At Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 and 9), learning is divided into 6 areas or clusters as we call them at Brynteg:

1. Expressive Arts, 2. Health and Wellbeing, 3. Languages, Literacy and Communication, 4. Humanities, 5. Maths and Computer Science and 6. Science and Technology. 

The 6 cluster areas are led by our wonderful Cluster Leaders (see pictures below), who work incredibly hard with their teams to ensure lessons in their areas are innovative, exciting and informative for our pupils. For example, at the moment teachers are working really hard to develop IT in their teaching. We have recently purchased many Chromebooks for teachers and pupils to use in the classroom and at home. This has allowed pupils to work collaboratively on assignments and projects, whilst receiving regular live feedback from teachers. 

Within each cluster pupils study a variety of subjects, for example in Expressive Arts pupils study Art, Drama, Music and Textiles, and in Humanities pupils study History, Geography and Religious Studies. We are particularly proud of our newly designed Health and Wellbeing Curriculum at Brynteg, where pupils at KS3 follow a thematic curriculum covering PE, Food and Nutrition, PSE and Skills. Pupils are encouraged to work collaboratively on mini projects where they are able to showcase their work to their peers and the wider school community. 

In fact, throughout Key Stage 3, there are always plenty of opportunities for pupils to showcase their work to parents, carers and the rest of the school via our social media accounts and our special showcase evenings. For example, in January last year our pupils hosted a 'Humanities' evening for parents and carers to showcase the amazing work they had produced while working on the 'Is it Fair?' topic. 

In Year 7, our pupils follow an exciting thematic curriculum, which encourages them to become more creative and independent learners. The curriculum revolves around three common themes: ‘The Best Me’ in the Autumn Term, ‘Mind Your Head’ in the Spring Term and ‘Around the World’ in the Summer Term. This thematic approach provides opportunities for collaboration within and across Cluster areas. For example, in Maths and Computer Science, pupils will research, plan and design a new healthy school meal to pitch to the canteen staff. They calculate quantities for ingredients, the cost of ingredients, the air miles, etc, and then they will cook their meals in Health and Wellbeing and work on their presentation skills in Languages, Literacy and Communication. This collaborative approach allows learners to develop and showcase their skills most effectively. 

Additionally, a great deal of work has been undertaken to develop pupils’ Literacy skills at Key Stage 3 this year. We have recently launched our new reading app called SORA, which provides pupils with a variety of free online reading books and we are currently launching form class reading challenges to encourage pupils to read more regularly. The new LLC Resource Centre is equipped with 30 e-readers and Chromebooks to enable pupils who do not have access to a personal phone or tablet, the opportunity to take part in our reading drive. Teachers are also able to book out the LLC resource centre to take advantage of the excellent IT facilities to enhance their teaching.