The curriculum is supported by a wide range of academic extension and enrichment activities through societies, lectures, field trips, visits, debates, poetry readings, conferences and concerts creating a full co-curriculum which recognizes that qualifications alone do not produce a broadly educated person.

These wide varieties of co-curricular activities are conducted for all levels and allow the students to develop their existing interests and passions and to discover new ideas, perspectives and skills, which broaden their horizons.

Time is allowed in the curriculum for extra-curricular activities, and on occasions the timetable is suspended or modified to allow activities to occur, such as Outdoor Activities, field days, sports fixtures and subject-specific day trips.

The NDPS curriculum is designed to ensure that every individual maximizes his or her potential. There is a clear focus placed upon success in Board examinations, but the school also takes seriously its responsibility in preparing pupils to succeed beyond the school, at colleges, University, and in their subsequent careers.

Subjects are taught in departmental areas to give all pupils the advantage of specialist facilities such as laboratories, art studios, computer labs and language labs.

The overall curricular provision is regularly reviewed to ensure that it best serves the interests of all pupils. Within departments, schemes of work are reviewed annually and are designed to ensure that lessons are correctly focused and that all pupils, regardless of their particular needs, are able to make progress through the school.