In Years 7, 8 and 9, pupils are taught in stage not age groupings.
Pupils have access to core subjects and a number of additional National Curriculum subjects.
The curriculum supports turnaround delivery, allows access back into a mainstream setting and supports movement to other provisions.
In KS3, the following subjects are delivered:
KS3 Subjects
- Maths
- English
- Science
- Digital Technology
- Physical Education
- Art & Design
- Humanities
- Drama
We want all pupils to thrive in their studies. To achieve this fundamental objective, the KS3 curriculum is designed to be delivered in a cross-curricular and practical way. The purpose of this is:
- to allow pupils to acquire the necessary knowledge about the topical era;
- to support pupils in remembering more about the social and historical context of the topical era;
- to enable pupils to be more accurate and creative in assessed pieces of work;
- to improve pupils’ cognitive function – thus, learning will be more effective.
All lessons incorporate a focus to improve standards of literacy through reading and learning of key vocabulary. Within lessons, personalisation supports all pupils in accessing the same core content so they feel included and invested in learning about important topics which have been carefully chosen to expand their knowledge beyond the school environment.
The KS3 curriculum ensures all pupils are ready for their future education – whether this is to study GCSEs at New Dawn School, return to mainstream or move on to a provision more suited to their individual needs.
All staff aim to enrich pupils’ experience of education and actively promote positive engagement. There is a rapid and expert identification of barriers to learning – this assessment and knowledge is used to identify strategies to support pupils in accessing all areas of the curriculum. Teaching staff also help pupils to discover individual learning styles in different contexts, further assisting in over-coming barriers once faced in previous settings.
A strong emphasis is placed on Personal Development in order to enable pupils to communicate with others effectively. This develops confidence in each individual’s ability and promotes higher self-esteem.
Small groups, targeted extraction and 1:1 mentoring allows pupils to reflect on their work and set their own targets for future development whilst ensuring they enjoy their studies.