Students in English at John Port School experience a wide variety of texts and activities throughout KS3, in order to promote their social and emotional well being as well as their academic progression. The structure of the syllabus has been designed to ensure that pupils engage with novels, plays and non-fiction, which are a perfect springboard for reading, writing, drama and speaking and listening tasks. Pupils are taught in form groups in Year 7 and in Year 8 and 9 they are taught in mixed ability classes, which allows for smaller class sizes and a range of different teaching styles. All KS3 pupils have four lessons a week, with one lesson being dedicated to the development of literacy, our literary heritage and independent reading strategies. Pupils are regularly assessed on a formal and informal basis and targets set throughout each year at KS3 to establish the quality of teaching and learning and to ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to realise their full potential.