In the British education system, Key Stage 3 is usually the first three years of secondary school – years 7, 8 & 9 – and is designed for students aged 11 to 14. It serves as a foundation for the next stage of education, Key Stage 4, when most pupils take their first set of external exams, GCSEs. It covers a broad range of compulsory national curriculum subjects like English, Maths, Science, and Modern Foreign Languages.
Highgrove currently offers a core curriculum for year 9, but from September 2026 will be offering a full curriculum for years 7, 8 and 9. The core curriculum for Key Stage 3 consists of Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English Language & Literature and a Skills and Mindset Course. Our full programme includes Spanish, Computer Science, Geography, History and Art. It includes just over 10 hours of instruction per week, around a third of which is spent completing self-study lesson in preparation for the fifteen live lessons per week. There are additionally eight teacher-marked homework assignments per week. Our maximum class size for Key Stage 3 is 12 pupils.
| Subject | Live lesson | Self-study | Homework |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 3x 45 mins live lessons | 3x 20 mins self-study | 1x homework |
| Science | 3x 45 mins live lessons | 3x 20 mins self-study | 1x homework |
| Maths | 2x 45 mins live lessons | 3x 20 mins self-study | 1x homework |
| Skills | 1x 45 mins live lessons | 1x 20 mins self-study | |
| Spanish | 1x 45 mins live lessons | 1x 20 mins self-study | 1x homework |
| Computer Science | 1x 45 mins live lessons | 1x 20 mins self-study | 1x homework |
| Geography | 1x 45 mins live lessons | 1x 20 mins self-study | 1x homework |
| History | 1x 45 mins live lessons | 1x 20 mins self-study | 1x homework |
| Art | 1x 45 mins live lessons | 1x 20 mins self-study | 1x homework |
Subjects beyond the full programme such as French, German, Chinese, Greek and Latin can be studied through one-to-one tutoring.
Most pupils study with us full-time, but it is possible to take just a core programme, or to study individual subjects with us from the Key Stage 3 curriculum. Please get in touch with our Admissions team to discuss your specific learning needs.
Our learning model is based upon best-practice evidence as to how pupils learn and understand concepts most effectively.
In Key Stage 3, as well as teaching the content of the syllabus, we support pupils to become adept independent learners. Pupils work independently through self-study materials to learn the key concepts and then attend live lessons to practise and apply what they have learnt.
Highgrove teachers additionally host regular Office Hours which pupils can drop into for individual support.
The independent self-study lessons can be studied at a time and pace that suits, as long as they are completed before the relevant live lesson. Our learning coaches help each pupil establish their own individualised timetable.
Pupils who wish to join our years 7, 8 or 9 programme take entrance tests to check that they will be comfortable working at the relevant level. We take pupils from a wide range of national and educational backgrounds, and we want to make sure all pupils can thrive on our courses. We look for potential as much as performance and consider the full picture of a pupil’s background and ability. For more information about admissions testing, please speak to our admissions department. Pupils who do not currently meet our entry requirements may wish to consider joining a different year group or taking academic tutoring with us prior to starting their programme.
The maximum class size for our Key Stage 3 programmes is 12.
Pupils in year 9 have an exams week after the May half term, and results from these exams can be used for admissions to the GCSE programme. Alternatively pupils can take admissions entrance tests for GCSEs at any point in the year prior to starting a GCSE programme.
