Key Stage 3
In Key Stage 3 at The Weald, we take a Mastery approach to teaching, learning and assessment. This model is based on the best available evidence about what has the biggest impact on student progress and includes studies of the best performing education systems internationally.
Our approach aims to achieve the wider objective at Key Stage 3 to engender a thirst for knowledge, to encourage curiosity and to provide the foundations that allow students to have the skills and understanding to succeed in life, especially in those subjects that they will not choose to pursue at Key Stage 4. As a result, all students follow a broad and balanced curriculum that includes the core subjects of English, Maths and Science, the Humanities, the Arts subjects as well as at least one Modern Foreign Language. In addition, the curriculum is carefully designed to ensure that we are able to prepare students for success at GCSE ensuring students achieve a deep understanding - mastery - of concepts, content and skills before moving on. This approach necessitates revisiting and reviewing concepts, skills and content in a range of different contexts, as well as diagnostic testing in order to ensure all students master each subject at Key Stage 3.
In students’ exercise books we would expect to see evidence of revisiting concepts and content and students reflecting on their work and feedback from teachers. We would also expect to see evidence of the content and concepts students need to know - these will often be in the format of a knowledge organiser (which can be found within each individual subject). This will be backed up with evidence of 'low stakes' testing so students can measure their own progress.
See each subject area for Key Stage 3 information including our Curriculum maps which include links to knowledge organisers. For any further information relating to the curriculum please contact the relevant Subject Leader. Email addresses can be found by clicking here.
The majority of lessons at Key Stage 3 are taught in mixed prior attainment classes. Evidence suggests that, for most subjects, the impact of being taught in classes with only students of similar prior attainment has a negligible impact overall. In the core subject (English, Mathematics and Science) there are some classes which are ‘set’ across Key Stages 3. This supports teaching to target specific ‘in-class’ intervention for some students.
Key Stage Three
English:
Students are taught in mixed prior attainment groups and will all cover the same curriculum.
Mathematics:
Year 7 and 8 have two groups which include those with the highest prior attainment and one 'support group' for those with lower prior attainment. All other students are taught in mixed middle prior attainment groups. Students are placed into these groups at the start of year 7 based on their Key Stage 2 SATs results. All students cover the same curriculum and there may be some adjustments to groups after the bi-annual assessments.
Science:
Year 7 are taught in 10 mixed prior attainment Learning Groups. Year 8 are also taught in mixed prior attainment groups, however as there are 12 groups, these are generally smaller class sizes than the Year 7 Learning Groups.
If you have any questions or would like to know more please book onto our KS3 parental learning walk (you can do this by contacting acortizo@theweald.org.uk) or contact the relevant Head of Year. Email addresses can be found by clicking here.