Year 7 to Year 9
(KS3)
Intent
The intent of this curriculum is to support pupils to achieve the following destinations:
· Being Independent
· Working with support in my Community
By the end of this Key Stage 3 we would expect pupils in the main body to demonstrate the following benchmarks in these key areas:
Organisation & Planning
At Key Stage 3 pupils are grouped according to ability and within the main body there may be a higher, mid and lower level group.
Pupils are taught all lessons in these tutor groups.
Within these groups individual pupil needs are met by a highly differentiated split group teaching model.
In addition to the core offer of English, Maths, ICT, Living Skills and RSE pupils study other subjects such as Science, Art, Music, Dance, Drama and Humanities as part of a broad and balanced Curriculum.
There is a mixed delivery model, with the majority of lessons delivered by the class teacher and a smaller percentage delivered by specialist teachers in subject specific environments.
Learning hours and specialist teachers are organized in the following way:
Impact
New Bridge have designed our own assessment system to track impact called ‘Dashboard’.
The Dashboard has been designed to assess, measure and track progress of young people academically and against their EHCP outcomes.
The Academic Dashboard is a series of ‘I can’ statements which incorporate (previous) P Level guidance, Early Years assessment, National Curriculum end of year expectations from Year 1 to end of Key Stage 4, accreditation criteria and some aspects of the Rochford Review. The ‘I can’ statements break learning down into small steps to enable the learning of all pupils to be tracked.
We have grouped the ‘I can’ statements and given letters to banks of statements so you can see the area and progress each child has made. The chart below outlines the letters and how these relate to prior P’ Level description:
In the main body at Key Stage 3 pupils will generally be working between D1 to F. All pupils are assessed formatively using our Dashboard system. Teachers set targets for all pupils using the small step ‘I can’ statements and learning activities in each subject area are carefully designed to give pupils opportunities to meet these targets. Teachers assess children’s knowledge, understanding and skills by making observations of the children working during lessons and provide verbal feedback. Work is recorded in books and more increasingly using digital portfolios.
Teachers measure progress against EHCP outcomes using a 0-10 scale from not achieved to achieved. Pupils are engaged in the assessment process by teachers encouraging them to take ownership of their targets, understanding what they have achieved so far and what their next steps are.
Twice a year the Dashboard is updated by teachers and data collated to show the progress of individual pupils. The Curriculum leader analyses the data and provides feedback to the teachers in order to inform and improve future practice.
Technology
All pupils and staff at New Bridge have an iPad and technology supports a flexible and collaborative approach to pupils’ learning. iPads are used creatively in a range of different ways across all subjects but there are shared, generic ways in which they contribute to teaching and learning.
Technology is used in the classroom to support the development of independent working and pupil’s ownership of their own learning. Flipped learning is used where teachers record video demonstrations of techniques to support differentiation in mixed ability groups. Pupils can re-watch demonstrations in their own learning space to increase their independent engagement. iPads are used to encourage pupils to research knowledge about new topics being taught.
Technology allows for such flexibility in learning that it will enable and encourage pupils to work in a more collaborative manner. Technology is a key building block in facilitating collaborative learning. The iPad will allow pupils to contribute to lesson content from the front of the class, engage with their peers in problem solving activities and create a more collective approach to lesson time. Supported by technology, pupils are generating new approaches to problem solving and learning how to work alongside their peers, a great attribute for their future destination
The use of technology helps to enhance the immersive learning experience, e.g. through the augmented reality apps, communication apps. Technology engages pupils with skills which have previously been taught using fewer motivating resources and methods such as textbooks. Every subject has a range of Apps that they utilize to support teaching and learning. These may develop skills in specific areas of the Curriculum or allow pupils to practice taught content.
Technology supports the assessment of progress through the use of digital portfolios where teachers track the development of pupils and record their outcomes. This supports interactive feedback, with pupils able to comment on their own abilities.
Subjects
Please click on the individual subjects to find out about how they are delivered at Key Stage 3.
Core Subjects
Enrichment Subjects
