English
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Teaching Staff
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Why English is ImportantEnglish holds a central place in the curriculum because language is power: spoken by some 1.75 billion people worldwide English is the language of everyday life and connections, of business, science, aviation, computers, finance, diplomacy, and tourism. English underpins all learning and unlocks access to the rest of the school curriculum. Communication is a vital part of everyday life and without English, everything is far more challenging. Crucial to any career, the reality is that English is the first subject that employers will look for on an application form to confirm the grade that a student has achieved. Building on Key Stage 2, we aim for our students to develop critical awareness, the ability to craft their writing, an appreciation of literature, and the confidence to articulate their ideas. We use language and literature to explore and nurture life skills such as resilience, self-expression and creativity. Students will become more empathetic and tolerant through encountering a range of texts that allow them to think beyond their own time and place. Our English curriculum English aims to empower students to explore, understand, question, discuss and challenge texts and authors through non-fiction and fiction, poetry and drama to gain a deeper understanding of the world, heritages and of themselves. First and foremost, the courses followed by students, are designed to nurture a love of reading and discussion. The units of work will encourage them to interpret explicit and implicit meaning, synthesise evidence and comment on the use of structure and language used by writers. Personal response is actively encouraged as is the establishing of links between texts regardless of whether they were written over several centuries. These skills culminate in the ability to access the whole curriculum at a higher level. Ultimately, students will leave Year 11 with two GCSEs in Language and Literature, having focussed on reading, writing and spoken language. Key Stage 3At KS3, students will study a wide range of genres and forms to nurture their enjoyment for the subject. In year 7 students will study ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, a range of poetry and ‘Ancient Tales’. In Year 8 they explore the world of Sherlock Holmes, Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’, Orwell’s Animal Farm and the art of Rhetoric – carefully crafting writing to argue, inform or persuade based on the teachings of Aristotle. In Year 9, students study ‘Jane Eyre’, the play ‘Small Island’, a range of war poetry and a range of non-fiction texts with opportunity for discussion, analysis and creativity while experiencing the classics alongside the best of modern literature. Our curriculum offers an insight into British history and cultural heritage and the impact of world events, enabling students to engage in thought provoking discussions, students will also be exposed to a range of extracts from different cultures, time periods and social circumstances to develop their cultural understanding of the world. These extracts include speeches by: Elizabeth I before the Spanish Armada, Emmeline Pankhurst calling the suffragettes to action and Emma Watson – as part of her role as a UN Ambassador – addressing the inequalities between men and women. Key Stage 4At KS4, Students will study for two GCSE’s; one in English Language and one in English Literature. They will complete four exam papers at the end of Year 11 - two in English Language and two in English Literature. These exams are now graded 9-1 and are assessed by examination only. In addition, students will complete a Spoken Language Assessment for their English Language GCSE which is separately endorsed by the exam board.
English LanguageQualification Details Exam Board: AQA The English Language course we study has been designed to inspire and motivate students, providing appropriate stretch and challenge whilst ensuring, as far as possible, that the assessment and texts are accessible to the full range of students.
English LiteratureQualification Details Exam Board: AQA
Studying English Literature encourages students to develop knowledge and skills in reading, writing and critical thinking. Through literature, students develop their cultural awareness and experience a range of influential writers. The specification enables students of all abilities to develop the skills they need to read, understand and analyse a wide range of different texts covering the 19th, 20th and 21st century time periods. In addition, students will develop their ability to write clearly, coherently and accurately using a range of vocabulary and sentence structures. During KS4 students study the literature texts for GCSE and continue to revisit them during these two years. The following texts are studied for GCSE English Literature:
For each of these texts, students must read the whole text and understand the plot, characters, themes and the historical context in which the text was originally written. Revision guides are available to buy from the school. |
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