In Years 7, 8 and 9, all pupils follow the full national curriculum, which is delivered through thoughtful, coherent and deliberate selection and sequencing, building over a three-year Key Stage 3 curriculum. The design and delivery of the national curriculum encourages pupils to develop independence both in and out of school and enables pupils to develop their learning from Key Stage 2, adding to their cultural capital and building a strong foundation of knowledge and skills to prepare them for Key Stage 4.  The delivery of the national curriculum across all 3 years is designed to ensure that we keep the curriculum as wide as possible, for as long as possible, ensuring that pupils have an opportunity to know more and remember more. Pupils with SEND are taught the full curriculum and receive additional support as is appropriate for their needs.

As part of fulfilling the national curriculum, pupils are encouraged to read.  Reading time is built into the English curriculum at Key Stage 3.

Pupils are placed in sets in Year 7 based on both Key Stage 2 scale scores and baseline assessments in English and Maths. Pupils are taught in sets according to their ability in each subject and there are opportunities for pupils to be moved between sets and bands, depending on their progress.  It is our aim that the curriculum is taught as much as possible by specialist staff. Non-specialists are well supported by Curriculum Leaders.

The following tables illustrate the number of lessons available for each subject at Key Stage 3. The school timetable is organised over a two-week cycle with 50 x 1-hour lessons.

In addition to the curriculum allocations above, CEIAG is currently delivered through a series of drop-down days and workshops. Coverage of CEIAG is strong and tracked through the Gatsby Benchmarks.