Key Stage 3 covers Years 7 to 9 when students are aged from 11 to 14 years-old. The Key Stage 3 Curriculum provided by schools must ensure a smooth transition from primary school and provide a firm foundation for education after the age of 14.
The individual subject programmes of study for the Core and Foundation subjects and the associated cross curricular themes and key skills provide a framework for ensuring that students have access to a broad, balanced, relevant and appropriately challenging curriculum at each key stage. The programmes of study can, however, be modified by schools to ensure the provision of an inclusive curriculum for all their students.
Flexibility can be provided by:
- selecting foundation subjects appropriate to a student's needs and aptitude
- reviewing the balance of curriculum time allocations to different areas of learning in the light of students' needs
- integrating existing Programmes of Study
- tailoring the content of the programmes of study to students' learning styles and needs throughout the Key Stage
- creating different pathways within a Year or across the Key Stage to meet the needs of different groups of students.
Core Curriculum
- English
- Mathematics
- Science
- PSHE and Citizenship
- ICT
- Religious Education
- Work-related Learning and Careers Education (from Year 9)
- Physical Education
Foundation Curriculum
- Design and Technology
- History
- Geography
- Art and Design
- Music
- Modern Foreign Languages
- Drama
Cross Curricular Themes and Skills
- Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
- Financial capability
- Enterprise education
- Education for sustainable development
Key Skills
- Communication - speaking, listening, reading, writing
- Numeracy - application of number
- ICT
- Improving their own learning and performance
- Team working
- Problem solving
- Thinking skills - information processing, reasoning, enquiry, creative thinking, evaluation
