Courses for Years 7 to 9

At KS3 we offer Skills Builder courses, suitable for Year 7, 8 (Skills Builder 1) and 9 (Skills Builder 2). Some Year 10 students that may have fallen behind or previously disengaged from significant parts of their mainstream schooling may also benefit from our Skills Builder courses.

Illustration of an open book with a pencil drawing lines inside it.
English

The course develops the necessary skills for effective reading, writing, speaking and listening, building on existing student knowledge and to prepare them for their KS4 studies. Throughout the course, students are given the opportunity to read a range of challenging materials for both critical purposes and for pleasure.

An illustration of a colourful calculator with numbers on the screen.
Maths

The Skills Builder Course is a pre-GCSE course, designed to give students excellent preparation in all areas, especially in number and algebra, for the rigours of the reformed GCSE in mathematics. It is ideal for the student who has missed much of their mathematical education or for those who find mathematics challenging.

A graphic of a blue microscope, used for science, on a grey background.
Science

A course designed for students at the start of their KS3 studies, or for students hoping to access KS4 courses who have missed significant parts of their KS3 entitlement and need grounding in basic scientific concepts and content. It will introduce all the major content areas within the KS3 Science National Curriculum with Biology, Chemistry and Physics units distributed throughout the year.

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Humanities & Citizenship

In combined Humanities and Citizenship, students will learn through a variety of topics to develop the skills of investigation, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, communication, chronological understanding which includes a sense of change and continuity over time; and an appreciation of the development of cultures and society.

A graphic of a locked laptop screen, with cyber security icons floating above it.
PSHE

This course is designed to cover key materials pertinent to KS3 students on study skills, cyber safety, emotional and physical wellbeing, positive relationships, personal finance, mindfulness and bullying.

An illustration of a silver desktop computer with a red screensaver and windows open.
ICT

This course develops a range of ICT skills to enable students to develop confidence using a range of software packages and, should they choose to, progress to a KS4 ICT qualification. Students will be expected to have MS Office installed on their computers so that they start to enjoy using formulae on spreadsheets, creating graphics and improving their presentation skills. It will provide exciting content and play a vital role in equipping students for the workplace in their future careers.

Sample Key Stage 3 Timetable

Our KS3 classes are provided over a 38-week academic calendar, with lessons available Monday to Thursday every week of term time. On Friday, learners can attend an optional consolidation class. Timetabled lessons are available in a recorded format on a 24/7 basis, in case of absence. Multiple groups run each day to enable us to find the best fit timetable to meet individual needs. One-to-one tutorial sessions can be booked by the mentor in the portal, these can be scheduled for any day of the week.

Experienced Key Stage 3 Teachers

We provide quality education delivered by qualified and experienced teachers. Class sizes are small, with a maximum of 15 pupils in any class, so that each child receives personalised attention and supervision in their learning. Learners receive one lesson a day in each subject from Monday to Thursday (apart from PSHE) and can attend a consolidation class on Fridays as well. Tutorial sessions can be booked for additional 1:1 support on any day of the week.

A young, female teacher writing numbers on a whiteboard whilst wearing a grey blazer and white shirt.

Resources and Support

We work closely with designated school and local authority support staff to provide support and intervention when learners may be falling behind or if they do not engage with our provision.

Each young person referred to us receives a personalised timetable to best fit in with their individual needs. The timetable shown above is an example where lessons are scheduled to avoid the early mornings, to fit with the student’s personal circumstances.

We provide engaging activities and homework that reinforce learning objectives, 24/7 access to our lesson library for catch up and consolidation classes for additional support. We also offer access to a range of additional education resources to help embed learning and aide progression.

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Fast & Flexible Provision

Access to our provision is usually delivered within a few hours of referral and we will provide a baseline assessment if no existing data is available.

We will place learners into appropriate groups for their current ability level from the outset and movement to lower and higher ability groups is entirely flexible and incurs no additional charge.

Key Stage 3 students walk down a school corridor in blue uniforms, chatting together between classes.

Get in Touch!
Call 0800 208 8210 or email [email protected]

Whether you prefer to call or email please do contact us today to talk to our expert staff and discover whether Academy21 is appropriate for the KS3 learners in your care. We will provide, clear and friendly advice and guidance with no expectations that you’ll proceed to a referral to us.