KS3

Key Stage Three Curriculum Overview

Throughout KS3 students will develop the following skills:

Curriculum Core Concepts

Reading (Reception): synthesis, inference, analysis, evaluation, context
Writing (Production): creativity, structure, language, tone, accuracy

reading and understanding

Students will read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts from different genres, eras and cultures. The five key skill areas are: synthesizing, selecting; summarising information; analysing language choices; analysing structural choices; comparing texts; evaluating the success of a text. Core concepts here are: SYNTHESIS, INFERENCE, ANALYSIS, EVALUATION, CONTEXT

writing and technical accuracy

Students will plan and produce a wide range of texts, with a variety of purposes, to meet the needs of various audiences. The five key skill areas are: planning interesting and appropriate content; organising a text into logical and effective sections; selecting increasingly mature vocabulary; using a full range of punctuation effectively; spelling accurately. CREATIVITY, STRUCTURE, LANGUAGE, TONE, ACCURACY

speaking and listening

Students will develop their confidence and fluency in speaking in a range of contexts including ‘real world’ scenarios. The five key skill areas are: using Standard English confidently and accurately; giving an individual presentation; discussing and debating in groups; using language creatively in role-play situations; listening actively and sensitively to others.

Year 7

	NAME OF TOPIC	KEY CONTENT OF THE TOPIC	ASSESSMENT POINTS
HT1	Life Stories Experience and Memoir race – gender – mental health	Our own lives are the source of some of the greatest stories, funniest episodes and most heart-breaking moments. This LP focuses on the lives of famous people, ordinary people, great heroes, shameful villains – and most importantly our own diverse experiences.	Creative Reading - Fiction Creative Writing Describe-Narrate
HT2	Fictional Worlds The Novel race – immigration – abuse - gender	Studying a novel is a chance to immerse ourselves in a new world of epic characters, vivid settings, challenging themes and gripping action. This is a natural continuation of the Life Stories theme of HT1. Current choice: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros	Literature Novel
HT3	Heroes and Villains 1900, Epic Characters	Creating compelling, credible characters is vital to any story. In this LP we study the way great writers introduce characters, describe their appearance, thoughts, actions and back-story to make us sympathise with them. Then we have a go at doing it ourselves.	Creative Writing Describe-Narrate
HT4	The Globe 1900, Shakespeare’s World suicide – mental health - sexuality	Shakespeare is a towering figure in English literature and culture. We begin with one of his early plays – a tragic love story about young, reckless love. A chance to explore the Elizabethan period, a golden age for theatre, and the life of one of Britain's national treasures.	Literature Drama
HT5	Brave New Worlds 1900, Dystopia and science fiction discrimination - prejudice	Science fiction is one of the most popular genres in literature. The world of the future may include exciting technology, disturbing science and nightmarish visions. This creative writing LP offers the chance to read some classics and then create an imaginative 'brave new world'.	Creative Writing Describe-Narrate
HT6	The Launch Marketing and Persuasion	This is a team project to launch a new product – and tests speaking skills. Teamwork, presentation and persuasion are vital here. This a chance for the shy to speak up, for the confident to take the limelight, and for everyone to learn to speak with purpose, power and persuasion.	Speaking Group Presentatio

