KS3 Art focuses on skills in drawing, painting, printing, ceramics and 3D sculpture/modelling. Students learn to keep a sketchbook where they research artists, experiment and develop ideas. The topics studied in KS3 have been designed to include knowledge, skills and understanding. Students develop their ability to use and understand visual language and create imaginative responses to artists’ work. Students are introduced to the formal elements of Art and are taught how to build towards a final outcome. Students work to a wide range of themes throughout the course of KS3.

By the end of KS3, students will have learnt how hardware and software works together in computer systems. They will have also experimented with a variety of static and dynamic programming languages and produced a variety of digital artefacts including websites, smartphone apps, event driven games, text-based games and multimedia products. The KS3 curriculum also ensures that students are provided with the knowledge to deal with issues such as online gaming, social networking apps and computer misuse.

The topics studied at KS3 have been designed to give students the opportunity to be creative, using their imaginations to produce innovative outcomes for a wide range of users. They will be able to work as individuals and co-operatively in groups, developing ideas and making products. They will respond to a range of briefs set in a variety of contexts. They will improve upon existing items by questioning and evaluating. They will develop their appreciation of and sensitivity to global issues. They will learn how to use a wide range of tools and materials effectively and safely as stepping stones to help accomplish these aims.

Students receive one hour of Drama per week in which they explore a different and varied scheme of learning each half term. Designed to engage the students through subject matter, as well as introducing Drama skills and techniques, while simultaneously developing communication and collaborative skills. Schemes of learning have been developed in order to build on learning in previous years; with an increase in level of challenge ultimately leading to accumulating sufficient knowledge and experience. A high proportion of lessons are practical, with verbal feedback regularly received from teachers and peers.

Our KS3 English curriculum is underpinned by the four strands of literacy skills – reading, writing, speaking and listening. Students develop their skills in order to communicate clearly and effectively in social and academic situations. Students will aim to demonstrate proficient use of all four literacy skills through a variety of literature and language topics and fortnightly lessons of the ‘Let’s Think in English’ programme. Units of work are designed to engage and encourage our students to enjoy English. Through the enjoyment of lessons, students can apply the knowledge and skills not only to examinations at KS4/5, but for life beyond school, contributing to the development of our students as well-rounded individuals. Students will study a range of both modern and pre-19th century texts including: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama and media texts. Students will engage in varied class activities including group discussions, class presentations as well as exposure to wider school literacy initiatives and events. For example, author visits, reading competitions and Library activities which aim to develop and establish a whole school reading culture and enjoyment of English.

Students follow a bespoke curriculum which closely aligns with the National Curriculum. Throughout KS3 we aim to provide students with foundational geographical knowledge and skills to enable successful progression into KS4. Students study a range of physical and human topics and develop essential geographical enquiry and skills.

History at KS3 is not only designed to enthuse, but to equip students with knowledge and skills that will prepare them to become life-long learners. Our topics are carefully chosen and thoughtfully planned to promote critical thinking and independent enquiry, so that students are given the opportunity to challenge their misconceptions, build upon their curiosity of the past and consider the relevance to issues that confront all of us in the modern world. Our Year 7 course focuses on the theme of ‘Conquest and Settlement in Medieval Europe and the Arab World’, moving into ‘Religion, Empire and Industrialisation in the Early Modern World’ in Year 8, and Year 9 explores ‘Conflicts in the c20th World’. We are privileged to host a visit from a Holocaust speaker for Year 9 students, and various off-site visits, enriching opportunities that allow students to actively participate in historical issues that have meaning in the present day.

All students develop their understanding in Number, Algebra, Ratio Proportion and Rates of Change, Geometry and Measures, Probability and Handling Data, whilst being able to use and apply these skills appropriately. Class lessons include discussion of topics, but students also work individually completing questions related to the skills taught and applying these to problem solving questions. Year 7 and 8 have a spiral structure with Year 8 chapters following on from the Year 7 chapters, extending learning and understanding. Chapters during the year review and build on topics previously completed. Homework plays a very important part in the learning process. There are 2 homeworks a week:

1. A Hegarty homework on the computer to revise topics covered about six weeks ago.
2. Written worksheet to check skills or an application worksheet to practise more exam type problem solving questions.

In Year 7, students follow a course specifically designed to introduce language learning in French, German or Spanish. Continuing with this language throughout KS3, the majority of students opt to learn a second language in Year 8 and 9. Language lessons scaffold learning through the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students cover a range of topics which relate to their immediate experience of the world. Language and grammar are built around these topics and through a rigorous curriculum, solid foundations are laid to secure success in their future language learning.

To develop students’ ability to compose and perform music using their creativity and imagination across a broad range of topics and projects. Listening skills will be taught so that students have the capability to talk and write about Music in an intelligent and thoughtful way.

In PE, we aim to give students a broad and balanced curriculum that sensitively matches their needs and requirements of the National Curriculum. Students are assessed in a variety of contexts to determine which group they will be best suited to, with each lesson designed to maximise progress. Students have two timetabled lessons per week. Every three to four weeks (6-8 lessons) students embark on a new sport. Over the course of the year, this affords them experience in various sports and physical activities. PE seeks to create a culture of high expectations where staff help students prepare themselves for a lifetime of physical activity. Students will be given the opportunity to enjoy, succeed and gain confidence whilst improving their proficiency in sport and develop knowledge and understanding.

At KS3, students build on the skills, attitudes, values, knowledge and understanding they have acquired and developed during the primary phase. PSHEE acknowledges and addresses the changes that young people are experiencing, beginning with transition to secondary school, the challenges of adolescence and their increasing independence. It teaches the skills which will equip them for the opportunities and challenges of life. Students are encouraged to manage diverse relationships and the increasing influence of peers and the media. PSHEE allows them to be more confident in addressing the challenges of effective learning and making a full and active contribution to society.

Students follow a bespoke programme aligned with the locally agreed syllabus. Many of the skills learnt in RS lessons are not exclusive to the subject. Being able to evaluate opinions, understand sources, interpret language, symbolism, metaphors and allegories are all useful in other subjects such as History, English, Music, and Languages. To develop these skills, our course involves a detailed examination of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) and important aspects of cyclic religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism). The schemes of work are structured to provide the foundation needed at KS4. Students are taught to conceptualise, analyse and substantiate their opinions with evidence and lines of reasoning. This then creates a smooth transition to achieve their potential at GCSE.

Students follow a bespoke programme aligned with the National Curriculum which enables them to develop investigative approaches to Science and nurture a thirst for knowledge. Students complete a range of topics that draw from all three Sciences – Biology, Chemistry and Physics – which provide the foundations they need to make excellent progress at KS4. The focus of every lesson will be one or more of the science skill sets highlighted on the Science Learning Ladder (knowledge, experimental, analysis, math, literacy).