Key Stage 3
Our students are set when they arrive in Year 7, based on information from their SATS and primary schools. We regularly review these sets to ensure each student is receiving the appropriate level of challenge and support. We cover one topic per month, and employ a “ladder” scheme of work whereby there is no limit on what each set can cover – students work their way up this ladder of skills at their own pace. An overview of the topics and sub topics is given below:
Strand | Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 |
---|---|---|---|
Number | – Place value – Positive & Negative numbers – Factors Multiples and Primes – Roots and Indices – Written methods – Ratio and Proportion | – Fractions, decimals, percentages – Standard form – Working with roots – Ratio and Proportion | – Fractions and reciprocals – Recurring decimals – Percentage change & simple and compound interest – Ratio and Proportion |
Algebra | – Basic notation and simplifying – Expanding and factorising linear expressions – Linear equations – Functions and formula – Sequences – Simultaneous linear equations – Gradient and linear graphs | – Algebraic indices – Quadratic functions – Changing the subject of a formula – Conversion graphs – Graphs of linear functions – Linear inequalities – Graphical simultaneous equations – Quadratic simultaneous equations | – Identities, equations and Inequalities – Quadratic functions and problem-solving – Simplifying algebraic fractions – Types of factorising – Quadratic sequences – Geometric sequences – Graphs of non-linear functions |
Shape | – Area and Perimeter, including circles – Shape terminology – Reflective an rotational symmetry – Constructions – Angle geometry – Scale drawings | – Transforming shapes by rotation, reflection, translation and enlargement – Unit conversions – Maps and Bearings – Congruence and Similarity – Loci and constructions | – Volume and Surface Area – Congruence and Similarity – Circle geometry – Plans and Elevations – Trigonometry – Pythagoras’ theorem – Angle geometry |
Data | – Categorising data – Drawing and interpreting pictogrmas, bar charts and pie charts – Types of average – Probability | – Questionnaires – Data handling – Scatter graphs and correlation – Probability | – Time series – Averages of grouped data – Sampling methods – Cumulative frequency graphs – Probability |
Assessment
We believe that regular assessment provides a sense of structure for our students, as well as giving us key information about performance in KS3. We have a topic test at the end of each unit, which is always followed by a feedback lesson targeted at the areas where students may not have performed so well. Students can then do some further follow up at home by using the Hegarty Maths website (details below).
Several of our assessments throughout the year are “Open Book Assessments” which we believe are important for a number of reasons – they allow the students to practise being able to extract key information and follow a worked example; they remove the “test anxiety” that some students face; and they require students to continuously keep up with their book polishing to ensure their notes are in good order.
All of these assessments are kept in an assessment folder in the school. This is to ensure that no assessments are mislaid. This folder is given to the students towards the end of year to use as a revision pack in preparation for their End of Year Exams.
Home Learning
We subscribe to Hegarty Maths and use this as the basis for home learning at KS3. Students are set a minimum of 1 task per week and this consists of:
- Students watching a video and taking notes into their books
- Students trying the online quiz attached to the video
- Students reflecting on their result, and re-trying if necessary.
The notes are quality checked by class teachers at regular intervals. Students can write an online comment to their teacher if they are stuck, and teachers can see how many times the video has been watched and the length of time spent on the task.