Year 8

	NAME OF TOPIC	KEY CONTENT OF THE TOPIC	ASSESSMENT POINTS
HT1	Blood and Roses 1900, The Gothic death – mental health - sexuality	The darkly beautiful themes in many classic literary texts allow students to explore more mature and challenging ideas, such as paradox, mortality, suspense, hauntings and the unknown.	Creative Reading Fiction Creative Writing Describe-Narrate
HT2	Fictional Worlds 1900, 19th Century Novel colonialism – British Empire	Our literary and cultural heritage is rich and diverse. The 19th Century was key to Britain’s role in the modern world – for better and for worse. This challenging LP offers the chance to read a “classic” and find out more about how language, society and values have changed over time. Current choice: War of the Worlds by HG Wells	Literature 19 C Novel
HT3	Viewpoints Writing to Express Opinions gender – mental health – race - religion	Building arguments and expressing opinions with control and power is a key life skill - vital in careers such as journalism, politics, law, business and marketing. In this feisty LP, students practise arguing their side of a debate, marshalling their evidence, and writing with impact.	Writing from different viewpoints \| Argue-persuade
HT4	For God and Country 1900, War and Conflict death - colonialism	War - and the trauma, glory, heroism and patriotism that goes with it – is a dramatic topic for writers. This LP covers wars from many centuries, and writers with a range of viewpoints on war. It culminates in students writing a poem of their own on the theme of war and conflict.	Literature Poetry Creative writing - poetry
HT5	Spies & Private Eyes 1900, Crime gender	Crime and 'true crime' are two of the most popular genres in the world of books and films. The fascination with crime and detection reveals our deep interest in questions of morality, justice, secrecy, and sin. Here we study some classic crime writers – and have a go at writing in the genre.	Writing \| Describe-narrate
HT6	The Debate The Art of Formal Debating gender, sexuality, race, religion	The art of debating is a formal skill involving preparing carefully in a team, crafting cogent arguments, selecting the best evidence, listening attentively to the arguments being put, rebutting the opposition, and fielding questions from the floor. It's a competitive speaking challenge.	Speaking \| Debating

Year 9

	NAME OF TOPIC	KEY CONTENT OF THE TOPIC	ASSESSMENT POINTS
HT1	Still I Rise Protest race, gender, sexuality, disability	The human spirit in the face of oppression and tyranny is an inspirational subject. This LP blends politics, history, struggle, suffering and hope to present students with the very best and worst of the human condition.	Reading from different viewpoints Non-fiction
HT2	The Mighty Fall 1900, Shakespearean Tragedy mental health – death - suicide	Shakespeare's tragedies are some of the most powerful dramas ever written, offering audiences a glimpse into the human condition that both inspires and devastates. This LP serves useful introduction to 'tragic theory' before GCSE when students study 'Macbeth'.	Literature Drama
HT3/4	An Inspector Calls Modern Drama class – gender - suicide	This is the first major GCSE exam text – a modern play that features in Literature Paper 2A. Studying drama is a great way to get students acting and appreciating the craft of the playwright – the physical possibilities of theatre and the amazing variety of interpretations.	Literature Drama
HT5	Victoriana 1900, 19th Century contexts disability – mental health – class - colonialism	A major part of GCSE Language (P2A) and Literature (P1B) is focused on texts written in the 19th Century. This LP introduces students to a range of texts, writers and themes from this era as a way of acclimatising students to texts such as Jekyll and Hyde that are studied for GCSE.	Literary Heritage Reading Classic texts Writing \| describe-narrate
HT6	The Speech GCSE Endorsement race – religion – gender – sexuality - disability	The GCSE Spoken Endorsement is de-coupled from GCSE English Language, but is still a valuable qualification, signalling an ability to plan and deliver a 4-5 minute individual speech. This is about hooking an audience, prosecuting an argument, and entertaining along the way.	Speaking Individual Speech

What can parents do to support their children?

Encourage your child to:

read every day across a range of texts such as The Edge Programme, novels, magazines, biographies and newspapers
engage with documentaries, podcasts and radio shows – all useful ways of engaging with language and ideas
read out loud, and encourage him to be a confident, clear reader
enjoy new texts and learn more adventurous vocabulary
talk about current affairs by raising interesting questions from the worlds of politics, sport, culture and the arts
write on a regular basis: diaries, reviews, stories, poetry and lyrics are useful ways of encouraging the habit of writing
visit the theatre, cinema, and cultural events to broaden his cultural and creative development
join the many English extra-curricular activities on offer at school such as debating, performing, and book clubs

A full list of recommended books is available on the school website and via the student area.