Key Stage 3 Curriculum Intent

Our Key Stage 3 curriculum is intended to exceed the KS3 National Curriculum, whilst providing a smooth transition between the knowledge and skills covered in KS2 with those required at Key Stage 4.

Our students in Year 7 come from over 30 feeder schools, with a wide demographic and prior learning experience. With a mixture of Prior Attainment levels, we ensure that we have a Key Stage 3 curriculum model that addresses students’ unique abilities and learning needs, providing appropriate challenge and support to ensure that all students, regardless of their starting point make rapid progress. We also serve students who have a lower ability profile on entry. Therefore, our curriculum is focused on identifying and closing gaps in knowledge of some students from KS2 whilst deepening others’ knowledge and passion for each subject, old and new.

As a school with pupils from a wide range of backgrounds and starting points, we want our curriculum to be academically aspirational, implemented in an environment that creates opportunities and inspires achievement through enjoyment and commitment to learning. An important part of this is developing the students’ confidence to learn and be resilient to overcome challenges and setbacks. Our curriculum provides our students with access to STEM subjects and extra-curricular activities that challenge stereotypes and empowers them to be confident to succeed, achieving their ambitions. Lessons in Drama, Music, Art, Technology and PE complement classroom-based subjects and provide Key Stage 3 students with a varied diet of learning experiences. We also want our students to see themselves as an active global citizen so all of of our students study a language so that they can go on to study French at GCSE.

We also appreciate the value of becoming literate and numerate citizens, so our curriculum also aims to develop a high level of literacy and numeracy, for all of our students, through a culture of reading for pleasure and inspiring maths lessons.

Students who enter Year 7 with KS2 scores below age related expectations in reading are placed in our catch-up curriculum managed by our SEND department which aims to provide students with extra literacy support so that they are meeting age related expectations by the end of Year 8 or sooner.

We are really proud of our Year 7 curriculum offer and in particular how it creates a smooth transition between the content and skills covered in KS2 to the challenges and increased aspirations of our School Curriculum.

As well as identifying and closing gaps in knowledge from Year 6, our Year 7 curriculum deepens students’ engagement, knowledge and passion for each subject old and new. It actively aims to develop a high level of literacy and numeracy through a culture of reading for pleasure and inspiring maths lessons.

While the curriculum is academically aspirational it is implemented in an environment that inspires enjoyment and commitment to learning as well as developing for our students the skills and confidence to learn.

Year 7 is an exciting time in your child’s education. This is the beginning of their learning journey at Writhlington School and the first steps into developing our key attributes of Respect, Resilience, Ambition, Kindness, Confidence in order to be Successful. To do this we develop confidence, new skills and new ambitions for life-long success.

Year 8 is where the training wheels begin to come off and we put more emphasis on developing each student’s confidence as independent and self-motivated learners.

The learning environment continues to inspire enjoyment and foster a commitment and love of learning but here is where the challenge increases and we perhaps take more students out of their comfort zones.

Far from a ‘holding year’, Year 8 is a vital time in your child’s education. This is the stage of their learning journey at Writhlington School where they begin to seek challenges and find motivation for themself which will become the foundation of their future academic success.

Year 9 is perhaps the most important year of your child’s education so far. By the end of the year we will have covered the requirements of the National Curriculum, so begin to introduce students to the knowledge and skills needed to be successful at KS4.

This is the transition year between KS3 and KS4, where we bring to a close some subjects and open up new ones. Much of the emphasis is on students finding their individual academic pathway while being guided to build a broad and balanced curriculum that meets every student’s needs and aspirations. The learning environment remains inspiring and fosters the commitment and love of learning from KS3 but, without doubt, Year 9 will expect more of your child; preparing them for the increased challenges and demands of GCSE knowledge and skills. Here is also where we lay the foundation for the independence that will serve them well at GCSE. We also promote the idea of an enquiring mind and we will inspire your child to challenge and question their learning so that it is further to broadened and deepened. Most importantly, we provide full support and motivation for every student to find their feet and grow their confidence so that they are ready for Year 10.

For further information about our curriculum offer, contact Michael Burr (Deputy Headteacher Curriculum) via our contact form. 

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