Key Stage 3 Subjects

Art & Design

Within Art and Design students will experience five key subjects: Art, Food and Nutrition, Graphics, Product Design and Textiles. Throughout their time at Beauchamp Prep, learners will rotate into one of these specialities where they will be taught by highly skilled and passionate teachers.

Art
Learners will have the opportunity to access a wide variety of materials to create an exciting selection of artworks. Pupils will develop drawing and painting skills alongside modelling skills using clay and mixed media, investigating how materials work and allowing for ideas to be shared. Projects are vibrant and varied and are designed to have an element of flexibility for pupils to explore and create their own, imaginative responses. Pupils will gain an understanding of a variety of artists and related works as well as a selection of artist movements including Expressionism, Art Nouveau, Surrealism and Pop art and will be encouraged to show their artist knowledge and inspiration within the work they create.

Food & Nutrition
Students will learn the essential skills to be safe and creative in the kitchen. Practical activities will be a key part of the course and skills will be developed through the preparation and cooking of ingredients to create a range of healthy, nutritious and tasty products. Sensory analysis will extend evaluation skills and students will be encouraged to share their thoughts and opinions both verbally and in writing. Students will learn about basic nutrition, analyse the nutritional values of the food they eat and suggest ways food products can be adapted to meet the needs of different groups of people. Topics will also include food safety, food provenance and seasonality.

Graphic Communication
Graphic Communication is an exciting introduction to visual arts where students will learn the essential skills to begin to work as creative designers and illustrators. Projects will cover areas such as branding; design and make pop-up books; Haunted Leicester; the design of visitor centre promotional material; an investigation into character design for games or stories; and the development of a poster to celebrate a festival or event. Students will be encouraged to draw on their own interests and experiences as well as exploring existing works to develop a formal understanding of art to take direct inspiration into their own ideas.

Product Design
This is a great opportunity to explore design in the real world through a variety of exciting design and make activities to encourage creative thinking and problem solving. An active approach is taken to help individuals build their confidence with a range of materials and making methods. Students will have the chance to work with a variety of tools and equipment, develop good technique and importantly learn about health and safety in the design studio and workshop environment. Theory aspects are tackled, again, through hands on activity via product analysis.

Textiles
In Textiles students will learn to use tools appropriate to their age and develop a confident level of ability with a sewing machine and other equipment. During practical sessions students will also learn to select and use a range of materials and techniques including CAD/CAM. Essential to the course will be learning to communicate design ideas using annotated sketches, 3-D modelling, and other forms of presentation to evaluate and refine products, taking into account the views of intended users. Students will be introduced to research whilst engaging in topics such as the study of different cultures, crucial for developing an awareness of ethical issues. Through this, students will have the capability to identify and solve their own design problems and also understand how to research, design, and make a successful textile product.

Computer Science

In Computing, students will be able to use computational thinking and creativity to understand how a computer works as well as how to program. Computing has deep links with mathematics, science, and design and technology, and these links will be embedded into the curriculum.

The core of computing is computer science, in which students will be taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. Building on this knowledge and understanding, students will be able to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. Computing will also ensure that students become digitally literate and safe users of online technologies. It provides opportunities for learners to be expressive and confident users of information and communication technology at a level suitable for them to progress onto GCSE study.

English

In English at Beauchamp Prep, students will be encouraged to develop a love of both reading and writing, focusing on developing their creativity, comprehension and accuracy.

Students will be familiarised with a wide range of text types, distinguishing between forms and developing a sense of the significance of historical context. For example, students will study: whole novels, short stories, poems and plays. Specifically, this will entail pre-1914 literature, contemporary literature, two Shakespeare plays and other seminal literature from around the world.

Through this, students will be able to develop key analytical skills, through reading, writing, speaking and listening, preparing them for future examinations. English Language skills will include: writing creatively and transactionally, for enjoyment and to develop accuracy; interpretation of implicit information; explanation of language; comparison of writers’ perspectives; effective use of textual references. With regard to English Literature, students will be encouraged to develop a personal response and style, analyse language using appropriate terminology and link texts to their contexts.

Most importantly, students of English at Beauchamp Prep will become critical and competent readers and writers, well prepared for the rigours and demands of the Key Stage 4 curriculum.

Humanities

In Humanities, learners will explore three subjects: Geography, History and Religious Studies. Students will be taught by subject specialists who know and love their subject.

Geography
In Geography, students will be developing and consolidating their previous knowledge of the world’s major countries and their physical and human features. We believe outstanding Geographers at Beauchamp need to demonstrate the following skills which are specialist and yet transferrable across many subjects. They are:

• Use of computer systems e.g. GIS
• Be able to read and confidently use Ordnance Survey maps both in the classroom and out in the field
• Demonstrate map, globe and atlas reading skills
• Collect, analyse and draw conclusions from a variety of fieldwork experiences

Students will focus on four specific areas: physical geography, human geography, location knowledge and place knowledge; vital areas of understanding for students wishing to progress onto the GCSE course.

History
In History students follow a chronological narrative that explores how, why and to what extent the world has changed. We believe good historians need to be experts in 6 core skills, these skills are often specialist yet transferable. They are:

• Causation
• Using Historical evidence
• Understanding Historical World Views
• Change and Continuity
• Historical interpretation
• Communication

In Year 7, students will study a range of topics including the Bayeux Tapestry, the Ottoman Empire and the Wars of the Roses, in order to develop the skills listed above.

