Our students tell us that English at St Martin’s is: Fast-paced,always challenging us – in a positive way, Teaches me, shows me, makes me achieve - and we pride ourselves on that.

Our Key Stage 3 course will foster enjoyment, skills, personal development and a great sense of achievement in you.

In all areas (Reading, Writing and Speaking and Listening), we will build on your skills, secure them and develop strategies for even greater success. We do this through careful planning of each module, personally created to ensure modules are engaging and active in their approach, with targets set – and then we’ll show you how to achieve them. That’s a great feeling!

The Department has enjoyed excellent Key Stage 3 SATs results over recent years with 98% of our students achieving Level 5 and above, and 78% achieving Level 6 and above in 2009.

Photo Modules include: modernising fairytales, recounting your life – as a sweet, adapting modern short stories into sensational newspaper front pages and exploring real issues, such as homelessness, written as personal accounts, inspired by Robert Swindell’s fantastic Stone Cold. You will analyse, evaluate and compare texts – War Poetry, Shakespeare and Persuasive Advertising to access achievement to Level 8 standard. In Speaking and Listening tasks, you will discuss and justify individual and group decisions, allocating money to a cause, cast characters from a reality show, plan and present your ideal prom and participate in a courtroom drama of characters – to name a few.

Our bright, appealing suite of rooms with ICT access and full-time, specialist teaching staff, will be your main base but you will use the Learning Resources Centre to enhance your coursework and to keep up to date with your reading – vital for vocabulary, inspiration and imagination. There, you will meet Mrs Lowry who provides a regular reading circle for all students as part of lessons. Furthermore, you will talk regularly about and explore a range of texts in a friendly, supportive group.

Familiar with personal targets and how to improve, strong links with the Upper School will see you progress from Levels to GCSE grades as we begin the next stage to Key Stage 4.

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