KS3 English can be very exciting — pupils explore literature, master more complex grammar, and start to distinguish between Standard English, informal English, and other language varieties. They’re also encouraged to nurture their imagination in school with creative writing English assignments, including poetry.

It’s also a challenge. If pupils who are finding secondary school’s higher expectations harder to meet report not to receive sufficient support, those who score the highest marks often find that KS3 school lacks challenging and engaging classes.

That’s why we decided to step in with a brand new My Language Lab service: our Saturday Surgeries™️. These are affordable group classes for KS3 pupils. Our expert verified DBS-checked tutors run weekly English tuition specifically designed to help pupils who study the National Curriculum of:

• English for Year 7
• English for Year 8
• English for Year 9

Keep reading to find out all about our Saturday Surgeries and how they can help your child with KS3 English.

The challenges of KS3 English

Although everyone wants to get off to a good start at secondary school, studies show that there’s often a knowledge and progression gap in UK classes. 

A survey by the UK Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) reports that “half of the pupils said that their homework never, or only some of the time, helped them to make progress” and that in many schools, “any additional support was typically focused on intervention activities in Key Stage 4, which often sought to compensate for ineffective practice in the earlier years of secondary education.”

We believe that these are key years for pupils to build confidence, develop effective communication skills and a love for the English language, and successfully transition to GCSE. It’s crucial to help kids feel satisfied with their KS3 English journey.

Introducing group English tuition

You may already know that here at My Language Lab, we’ve been offering 1:1 English tuition for years. We have a 5-star review score and on average, our English students increase their grades by 2.0.

With our Saturday Surgeries, we want even more pupils to be able to access the support they need to improve their skills and grades.

Not only English group sessions are more affordable — they also cater to social learners who benefit from the more dynamic approach and peer-to-peer activities allowed by the group setting. At the same time, classes are small enough so that our English tutors can give each pupil the personalised attention they need: there is a maximum of 7 students per class at our Saturday Surgeries.

Who should take KS3 English tuition group classes?

Our Saturday Surgeries are group KS3 English classes for Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils studying the National Curriculum. This includes:

• School pupils who are finding KS3 English challenging and need more personalised support
• Homeschooled learners who can benefit from group sessions and access activities they wouldn’t be able to complete on their own
• External candidates who want to make sure their efforts are on the right track
• International students who are adapting to a new environment and curriculum
• Any KS3 English student who needs to improve their confidence

Saturday Surgeries and English KS3 exams

Our KS3 English tuition is suitable for all exam boards including AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Cambridge, WJEC and Eduqas. Tutors know the syllabus guidelines and grade boundaries in-depth and stay up to date with changing frameworks.

What pupils study in KS3 English group classes

Following the National Curriculum means that our Saturday Surgery pupils receive all-around support in all the relevant areas they need to master to successfully complete their KS3 English journey. This includes:

• Critical analysis
• Creative and narrative writing
• Past exam paper practice
• Grammar, spelling and punctuation
• Essay and non-creative writing skills
• Reading skills
• Spoken language
• Fiction and non-fiction reading and writing
• Poetry
• Shakespeare
• Soft skills including communication, confidence-building, teamwork, creativity, initiative, and more

My Language Lab’s Saturday Surgeries: What to expect 

Our holistic approach allows KS3 English pupils to benefit from a variety of activities and really make the best of the group setting. Examples of learning activities include:

• Scaffolding activities
• Open-ended questions
• Breakout rooms
• Peer-to-peer exercises
• Independent tasks
• Homework and progress tracking through our Lab Reports™️

We keep an open line of communication with kids and families through our online learning platform and also hold Online Parents’ Evenings.

Rady for exciting English tuition? Get in touch and find out how we can help your child improve their KS3 English skills and confidence!

FAQs

How much does KS3 English tuition cost?

We want our Saturday Surgeries to be accessible for as many pupils as possible so we did our best to make it a really affordable subscription.

We have one simple membership price of £70/month, which is £17.50/class. Membership begins the day you sign up (there are no fees), you can cancel anytime and there's a no-quibble money-back guarantee.

How are English online classes organised?

My Language Lab students get full access to our digital Learning Dashboard. This is an all-in-one platform that allows them to access their calendar, Zoom sessions, homework and progress reports. During class, tutors use breakout rooms, polls and chat for maximum engagement.

Students are welcome to message their tutor through the Dashboard, can find all the learning and lesson material neatly organised in folders and can choose to record Saturday Surgery sessions for playback and revision (with your permission.)

When are Saturday Surgeries held and how long is each class?

Saturday Surgeries are 1-hour English group tuition sessions. They are held each week at the below times:

• Wednesdays at 5:30pm - 6:30pm
• Saturdays at 11am - 12pm

How do I join your English tuition group sessions?

Saturday Surgeries 2021 intake begins on Wednesday 8th of September. You can join anytime and get access to previous sessions’ playbacks and material. Book a free assessment to get started.