What is Key Stage 3?
WHAT IS KEY STAGE THREE?
The secondary education system in England, Wales, the British Territory of Gibraltar and Northern Ireland was split between Key stage 3 and Key stage 4 to set the educational knowledge of students of various ages mainly to align with the two-year examination courses at the GCSE level.
Key stage 3 is the legal term for three years of schooling for maintained schools in England and Wales for pupils aged between 11 and 14, i.e. school years seven to nine. All students in this key stage must follow a planned series of performances of education. The compulsory national curriculum subjects include English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Modern Foreign Languages, Design and Technology, Art and design, Music, Physical Education, Citizenship and Computing.
Schools must provide religious education and sex education from key stage three, but these are not compulsory to attend. Most pupils are expected to reach level 5 by the age of 14 and there are tests, which include the study of reading and writing English along with the study of a Shakespeare play, the study of mental arithmetic subject like Mathematics for the development of the pupils' competence in numeracy and mathematical fluency and also Science, to assess their level when they reach the final stage of key stage 3.
What KS3 Entails
The focus of learning and settling into the secondary education begins at this point which seem as a new phase and opportunity to the subjects that really amaze and awaken the pupil. Parents will receive annual reports from the teachers to be aware of the subjects their ward is having difficulty with or seem to have a difficulty in overcoming the potential barrier, like mathematics and language since the confidence in numeracy and mathematical skills is a precondition of success and fluency in English language is a vital basis for success in all subjects across the national curriculum.
Private tutors can take account of the needs of the pupils whose first language is not English and monitor them without taking account of pupils’ age, length of time in the country etc. The reports and communication between the teachers and parents can help the parents to offer assistance to the pupil and find solutions for their struggles with such subjects. A private tutor could sometimes give an extra attention and care to get them out of the difficulty by revealing methods to improve the study and recognising their individual needs to make them excel in the struggling subjects. Teachers also plan teaching opportunities to help pupils develop their language by all means. They also makes the participation of the pupils in almost all areas and opportunities open to them.
Importance of Reading
During key stage three, the curriculum helps pupils to develop an appreciation and love for reading by reading a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, short stories, poems and plays with an ample inclusion of genres, historical periods, forms and authors. They also appreciate re-reading of books encountered earlier to increase familiarity which in turn provides a basis for comparisons with the future reads. They also acknowledge with the study of different authors in depth each year and the writer's choice of usage of vocabulary. This helps them to pay attention to the accuracy and effectiveness of grammar, punctuation and spellings and helps them to a wide extent to analyse the difference between spoken and written language, between Standard English and the other different varieties of English.
Social Skills Development
The stage provides pupils with notion and a primary knowledge that they need to be well educated citizens along with the inclusion and appreciation for human creativity and an appreciation of their own thought processes. Schools are completely free to decide how to organize their school days as long as the content is taught to all the pupils in the right manner. Schools must provide access to a minimum of one course in each of four entitlement areas they are specified with.
Teachers are free to develop exciting lessons to promote the development of the pupils’ knowledge and understanding in their own skills as part of the wider school curriculum. Key stage three is a balanced stage that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and the physical development of the pupils. The stage also set platforms to prepare the pupils at school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. Key stage three remains to be amongst the most deciding phase for pupils for the same reason.
The study of subjects such as Modern Foreign languages help them to be open to all the differences of the world with a welcoming perspective. The study of subjects like Design and Technology which are highly beneficial to the pupils’ later life and are not included or even given importance in almost many countries, but are given higher priority in the UK.
Key Stage 3 and Pupils' Health
Giving equal importance to subjects like Physical Education and Computing also are one among the main features of the UK curriculum that goes a long way beyond academic excellence and the personal lives of the pupils. The importance given to Physical Education makes them stay fit while it is not considered a vital part in many other countries’ educational curriculum. Key stage three is the stage where these all is incorporated and made possible.
The emphasis given to art, health education, self-development and culture is the most sublime feature of UK educational system which teach the pupil more human values from small ages during the deciding phases of cultivating empathy and compassion for their fellow human beings and helps engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement. This is a feature the curriculum in many other countries lack but considered to a greater extent in UK which makes all the difference with the pupils.
It can be said that their personal achievements and milestones in life are already formed years back, while they were at the key stages of the curriculum. The value of the educational system makes all the difference in the development and productivity of the country.
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