Key Stage 3 English Language – Term 1

Course Overview

This course is designed to bridge the gap between primary school and GCSE English, teaching all the necessary English skills. It is most suitable for early secondary school aged children, and pupils must be at least 11 years old.

Course Method

This course is focused on the development of the four main English skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. This is achieved by studying a wide range of example texts and learning how to imitate them.

Key technical skills – everything from metaphors and similes to how to write a newspaper article; from personification to how to be interesting – are carefully explained and practised.

Lessons are a mixture of lecture-style teaching sessions with accompanying slides, and interactive class discussions.

Class notes, homework, and other resources are distributed on Google Classroom. Each student will therefore need their own, free, Google Classroom account. One novel will need to be purchased, and access to a printer may be helpful.

Homework is a mixture of reading and writing assignments, both unmarked and marked. Unmarked assignments should take about thirty minutes to one hour to complete. Marked assignments are set several times a term and should take between one to two hours to complete.

Lessons can be recorded and made available to the student, if the teacher is notified beforehand of a planned absence.

Course Details

Term 1 comprises 14 weekly lessons. Each lesson lasts 45 minutes.

This PX Classroom is held on Tuesdays at 11am (London time zone), starting from Tuesday, 26th August 2025. There will be no lesson on 16th and
23rd September, and no lesson on 28th October during half-term. The last lesson is due to be on 16th December 2025.