Academic Year 2024/2025
Dollar Academy
The Dollar Academy Curriculum
Our Curriculum
Our school values of Work Hard, Get Involved and Be Kind underpin the experience of all Dollar Academy pupils in the senior school. We are extremely proud of our pupils and their academic achievements, which are consistently amongst the very best in the country. Firmly rooted in the Scottish tradition, we offer a broad and rigorous curriculum throughout the school which leads to SQA national qualifications at National 5 (over 2 years), Higher and Advanced Higher.
We are fortunate to be able to offer amongst the widest range of SQA subjects of any independent school in Scotland (27 AH course, 34 Higher courses). It’s a deliberate point of planning because we believe that academic success is strongly linked with enjoyment. Unlike other schools, pupil choice dictates the shape of our curriculum in the senior phase (Form III onwards). We have no fixed columns and so no combination is ever off the table.
We hold subject choices information evenings in February for Forms II, IV and V. These provide an opportunity for parents and pupils to talk to teachers and visit departments ahead of making their subject selections for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher.
The exact format for this academic year will be established after choices are finalised for the new session. The principles in operation will remain the same and the viability of all courses is dependent on demand. The hours spent each week on each subject are indicated in the tables throughout this booklet.
Throughout the school, full descriptions of courses are available and, should you require further details on any aspect of our curriculum, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us directly.
Form I and Form II
The roots of our success at Higher & Advanced Higher can be found further down the school. We believe that by accessing a wide and varied curriculum in the first two years of senior school, our pupils have the opportunity to develop their knowledge, skills and experience across the subject spectrum.
Form III and Form IV
All pupils study the following subjects for the stated number of hours:
In addition, most pupils study five other subjects (all 3 hours) at National 5 chosen from the following list: Accounting
It is possible for pupils to take some subjects in a compressed form. This allows the addition of one further subject. Science compresses Biology, Chemistry and Physics; PETS compresses Physics, Economics and Engineering Science.
Form V
Pupils are required to study five (5 hour) courses at Higher Level (or National 5 level in some cases). Many pupils will opt to study both English and Maths at Higher level. As a minimum we recommend that pupils include Higher English or Maths in their course choices.
Accounting
Design and Manufacture
Administration and IT Drama
Art and Design
Biology
Business
Management
Chemistry
Classical Studies French
German Music: Performing
Computing Science Geography Modern
Form VI
Pupils study at least three Higher/Advanced Higher courses (5 hours each) taken from the previous Form V list and the Form VI list below. Pupils are required to have a minimum of 17 hours on their timetables.
The Scottish Baccalaureate is available in Languages, Sciences, Expressive Arts and Social Sciences. Short courses/modules are available to Form VI to further complement and enrich their learning. A list of subjects recently available includes:
*FIDA is the Futures Institute at Dollar Academy. FIDA offers alternatives to traditional subject-based learning, in which pupils have the opportunity to tackle real-world problems with a focus on sustainability.
61% A Grade at Advanced Higher in 2023!
