Key Stage 3 Curriculum

Key stage 3 Curriculum (Years 7 – 9)

The Key Stage 3 curriculum serves a clear purpose in every subject at Holmesdale.
Curriculum teams plan their schemes of work to ensure they deliver the content of the National Curriculum, and that high challenge, enjoyment and enquiry are at the heart of learning. It is important to us that the Key Stage 3 curriculum is much more than a means of preparing students for Years 10 to 11. Curriculum mapping has taken place in every department to ensure that the skills required for assessment in
Year 11 are developed from the start of a student’s journey in Year 7 and that learning from primary school is built upon. This is evident in the individual subject plans that interleave knowledge to enhance retention, with a well-planned sequenced scheme of learning.

Alongside Mathematics, English, Science, Physical Education and Cultural Studies,
Year 7 students study a broad range of non-core subjects. Art, Performing Arts, IT,
Food, Music and Design Technology ensure their curricula give students an experience of both the academic and vocational aspects of their subjects. We give more curriculum time to Humanities and Modern Foreign Languages as we wish to encourage a high proportion of students to pursue the English Baccalaureate pathway beyond Year 9. All students study a foreign language in Key Stage 3.

Classes are set into either three or four groups depending on cohort size, with prior attainment data, CATS scores and reading age determining which group a student is in. This is to ensure that all students can access the curriculum, regardless of starting point, but are also adequately stretched and challenged to ensure they make progress. For English and Maths, an additional support/boost group is in place for students that need extra support with literacy and numeracy.

Beyond the classroom, we aim to open the door to a wide range of experiences.
Most subjects provide additional learning contexts including a number of ‘Sport for all’ clubs as well as competitive sports teams, annual school productions and a number of clubs catering for a wide variety of interests.

SMSC is embedded within curriculum lessons, PSCHE and character education, assemblies, enrichment opportunities and internal/external workshops. Staff are involved in meetings and professional development training regularly, in order to ensure the highest quality and up-to-date provision for all of our students. 
Each department is responsible for ensuring that elements of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural aspects of their subjects are visible within their curriculum responsibility.
In addition to this, we are proud to advocate the four British Values within each department and across the school. 

The Four British values are: 

• The rule of law. 
• Democracy. 
• Mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith.
• Individual liberty.

Each curriculum area has their own intent which supports the whole school intent detailed above. Included as part of this curriculum intent document is an example of a Long Term Plan which maps National Curriculum stands as well as the PSHE curriculum. 

These are frequently reviewed within curriculum areas to ensure the National
Curriculum and changing curriculum content meets the needs of our students so are subject to change.

Please visit the subject pages of our website to see an overview of subject intent documents and overview of the topics of study as part of this.

Alternatively please contact the school office should you wish to hear more details about our curriculum.