Welcome to Birch and Key stage 3.

Learning within key stage 3 is the start of your journey into secondary, where we start to focus on your aspirations for your future and progress skills that will support as you move through the school. We are split into two main classes to support learning which is delivered in a variety of ways to build on from prior learning to develop new skills. Where ever possible we learn in a practical way. Maths is especially fun as we focus on many practical aspects for example cooking to promote accurate weighing of ingredients and time management. Weekly we have an inhouse café to provide opportunities to use money to buy our chosen snack and drink and we go out into the community to extend on skills taught in class visiting local cafes and shops.

Students will continue with phonics using our fresh start programme which follows on from Read write inc. They will work either 1:1 or within small groups to develop reading skills. For students who are fluent readers we develop comprehension and grammar skills. Students read on a regular basis and the adults read to the group to share a class book at the end of the day.

To develop social skills, we do this through play where we engage in structured leisure activities to promote forming friendships through group or team games. We also share opportunities with Cedar class Key stage 4 to widen friendship groups which in turn supports transitions in year 10.

In class students have access to a variety of sensory fidgets to support regulation alongside access to an immediate outdoor area where they can use this throughout the day to support self-regulation.