Key Stage 3
Years 7 – 9
At Key Stage 3 we offer students a diverse curriculum upon which they can confidently build their knowledge, skills and understanding at Key Stage 4.
Biology, Chemistry and Physics are taught as separate sciences, in order to fully immerse students in the subjects from the start of Key Stage 3.
Students begin their time with us in Year 7 by studying one Modern Foreign Language from French, German or Spanish, and in Year 8 students pick up a second until the end of Key Stage 3. All students also study Latin throughout the entire Key Stage.
STEAM is taught as a discrete subject in Year 7 and 8, which incorporates elements of the Sciences, Maths, Art and Technology.
Other core curriculum subjects taught in Key Stage 3 include: English, Mathematics, History, Geography, Religious Studies, Computer Science, Fine Art, Graphics, Drama, Music and Physical Education.
A discrete lesson of PSHE is taught in form groups once per week and delivered by the Head of Year.
Because our students are capable of accessing higher level material from an early age, we like to ensure that all students are challenged across the curriculum, which we achieve by introducing them to higher level concepts, wider context and advanced skills, as appropriate. We begin introducing GCSE specific content from Year 9 in English, Mathematics and the Sciences to fully prepare them for the rigours of GCSE and beyond.
Additional useful information can be found below:
Reports
If the subject teacher has any concerns about a student's progress, there will be a 'Yes' in the Concerns about Progress column.
Year 7:
Students in Year 7 will be working at grades 1-4. Our grading system can then show progress throughout the school year and Key Stage 3. We would expect our Year 7 students to be achieving grades 1-3, with an exceptional grade 4.
Year 8:
We expect most students in Year 8 to be achieving grades in the range 2-5.
Year 9:
KS3 subjects - most students in Year 9 will be achieving grades in the range 3-6, with EP used for exceptional performance.
For English, Maths and the 3 Sciences, there is a similar numerical grade provided from the 1-9 GCSE scale. Students in Year 9 have only just started working towards these GCSEs, and grades in the range 3-6 are perfectly acceptable at this point in the course.