Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3 Provision
Supporting students in Years 7 to 9 to rebuild confidence, develop positive learning habits and prepare for their next steps.
Rivers Education Support Centre provides full-time education for students in Years 7 to 9 who have been permanently excluded, or who are at risk of permanent exclusion, from secondary schools in the Broxbourne and East Hertfordshire area.
Our KS3 provision offers short-term placements of up to 12 weeks. During this time, we work closely with schools, parents and carers to help each student develop the behaviour, confidence and learning strategies they need to make positive progress and, where appropriate, return successfully to mainstream education.
Our Curriculum
Our curriculum is broad, balanced and inclusive. It is informed by the National Curriculum and carefully linked to local mainstream schools so that students can maintain continuity in their learning.
Subjects include English, Maths, Science, Humanities, Ethics, Art, Food Technology, PE, PSHE, World of Work, ICT, Design Technology, Enrichment and Mentoring.
Students are taught in small groups and at a level appropriate to their needs. We focus on building strong relationships, recognising individual strengths and helping students experience success in their learning.
Working Together to Find the Right Pathway
We work in partnership with mainstream schools, parents, carers and the local authority to identify the most appropriate next steps for each student.
This may include a planned return to school, a managed move to another mainstream setting, support through the EHCP process, or a placement within specialist provision.
Referrals to the KS3 Centre are made through the student’s mainstream school. Before a placement begins, students and families are asked to agree to the Student Code of Conduct, and all induction paperwork and consents must be completed.
Assessment and Personalised Support
When students join the Centre, they complete a baseline assessment process. This helps us identify their strengths, areas for development and any possible learning needs. The outcomes are used to inform teacher planning, set meaningful targets and, where needed, support referrals for further professional advice.
Support may be provided through small-group teaching, individual intervention or mentoring. Our approach is strengths-based: we concentrate on what each student can do, while helping them develop the confidence and skills needed for their next stage.
The School Day
The Centre follows a secondary-style timetable. Students attend from 8.40am to 2.30pm each day and are taught in small groups, usually with a maximum of five students per group and support from Centre staff.
- Students attend six lessons each day.
- Breakfast club runs from 8.40am to 8.55am.
- Form-time reading takes place from 9.05am to 9.15am.
- Morning break is from 10.45am to 11.00am.
- A cooked lunch is provided each day from 12.30pm to 1.00pm.
- Lunchtime activities are available daily.
Reintegration and Ongoing Support
Many students joining the KS3 Centre are at risk of permanent exclusion. Before a student returns to school, careful planning takes place between Rivers ESC, the mainstream school and any relevant agencies to make sure the transition is well-supported.
Where students return to mainstream education, they receive six weeks of support from the Rivers ESC Secondary Outreach Team. This helps students, families and schools maintain progress and build on the strategies developed during their placement.
