ENGLISH

KS3
Keystage 3
You have been studying English ever since you have been at school, so it is not a new subject for you. We hope that your English lessons at Aske's will give you a chance to show what you can already do, as well as helping you to learn new skills and look at new ideas. At KS3 English is divided into four areas: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. We hope that everyone in Year 7 will enjoy their English lessons, and begin to make progress on the way up the ladder of KS3. We encourage reading for fun as well as for lessons, and everybody keeps a reading log. Outstanding readers are allowed to take part in a special reading scheme, and people who need a helping hand are given plenty of extra assistance. There are twelve English teachers in the College, and we all enjoy meeting our new students and working with them. We hope that you will enjoy meeting us, too!

We have special Drama rooms, where all students enjoy acting and trying out new ideas. In Year 7, all students are invited to take part in the Junior Drama Festival, which is a competition for the best house effort. Students perform for their parents and friends in the Winter term. At the end of that term, all Year 7 students generally go to the theatre to see a young people's production at the Young Vic.

Some of our projects and schemes of work are completed on computers in the IT rooms at the College. We can make magazines, television programmes, radio scripts and booklets. Other work can be word processed if you like, but don't worry if you haven't got a computer of your own at home.

Groupings
You will get three English lessons per week, in special English teaching rooms. Before long, we should be seeing some of your good work up on the walls! We shall be teaching you English in you new tutor groups, so that you can work with the people you know best. As there are so many different ways of being good at English, we keep you together like that until the end of Year 8. Some people are good at Reading, some like Writing best, some shine in Drama, and others are excellent at Speaking and Listening. When your KS3 SATs are coming up, we divide you into groups so that you can prepare for the exams at your own pace. By that time, you and we should know what will be the best plan for you.

Assessment
As you go through KS3, your work will be regularly marked, and a record of your progress will be kept by your English teacher, along with a special folder containing examples of your work. You will be given a KS3 level and an effort grade. The teacher will also correct any mistakes you have made, and write suggestions which will help you to improve. It's your job to read those corrections and suggestions, and to try and act on them. Anything you don't understand can usually be sorted out straight away, but be sure to ask for help if you need it. It's a good feeling when you get a credit for going up to a new level!

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