroom.
• Develops respectful, responsible young people who understand their role within their local, national and global communities.

Through everything we do, we want our students to Belong, give them the confidence to Believe, and provide them with the opportunities to Become the very best version of themselves.