Religious Studies
The principal aim of Religious Studies is to engage pupils in systematic enquiry into significant human questions which religion and worldviews address, so that students can develop the understanding and skills needed to discuss varied responses to these questions, as well as developed responses of their own.

Students begin their journey into the world of philosophy, religion, worldviews and ethics by engaging with the key tenets of religious tradition so they are able to understand what people believe, how these impact on people, how people live, and to make connections between the different ideas.

In Year 7, students begin their philosophical learning journey by exploring a range of religious and non-religious views to consider How did we get here?  and then continue by examining What is the purpose of Jesus in Christianity?  Year 7 concludes by students posing and exploring the question of What is Hindu Dharma?

In Year 8 students will explore How do we treat the environment, animals and humans?  before a topic examining What does it mean to be a Muslim in Britain today?  Year 8 complete the year with exploring and evaluating a range of religious and non-religious ethical theories in the topic ‘What does it mean to be ethical?'

In Year 9 students will apply the ethical theories previously learned to a range of issues including medical ethics in the topic How do we act in an ethical way?  Next, students use their skills of enquiry, analysis and evaluation to question Do we need to prove God’s Existence?  and finish their KS3 journey with a topic exploring Sikhism.

Throughout their learning journey, student develop their skills of empathy, discussion critical analysis, evaluation and justification which are vital for the popular GCSE course as well as success in academia and the world of work.

Maths

Mathematics is a creative and highly interconnected subject. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and employment. Within the Mathematics Faculty, our aim is to teach for mastery in mathematics. This means developing a deep, secure and adaptable understanding of mathematics which will ensure that all pupils have fluency, a growing confidence to reason mathematically and the ability to apply mathematics to solve problems.

Becoming fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics includes varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.

By reasoning mathematically, students follow a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language.

Students will solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.

Mastery of mathematics, which builds gradually as a student goes through school, is a tool for life. This approach gives them the underpinning knowledge needed to progress successfully onto their GCSE course.

Modern Foreign Languages

As part of their programme, students will have the opportunity to access a variety of different foreign languages. In year 7, students will study French and Spanish as part of the curriculum, however they will also be able to study Mandarin as an optional enrichment activity. As they progress into years 8 and 9 they will then be able to make a choice as to which languages they would like to continue with, and eventually which language, or languages they would like to study at GCSE and beyond.

This curriculum offers a broad selection of themes. These allow students not only to expand on their knowledge of the language, but also to become more aware of global context and where their chosen language of study is spoken. For example students learning Spanish will learn about a number of different aspects of Spain and Latin America. Throughout their first year students will be able to describe themselves and express their own opinions on school, free time, food, holidays and the media. They will be able to express these ideas in a variety of tenses and will feel confident manipulating the language for their own means.

Throughout the whole study of language students are encouraged to develop an awareness, interest and respect for the culture of their chosen language of study. They will be motivated to independently research this so they can appreciate the importance of learning a language, and how this can help them become part of a global market in the future.

Performing Arts

In Performing Arts, students will study a range of different elements in music, music technology, drama, dance, theatre design and technology. Our aim is to foster a love of learning and creativity through challenging learners to stretch themselves and take risks in performance, devising and composing.

Whilst taught as separate elements the curriculum will overlap allowing for small, informal performances designed to instil confidence and enjoyment. Through developing these skills students will be able to develop a greater sense of self, improve the ability to work in a team and begin to look at the world through other people’s eyes.

Topics may include: musical theatre, an introduction to puppetry, music production, music and drama from other cultures, as well as covering topics which may reflect topics covered in other subject areas.

Physical Education

Physical Education at Beauchamp Prep will allow students to engage in a challenging and enjoyable environment that focuses on the physical development of our students looking holistically at physical and personal aspects.

Throughout the learning journey in PE students will experience activities focusing on fundamental motor skills such as throwing, hitting and kicking, alongside tailoring skills to more traditional, as well as modern sports and activities including football, netball, ultimate Frisbee and aerobics, to name a few. During the PE experience students

will encounter a number of themes both in lessons and in our extracurricular opportunities, including high levels of physical activity, competition, challenge, opportunities for the development of physical skills, as well as personal qualities, incorporating the 4 R’s and leadership

opportunities. Our aim in the PE curriculum at KS3 is to provide an enjoyable and challenging experience that will prepare students physically and personally, with some theoretical insight to GCSE PE or Sports Studies in Key Stage Four.

Science

Our engaging KS3 Science curriculum will prepare our students for GCSE-level and beyond. Together, we will explore key ideas such as the effect of forces on an object’s motion or shape, the constantly changing atmosphere and the structure of the Earth. We will discover the interesting structures contained within cells, including genes, which determine the development and processes of entire organisms.

Through inquiry based learning, students will have the opportunity to use practical skills to investigate scientific phenomena of the natural world. They will analyse and develop theories to understand the social, ethical and economic implications of science.

Our students will bring a diverse range of experiences and will build on the knowledge and skills embedded at primary school, developing a deeper and broader understanding of the world around us.

All lessons are taught in our well-equipped laboratories by highly skilled and enthusiastic subject specialists.

Media Literacy (Year 8)

‘Media Literacy’ will provide students with the skills required to become critical consumers and active users who can challenge and manipulate media content in a world of ever-changing technology. The aims of the lessons are:

To have a knowledge of the different types of media and how they work
To understand how the media can be manipulated and controlled, and that they can identify when this might be happening
To understand the way in which social media are used
To be able to design news items with an understanding of processes and structures
To be able to identify and analyse media representations
To become critical consumers of the media