Everything Else Key Stage 3

KS3 students (year 7, 8 and 9) follow schemes of learning based around key life skills. Activities that promote resilience, problem solving, emotional well-being and an understanding of how the world works form the basis of what we do. All Year groups are taught in mixed ability groups. Skills such as Reading, Writing and Speaking and Listening are built into each unit. We also incorporate Numeracy into our topics. Each topic concludes with a reflective thought piece known as a “Driving Question”. Here students can investigate case studies and real life examples.

Year 7

Year 7 Curriculum Overview Themes Choice of Activities Teacher will select for a Block
Term 1 What does it mean to be British/Mancunian? Investigation of good and bad features of British history. Formation of opinions regarding how you feel about being British. Understanding of what it means to be British.
Term 2a Healthy body Investigation into healthy diet, sugar, salt, fat, diabetes. The importance of exercise. We will also investigate the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
Term 2b Relationship and Sex Education As part of our RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) lessons we will investigate what makes a healthy relationship. We will also investigate puberty and menstruation.
Term 3 Healthy mind Investigation into mindfulness and wellbeing. How do you look after your mental health?

 

Year 8

Year 8 Curriculum Overview Themes Unit content
Term 1 Real Love Rocks Investigation into consent, grooming CSE and staying safe on social media (including “sexting”).
Term 2a Healthy relationships Investigation into what makes a good relationship and what makes a bad relationship (controlling relationships).
Term 2b Relationship and Sex Education To investigate “sexting”, online protection and CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection command).
Term 3 Politics Investigation into Parliamentary Democracy. How does Politics work in the U? What do the different political parties believe in and stand for. Who is the most powerful person in the world?

 

Year 9

Year 9 Curriculum Overview Themes Unit content
Term 1 Modern Slavery Investigation into what slavery is and how it works in the modern world (using Apple Computers and the Qatar World Cup as a case study)
Term 2a Globalism Investigation into how the economy works around the world and how it is all connected together.
Term 2b Relationship and Sex Education Investigation into Masturbation, Body Image, Gender and Sexual Orientation.
Term 3 Financial Education Investigation into what Finance means to individuals throughout their lives. We look at Tax, National Insurance, Banking, Loans and Credit Cards.

 

Year 7Relationships and Sex Education

PR2

Healthy body, Healthy Mind Unit

  • > Importance of family, characteristics of family life, respect for family diversity.
  • > Importance of stable relationships, marriage/civil partnership, how to recognise unsafe situations and how to seek advice/help.

Year 8

PR1

Real Love Rocks Unit

  • > What does a healthy relationship look like?
  • > Good/bad relationships
  • > Staying safe
  • > CSE (Child Sexual Exploitation)
  • > Grooming
  • > The impact of pornography
  • > Staying safe online

 

Duke of Edinburgh

Students in Year 9 are given the opportunity to complete the “Duke of Edinburgh” Bronze Award Scheme. By completing this in High School it provides students with the opportunity to complete “Silver” and “Gold” at College. Increasingly, Universities and Employers are looking to this qualification as a guide that indicates character, application and achievement.

 

Careers KS3

Students get to investigate a wide range of careers, colleges and apprenticeships within our careers lessons. They use online tools such as Unifrog and they meet a wide range of guests who discuss the careers that they have chosen to follow. All students in Year 7 get the opportunity to visit a University. The purpose of all of these lessons and experiences is to widen the horizons of all of our young people and ensure that they choose the pathways most appropriate to their skills and dreams.

Year 7 Curriculum OverviewTopicUnit content
Term 1/2/3Introduction to CareersIn Year 7 we begin with a self-analysis, identifying strengths and interests, what type of learner students are and where their skills lie. We discuss aims and ambitions and research how these career goals may be achieved. Lessons then broaden out to give students a taste of a variety of different career fields and job roles within these, allowing students to become aware of possibilities they may never have considered or even heard of. Students develop transferable workplace skills such as; communication, leadership, teamwork and creativity when they are set a design brief to follow for a particular product.
Year 8 Curriculum OverviewTopicUnit content
Term 1/2/3World of Work In Year 8 we introduce ‘soft’ skills to students encouraging them to identify strengths and areas to improve. Tasks are built into lessons to provide development of these skills. We liaise with a local architect to deliver a design based project including various roles suited to different skills and interests. A more maths based set of parameters to set out a site plan and a proposal to set out a series of rooms. A more art/creative based output – sculpture/mural/artwork for a building Façade. A building design presentation exercise for what materials they would use, encouraging them to think about sustainability and the environment. This may be an area that we look to adapt to ensure that students have the same quality of opportunity available to them.
Year 9 Curriculum OverviewTopicUnit content
Term 1/2/3Basic First AidThe First Aid course that we run is an award-winning course (UK Heartsafe Education Award Winner 2018). The course is delivered by qualified First Aid Instructors who are allowed to issue First Aid certificates when students have successfully completing the unit.

The 8-week course also links into our careers unit and it incorporates skills that we need in the world of work.

Week one – What is the point of First Aid? (Primary Survey, Secondary Survey, Recovery Position)

Week two – CPR

Week three – AED machines

Week four – Burns and Scalds

Week five – Wounds and Bleeding

Week six – Practical exam

Week seven – Learning Log part one; Why does First Aid Matter?

Week eight – Learning Log part two; How does First Aid link into potential careers?