English Key Stage 3
Vision
To give everyone the skills to communicate convincingly whilst appreciating the power of the written and spoken word.
Curriculum Overview
Our aim is that all children are enthusiastic about coming to English lessons. That as soon as they come to the English corridor, dynamic and lively classrooms can be observed where students are acting, writing, talking and contributing. English is a safe space for students to explore the school’s Alive Values and discover how to contribute to making a fairer and better society.
We are blessed with enthusiastic and dynamic teachers that work in collaboration to build a relevant curriculum. The Faculty is committed to continually reviewing and updating schemes of learning in light of new research and assessment outcomes. We believe that pupils who progress the most academically and socially during their time in education are those who are taken out of their comfort zone on a regular basis and not allowed to ‘coast’.
Sequencing, Setting and Support
The focus at Key Stage 2 is primarily on the technical side of English – spelling, punctuation and grammar. At Key Stage 3, the focus changes from the technical aspects of language and the more simple aspects of reading to the analysis of language (in reading) and writing for different purposes (in writing). At KS3, we introduce more challenging, yet still accessible, texts. For example, Grace Nichols’ and Imtiaz Dharker’s poetry, George Orwell’s Animal Farm and Phillip Pulman’s play adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Students will study a wide range of texts, giving them a unique perspective on the wider world and different cultures and traditions. Students will be equipped with the skills to write effectively in a number of genres. They will be able to read critically and able to process their ideas into clear writing, giving them the skills to succeed in the next stage of their life.
We have mixed ability sets for all classes in KS3. Our basis for this was that there were no observable improvements in assessment results in comparison over the years and more importantly, we felt it led to a richer classroom experience.
All of our schemes are created and QA so that all learners can access the curriculum. We work closely with our SEND team and LSA’s to adapt materials. We use mini-white boards to write instructions for those that need something adapted. Our classrooms are designed so that students are front-facing. We use a variety of images and a multimodal approach in our practise so that everyone achieves.
Alive Themes in English
Assessment in English
Homework and how Parents/Carers Support Learning
All homework is set on Bromcom which is an app and website available to students and parents/carers. Further information is available on our Homework page.
These are the principles which underpin our homework.
Students are set a piece of homework each week which is peer or teacher marked. This will be a piece that has been created to give the opportunity to either ‘flip’ learning to prepare for the next week or for students to showcase their independent abilities for that week’s learning.
Students are able to check in with their class teacher at any point for 1:1 homework guidance. There are also many support materials on Moodle.