Overall, the aim of Key Stage 3 is to provide a broad and balanced education, equipping students with a wide range of knowledge, skills, and personal attributes that will support them through their later academic studies and in life beyond school. It fosters both intellectual development and social responsibility.

Breakdown of Key Curriculum Components in Key Stage 3:

1. Core Subjects:
   • English: Focus on literature (fiction and poetry), language skills, and writing for different purposes.
   • Mathematics: Builds on basic arithmetic and number work, extending to more complex areas such as algebra, geometry, and statistics.
   • Science: Covers topics in biology, chemistry, and physics, providing a strong foundation for GCSE science.
2. The Arts mediums, and an understanding of artistic styles and techniques.
   • Music: Helps students develop musical skills, from theory to performance and listening.
   • Drama: Develops communication, confidence, and creativity, often through performance and collaboration.
3. Humanities:
   • History: Students learn about significant historical events, figures, and periods, often with a focus on British and world history.
   • Geography: Focuses on understanding the physical and human aspects of the world, including environmental issues, map reading, and global connections.
4. Computing:
   • Students develop skills in digital literacy, programming, and the ethical use of technology, preparing them for the digital age.
5. Physical Education:
   • Encourages physical fitness, teamwork, and sportsmanship through a variety of physical activities and sports.
6. Religious Education (RE):
   • Explores various world religions and belief systems, fostering understanding and respect for cultural and religious diversity.
7. Spanish:
   • Language acquisition with an emphasis on speaking, reading, writing, and listening, helping students develop basic communication skills in a foreign language.
8. Technology:
   • Focus on practical skills, such as design and making, engineering principles, and digital technology applications.
9. Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE):

• Encourages students to develop emotional and social skills, with a focus on health, well-being, relationships, and preparation for adult life.

Reading

Ensuring that students can read at or above their chronological age is crucial for their success across the entire Key Stage 3 curriculum. Reading skills are foundational for learning in virtually every subject area, as they support comprehension, critical thinking, and communication. If students are struggling with reading, they may find it challenging to engage fully with more complex texts, whether they are in English, history, science, or any other subject.

Here’s how the development of reading skills is typically prioritised in Key Stage 3 and why it’s so important:

1. Reading Across the Curriculum:

• Access to Content: To engage meaningfully with the broad range of subjects, students need to be able to read and understand subject-specific vocabulary and complex texts. This is why fostering strong reading skills is a priority for all subjects, not just English.
• Wide Range of Texts: Exposure to different types of texts—fiction and non-fiction, historical documents, scientific reports, and more—helps students become versatile readers and thinkers. It also encourages them to approach texts critically, understanding not just the content but the style, tone, and purpose.

2. Differentiation and Support:

• Teachers often implement strategies to support students who may be reading below their chronological age. This could include:
  • Guided reading sessions: Small group reading sessions where students read together with support and guidance.
  • Targeted interventions: Focused support for students with reading difficulties, such as phonics interventions or comprehension exercises.
  • Scaffolded learning: Providing support, such as vocabulary lists or pre-reading activities, to help students understand complex texts before they encounter them.

3. Developing a Love of Reading:

• Reading for Pleasure: Regular opportunities for students to read for enjoyment are essential. By encouraging students to read a variety of texts—books, newspapers, poetry, digital content—they can develop a love of reading that Challenges**: Teachers may introduce themed reading challenges, book clubs, or recommend diverse books to help students find something that excites them.

4. Encouraging Critical Thinking and Reflection:

• Reading and Responding to Texts: It's not enough for students to simply read the texts; they need to engage with them critically. Teachers encourage students to respond to texts by:
  • Analysing themes, characters, and narrative structures.
  • Making connections to other texts or personal experiences.
  • Developing written or spoken responses (e.g., essays, discussions, debates).
  • Questioning and critiquing the author's arguments or intentions.
• These activities help students become more thoughtful, reflective readers and better communicators.

5. Building Vocabulary and Fluency:

• Tiered Vocabulary: By reading challenging texts, students are exposed to more complex vocabulary. The curriculum can introduce strategies such as pre-teaching key vocabulary before reading, vocabulary journals, or word maps to ensure that students fully understand and can use these words in different contexts.
• Fluency Practice: Regular practice with reading aloud, paired reading, and re-reading can help students develop fluency, which improves both comprehension and confidence.

6. Assessment and Progress Monitoring:

• Ongoing Assessment: Teachers assess students' reading progress regularly, whether through formal assessments, informal quizzes, or reading comprehension exercises. This helps identify students who may need additional support or extension.
• Personalized Learning Goals: Students who are reading below their chronological age can be given specific goals to work towards, and teachers can track their progress over time.

7. Impact on Other Subjects:

• The ability to read effectively contributes directly to success in other areas of the curriculum. For example:
  • In history, students need to read and interpret historical texts, primary sources, and narratives.
  • In science, they must understand complex scientific explanations and experiment descriptions.
  • In mathematics, reading word problems requires the ability to interpret language and solve problems using the information provided.

8. Fostering Independent Learning:

• As students become more proficient readers, they also develop greater independence in their learning. They can explore topics on their own, engage with challenging materials, and pursue deeper inquiries into subjects that interest Stage 3 is essential for students' academic success and overall growth. By providing regular opportunities to read and respond to a wide variety of texts, and supporting students in building their reading fluency, comprehension, and critical thinking skills, schools help students become lifelong readers and learners. This, in turn, enables them to engage with the full curriculum and prepare for the more rigorous demands of Key Stage 4 (GCSEs) and beyond.

The Timetable

The timetable for Key Stage 3 is based on a two-week cycle and comprises of a 25-period week with 5 periods per day (tutor period, then periods 1 and 2 before break, periods 3 and 4 before lunch then period 5 after lunch). Each period lasts one hour.

*Year 8 Information

Parents and carers of year 8 students will have received a letter via Arbor with information about the Art and DT option choices available to them.

The links below will open presentations that have been created by the subject leaders for Art and DT in order to support students with their decision making.

In total, students need to choose 4 subjects; 2 of these from The Arts and 2 subjects from DT. Although we cannot guarantee that all subject preferences are met, we will do our best to accommodate as many as is feasibly possible.

Year 8 DT & Arts options information 2024