Key Stage 3 Overview
Intent
Our curriculum is designed to allow our pupils to experience a safe and joyful learning environment for all. We provide opportunities for all within a broad and balanced, therapeutic curriculum so that each child can achieve success. We have high aspirations and support for individuals to overcome their personal challenges to become rounded individuals, to achieve success, and to develop - educationally, socially, physically, creatively, and morally.
In Key Stage 3 we strive to offer an exciting curriculum where pupils of all abilities learn about a range of exciting topics over their time with us. We aim to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, which is relevant to the needs of our pupils, ensuring that all make progress during their time with us. Pupils are at the centre of our curriculum, and, through open topic titles, each teacher can pursue the interests of their class whilst also providing engaging opportunities to broaden knowledge and build essential life skills. Through practical lessons and first-hand experiences, we offer pupils the chance to ask questions, explore, make mistakes, and grow in independence on their way to becoming lifelong learners. Alongside our core subject areas, we also encourage pupils to pursue other interests and talents through a range of extra-curricular activities such as: music groups, the Arts Award qualification, drama and School Council. Key Stage 3 is a place where learning is safe and joyful, pupils are happy and new things are being learnt every day.
Implementation
Throughout Key Stage 3, pupils have access to a broad and balanced three year rolling program that covers all areas of the National Curriculum. Within this curriculum, broad topics are included to allow teachers to tailor the focus of the unit to their classes needs, interests and learning goals making each classes version of the topic unique and interesting whilst still covering the National Curriculum statements.
For those pupils who follow the Explore curriculum pathway, topics are adapted to encourage exploration and the building of key skills. Within this strand, pupils are encouraged through experiential learning to make use of space, nature, and all their senses. The Explore curriculum delivers focused sessions of Maths and English whilst providing pupils with the necessary equipment and space to learn through self-chosen activities that have a focus on building each pupil’s early learning skills.
Our Discover and Enquire groups learn through a more structured approach but still benefit from the flexibility that a creative curriculum pathway provides. Maths and English are taught three times a week alongside a wide range of other subjects including Science, History, Geography and Art where the use of cross-curricular skills is encouraged. Each topic provides teachers the opportunity to use their creativity to deliver sessions tailored to their class’s interests and to build on and introduce skills appropriate to each specific group of learners. Independence is encouraged and a love of learning and knowledge is cultivated though a curriculum that seeks for pupils to ask questions and find their own answers.
All pupils across Key Stage 3 are involved in our Creative and Performing Arts session where pupils choose their favourite group, such as drama, ICT, music, lighting and sound, set design and dancing. During this time, they work with pupils and staff from across school, working on elements for the school’s next production. We have a specialist music teacher in school who delivers whole class music lessons, one to one and small group sessions for pupils across the Key Stage.
We also offer pupils the opportunity to work towards an Arts Award certificate, something which pupils really enjoy. Alongside this, pupils from all classes also have the opportunity throughout the year to work and learn at our allotment - something that our pupils enjoy and benefit from. They have regular access to our rebound room, hydrotherapy pool, sensory room, and PE facilities dependant on need.
We encourage pupils to build on their life skills and cooking skills in weekly lessons where pupils are involved in deciding what they want to cook and helping to identify the ingredients that need to be ordered.
We have outdoor learning on our timetables and spend one session each week looking at exploration and application of skills in the wildlife area. Pupils learn to apply their skills in different contexts, develop their communication and enquiry skills and push themselves out of their comfort zone.
By offering such a wide range of opportunities to our pupils they receive a tailored curriculum that helps them to grow in their love of learning and secures key skills as they move onto Key Stage 4 and their future adult lives.
Impact
At Beechcliffe, we believe that all pupils deserve to have their achievements recognised at all levels of learning. To do this we offer a range of opportunities for awards and celebration.
We deliver Arts Award, a nationally recognised qualification endorsed by Arts Council England, at Discovery and Bronze level. This qualification enables pupils to show skills they have learnt in a range of artistic mediums. Pupils have chance to develop skills specific to their chosen medium and to reflect on their learning journey. At the end of the year, pupils present their work in an exhibition where the school community, including parents and carers, are invited to look at the work pupils have created