Key Stage Three Intervention

The National Strategies developed and produced a range of materials to support the teaching of those students who were below the expected level for their year and would benefit from working on material that was not in the main teaching programme for that year.

Year Seven - Springboard 7 was a catch-up programme for Year Seven children who achieved level 3 rather than level 4 in mathematics at the end of Key Stage Two. It was designed for teaching in the autumn and spring terms of Year Seven. It complemented but did not replicate the teaching materials for summer numeracy schools, which are based on the same set of teaching objectives. (The Springboard 7 materials may be accessed from the resource Key National Strategy Resources for GCSE Mathematics. Follow the link to the interactive resource and choose the 'Invervention' tab.)

Targeting level 4 in Year 7 materials from the National Strategies were intended to support students who enter Year Seven having achieved level 3 in the Key Stage Two National Curriculum tests in mathematics. The aim for these students was that they should attain level 4 as quickly as possible, moving on to level 5 by the end of Year Nine.

Year Eight - From Level 4 to Level 5 in Mathematics. These materials are intended to support teachers in addressing the needs of those Year Eight pupils who entered Key Stage Three having achieved level 3 (or a low level 4) in the Key Stage Two National Curriculum tests in mathematics. The pupils will probably have followed the Year Seven intervention programme and have attained or be close to attaining level 4 in mathematics.

Year Nine - Securing level 5 in mathematics. These materials are intended to support teachers in addressing the needs of those Year Nine pupils who entered Key Stage Three having achieved level 3 (or a low level 4) in the Key Stage Two National Curriculum tests in mathematics. They may have followed the Year Seven and Year Eight intervention programmes.

The Year 9 Booster kit was designed to support schools in organising revision and running booster classes prior to students taking the now redundant Key Stage Three National Curriculum tests.

Other resources developed and produced by the National Strategies to support the teaching of those Year Nine students who were on the level 4/ 5 borderline prior to taking the Key Stage Three national tests include 10-4-10, Snappers and Stingers. 10-4-10 materials were for use by students over the Easter holiday period. The exercises were intended to be done every weekday of the holidays (10 days) with ten minutes spent on each set. Snappers are short, whole-class interactive activities based around key areas of mathematics pitched at levels 4 and 5. They provide starter activities for lessons. Stingers are Key Stage Three National Curriculum test questions that could be used to stimulate whole-class discussion and promote problem solving.