KS3 Curriculum

English

At Key Stage 3, students follow the National Curriculum for English to prepare them for their reintegration in mainstream school.  Lessons are planned and delivered to ensure that students:

  • Read easily, fluently and with good understanding. 
  • Develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information.
  • acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of Linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language.
  • write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. 
  • Use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas.
  • Are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.

 

Each half term, the lessons have a different topic.  Formative assessment is carried out in all lessons and students complete at end-of-unit assessment at the end of the half term.  Some of the topics include:

  • Persuasive and advisory writing
  • Descriptive writing and first-person narratives
  • Short stories
  • Analysing texts
  • Shakespeare – Romeo and Juliet

Maths

At Key Stage 3, students follow the National Curriculum for Maths to prepare them for their reintegration in mainstream school.  Lessons are planned and delivered to ensure that students:

  • Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
  • Reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
  • Can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.

Each half term, the lessons have a different topic.  Formative assessment is carried out in all lessons and students complete at end-of-unit assessment at the end of the half term.  Some of the topics include:

  • Calculating
  • Analysing and displaying data
  • Expression, functions and formulae
  • Graphs
  • Angles and lines
  • Decimals and measure
  • Number properties
  • Sequence

Science

At Key Stage 3, students follow the National Curriculum for Science to prepare them for their reintegration in mainstream school.  The lessons ensure that students:

  • Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
  • Develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them.
  • Are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

Each half term covers a different aspect of Science:

  • Working scientifically: asking scientific questions, planning investigations, recording data, analysing data and evaluating data.
  • Cells (Biology): observing cells, plant and animal cells, specialised cells, movement of substances, unicellular organisms.
  • Forces (Physics): introduction to forces, balanced and unbalanced, squashing and stretching, drag forces and friction, forces at a distance.
  • Acids and Alkalis (Chemistry): acids and alkalis, indicators and PH, neutralisation, making salts.
  • Reproduction (Biology): adolescence, reproductive systems, fertilisation and implantation, development of a foetus, the menstrual cycle.
  • Sound (Physics): waves, sound and energy transfer, loudness and pitch, detecting sound, echoes and ultrasound.

Humanities

The blended curriculum designed for Key Stage 3 allows students to develop an understanding of their sense of place within our world.  Students are encouraged to explore and value the diverse ways in which different groups and cultures respond to similar challenges presented by daily life. 

In Humanities, students will cover topics related to:

  • Developing an understanding of different people, places and environments in different parts of the world.
  • Developing an understanding of the environment and sustainable development, and ways of resolving these issues.
  • Studying a locality in a country that is less economically developed than their own.
  • Identifying people have different attitudes and values to their own.
  • Recognising the difference between right and wrong, understanding that actions have consequences, and apply this in their own lives by respecting the Law.

The KS3 curriculum will ensure the students encounter different societies and cultures. This helps them to realise how nations rely on one another. It can inspire them to think about their own place in the world, their values, and their rights and responsibilities.

Vocational Studies

Students complete the Pearson BTEC Level 1 Award in Vocational Studies.  As part of this, students complete units covering developing a personal progression plan; playing sport and exploring local visitor attractions.

Each unit has specified learning outcomes and assessment criteria. To pass an internally assessed unit, students must meet all the assessment criteria. Students will work from an assignment brief showing what evidence is required. 

This subject helps to prepare students for Key Stage 4 as an introduction to studying for vocational qualifications.

PSHCE

Students have PSHCE lessons each week which cover a range of topics that are relevant to them.    In addition, Abbey Manor College operates a formal assembly policy in which PSHCE and SMSC themes are addressed on a weekly basis. This is supported by the Thought for the Week, which is delivered through tutor time and relates directly to the assembly theme.  The aims of the PSHCE curriculum are to help students:

  • Develop self-awareness, positive self-esteem and confidence.
  • Develop independence.
  • Understand their rights and responsibilities.
  • Learn to keep themselves and others safe. 
  • Develop effective and healthy relationships.
  • Learn to respect diversity.
  • Play an active part as members of the group and community.
  • Develop a healthy lifestyle.
  • Respect the environment.

Some of the specific topics taught in PSHCE include:

  • Managing change
  • Food and health
  • Relationships
  • Language and behaviour
  • Forms of bullying
  • Connections
  • Living in the wider world
  • Diversity
  • E-safety
  • Radicalisation  
  • Democracy

Enrichment

Our school core values are Hope, Determination and Achievement. It is our vision that the curriculum with all its enrichment opportunities will give our students the chance to develop these qualities. Many of the enrichment opportunities will give the students insight into a range of skills and subjects so that they can grow their experiences and discover new talents. 

Friday afternoons at Abbey Manor College are dedicated to the Enrichment Programme.  Half term 1 is focused around a tutor group competition in order to build strong relationships within each tutor group and develop a school community.  For the rest of the academic year, students select an activity for each half term.  At the end of each half term, students will go on a school trip related to their enrichment activity.

In addition, students all have a copy of The Abbey Manor Charter.  This has a number of enrichment activities that students can select to complete both within the school day and in their spare time.  The activities are grouped into six areas: across the curriculum; participating as a tutor group; citizenship; trips and residentials; music and drama; beyond Abbey Manor College.   

The majority of our students have no or very few positive interests as a result of the disadvantaged backgrounds that many of them come from.  Additionally, many have never travelled outside of their immediate home town.  Our enrichment opportunities will provide students with activities that they could go on to develop in the future, and also give them the desire to explore the many attractions available both within and outside of London. 

We want our students to become confident and have the ambition to succeed.  Our enrichment programme will enhance their GCSE subjects and also give them the chance to develop the skills that they need as they enter college and the workplace.

Onsite Sports

Onsite Sport forms an important part of our offer to students.  We believe that physical exercise, experienced in a safe and supportive environment, is a unique and vital contributor to each student’s physical development and wellbeing. We aim to promote an active, healthy and enjoyable lifestyle and encourage our pupils to have the motivation, confidence, physical and social competence, knowledge and understanding to maintain physical activity throughout life.

Through Onsite Sport, students learn a number of transferrable skills such as:

  • Team work
  • Communication
  • Reflectivity
  • Creativity
  • Problem solving
  • Leadership

Nurture Group

The Nurture Group is for the most vulnerable students.  The students spend most of their time with their Nurture Group tutor and have a small number of lessons taught by subject specialists.

Each half term, students study a different topic, through which all other subjects are taught.  The learning is skills based and covers the following:

Literacy

  • Reading for understanding.
  • Creative writing.
  • Punctuation skills.
  • Learning new vocabulary.
  • Encourage students to become confident speakers in a variety of contexts.
  • Listen, understand and respond to others, building on their ideas and view constructively.
  • Use reading efficiently for varying purposes.
  • Help students to communicate clearly and confidently in writing.
  • Provide opportunities for a range of writing exercises.

Numeracy

  • Revising number bonds.
  • Basic operations.
  • Multiplication tables.
  • Counting,
  • Estimating or measuring space.

ICT

  • Learn to use basic packages such as Word, Powerpoint and Excel.
  • Using the Internet for research purposes.
  • Electronic communication.

Other subjects such as Art, Technology, Science, Geography, History and Drama are introduced throughout the themes where appropriate.

In addition, sessions in the Nurture Group focus on a number of other skills such as anger management; social skills; building self-esteem; creative therapy; personal safety and SMSC.  These are linked to the theme where appropriate.

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