Key Stage 3

 

Welcome to Key Stage 3

 

The move from Primary School to Secondary School, Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3, from Year 6, to Year 7, is perhaps the most keenly anticipated educational transition for students at IBSB and around the world. I am sure we all remember the sense of excitement and trepidation felt at the thought graduating Primary School as a senior student and starting Secondary School as a junior student. It is a traditional rite of passage for all students.

 

To help students at IBSB feel confident about the move from Primary to Secondary, we have organised a well-orchestrated transition programme in which the Year 7 students visit the Year 6 students to speak about life in Year 7 and to answer any questions they might have. The Year 6 students then visit the Year 7 students in the Secondary School, joining several lessons to get a feel for how the classes and the timetable run. There are also a number of other initiatives in place where the Prefects are assigned a Primary School class to work with each term, Primary School students are invited to make presentations in the Secondary School assemblies, and of course there are many school events involving both schools, such as UN DAY, School Productions, Sports Day, and the Summer Fete.

 

In Key Stage 3, students are encouraged to extend themselves academically and socially. They have their lessons with specialist teachers, attending lessons in English, Mathematics, Science, A Modern Foreign Language (Spanish, German, or French), Geography, History, ICT, Art, and PE. In addition to these core subjects, students also have the opportunity to experience new activities, sports, hobbies, arts and crafts, through the IBSB Club programme that runs from 3.00-4.00pm. There are a number of day trips and residential trips offered throughout the year, including the annual IBSB Ski Trip and the end of Year Class trip abroad. And of course there are the student social dances that take place each term under the supervision of teachers.

 

The aim of the Key Stage 3 programme is to provide students with a wide variety of experiences, to provide an environment whereby they can learn to become responsible independent learners, and of course to provide them with a solid academic base from which to commence their two year IGCSE programme in Year 10. The expectation at this level is that students should be doing approximately 1 hour (Year 7), 1 ½ hours (Year 8), and 2 hours of homework a night at this level, slowly building up to toward 5 hours a night by the start of Year 13.
 

 

This is a sample of what a Key Stage 3 timetable looks like

 
For information about specific subjects, click here

 

The National Curriculum for students aged 12 to 16 years

 

Department for Primary Education

 

National Curriculum Performance Levels