English

Aims

The English department aims to provide a broad and engaging curriculum that is accessible to all learners. We strive to foster creativity, curiosity and a lifelong love of learning. Our KS3 lessons provide challenge and are directly linked to the requirements of the National Curriculum. At KS4, our students are empowered to analyse complex texts and encouraged to really think about the way they interpret the world around them. Through Master Classes and enrichment activities, our students are given opportunities to experience university-style learning and encouraged to master English.

A love of reading is at the heart of our department. We want our learners to read for pleasure in addition to developing excellent comprehension, inference and analytical skills. Reading is beneficial in so many ways, including promoting mental wellbeing and reducing stress. Becoming a better reader is linked to enhanced career prospects and financial success. Through the use of Accelerated Reader, competitions and events throughout the year, we strive to build a reading culture in the English department.

“It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imaginations—something that will help them make sense of their own lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different from their own.” —Katherine Patterson

Curriculum

In the English department we teach AQA’s specifications for GCSE English Literature and GCSE English Language at KS4, and A-Level English Literature, Specification B at KS5. The GCSE English Language and English Literature new specifications were introduced from 2017.

Our schemes of learning are designed to expose students to a range of literature, both from the canon and modern day texts. Students learn to analyse the language used in texts, exploring how readers’ responses are manipulated by writers. They learn to evaluate how the structure of a text impacts meaning/interpretation, and how to compare texts and explore the differences/similarities between them. By exploring a variety of different themes, students can engage with ‘big ideas’, from the function of the sublime in gothic literature, to parental influence and age in ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

Our schemes of learning allow students to use reading tasks as a springboard to create descriptive/narrative or non-fiction pieces of work. Through our scheme of learning, we enable students to experiment with form, voice, 2-3 tier vocabulary, structural features, and a variety of methods in order to create mature and sophisticated pieces of writing. Students are encouraged to seek inspiration from the literature they study, participate in writing competitions and attend enrichment events in order to engender a new generation of talented writers.

We believe that it is important for students to expand their knowledge through exploring the context of texts and studying a variety of genres. As they progress through KS3, our schemes of learning focus on improving students’ cultural capital by linking what we explore in texts to historical events or what is happening in the world around them today. Throughout KS3, students are given the opportunity to study whole texts (including ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Hunger Games’) short stories, plays, poetry and a range of extracts.

We want all of our students to enjoy studying English and to become passionate readers and writers. On their journey from KS3 to KS4, our students should acquire a range of knowledge, develop their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, and produce work that they are proud of.