Head of Department
Ms S Twyman
Our approach
Key Stage 3
Literary Heritage
At Key Stage 3 we have chosen to use and adapt the English Mastery Curriculum and adapt it to meet the needs of our students. Pupils study a Literary Heritage text for at least three lessons a week Pupils across Y7-9 will read a Victorian text, a Shakespearean play, and a modern text, increasing in cognitive challenge and level of analysis in year 9 as they approach Key Stage 4. By the end of Key Stage 3, students should be able to read with insight and analyse texts with increasing precision and using the discipline of an analytical essay. This builds well for Key Stage 4 as they critically evaluate texts on their effectiveness and impact.
Grammar for Writing and Creative Writing
Pupils will be taught at least one lesson of grammar per week which teaches the explicit rules of grammar coupled with extended writing activities to embed these grammatical principles. Pupils are taught to write using complex sentences, use accurate and varied punctuation, maintain tense agreement, use dialogue, and learn how to structure narrative writing effectively. Creative expression is an essential part of our subject and all KS3 students are entitled to write creatively. This builds up towards pupils writing creatively at Key Stage 4 for GCSE English Language.
Reading for Pleasure
The Reading for Pleasure strand of the English Mastery curriculum is designed to give pupils the opportunity to spend extended periods of time reading, and to learn to enjoy reading great books. One lesson a week pupils enjoy reading a reading age-appropriate text which allows for opportunity for discussion about characters, the plot and key cultural, social, and moral themes which emerge throughout the novel. We encourage our pupils to be life-long readers as importance of reading for pleasure is important for children’s personal development and has positive emotional and social consequences.
Key Stage 4
English Language
Pupils study 3 lessons of English Language per week (AQA syllabus). Across the two Language Papers, pupils critically analyse unseen fiction and non-fiction texts to synthesise information, analyse language choices and compare methods writer’s use. Additionally, pupils are taught to write accurately, fluently, and effectively for different purposes, and use a range of language and structural features in their writing. This is where they embed the grammar skills learnt at Key Stage 3 to draw on the grammatical constructions to use these consciously in their writing to achieve an intended effect. Pupils also complete a Spoken Language element of their GCSE through the form of a speech, class debate or discussion. This develops invaluable skills of speaking confidently and effectively, listening to others, and asking and answering questions in a formal setting.
English Literature
Pupils study 3 lessons of English Literature per week (AQA syllabus). Pupils study A Christmas Carol, Macbeth, An Inspector Calls, and poems from the ‘Power and Conflict’ cluster and also analyse Unseen Poetry. Through these texts, pupils reading is wide, varied and challenging. Pupils are taught to understand and evaluate texts critically, identify and interpreting themes, ideas, and information through learning to write effective critical essays. We support our pupils to be able to read challenging texts through a range of different reading strategies and ensure that all learners are able to access and enjoy the texts we teach. We support pupils to become confident at writing critical essays through effective modelling, scaffolding, and embedding sufficient independent practice into lessons.
- Knowledge-rich
Young people will be expected to remember the stories, characters, and resolutions of at least three classic (pre-1960) texts, three Shakespearean texts and three “full” literary texts. Even after several years have passed, their long-term memory should allow them to remember the key characters, themes, and central messages of each text. Pupils will gain core knowledge for each of the texts that they study, such as contextual information, knowledge of plot, characters and the structure and conventions of plays. Additionally, they will gain analytical knowledge such as planning and writing literary essays, how to analyse the effect of quotations and how to evaluate answers. They also develop knowledge of how to implement the rules of grammar use different linguistic features in their writing for different purposes.
- Vocabulary-rich
Our curriculum is vocabulary-rich. At the beginning of every unit, students are provided with a knowledge organiser outlining what key vocabulary needs to be secured to gain Mastery in that unit. We have created a KS3 and 4 vocabulary of tier 2 and 3 words that we can audit across the year to assess understanding. At KS3 these are taught singularly in lessons to not overload the short-term memory. At KS4 students RAG their understanding at the beginning and end of unit. Students will be expected to remember around 30 generic features applicable to all literary texts – including specifics relating to novels, plays and poetry. Students will remember the meaning of around 80, high-yield, tier-two words to broaden their vocabulary. Students will also remember 30 “rules” of creative writing – encompassing story, description, and discursive writing.
- Mastery
Mastery is the instinctive application of knowledge and skill, without the need for active and deliberate thought. We have designed our English curriculum across Key Stage 3 to 4 so pupils can become confident and literate readers and critical readers and accurate writers. In order for students to be able to read and understand a text, they need to be experts in its domain. Having a strong understanding of the text’s context, plot, purpose, and author enables them to make connections and solidify their understanding. Creativity and originality emerge from a deep understanding of a subject’s foundations. By studying grammar and writing, students gain the foundational knowledge from which creativity can emerge. Being able to use subordinate clauses accurately enables students to compose multi-faceted narratives, articles, and essays in English and in other subjects.
- Progression Planning
Both the three- and 5-year curriculum plans are built on a spiral curriculum model; where foundations are laid in year 7, highlighting significant and separate aspects of English, and then each year building more depth and detail into students’ understanding of each aspect. At Key Stage 3 level, the literary heritage texts increase in challenge in terms of context, characters, and themes but also in the application of analytical skills to a text. At Key Stage 4, the curriculum is sequenced so that pupils build on the skills and knowledge of Key Stage 3 but embed these skills to be able to analyse texts with increasing criticality and write more fluently, creatively, and cohesively.
- Enrichment
The English department provide a rich and varied enrichment programme. Before COVID 19 in 2018-19 academic year we went on many trips seeing performances of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at Shakespeare’s Globe and a performance of ‘Macbeth’ at school with accompanying workshops. We intend to plan other trips this year in order to inspire pupils to develop a love of English outside of the classroom. We also run the ‘BBC School Reporter enrichment’ and we are working with the literacy coordinator to participate in the ‘Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge’ this year.
Year 7
Autumn |
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Literary Heritage - ‘Oliver Twist’ by Charles Dickens
What was it like to be poor in Victorian London? The workhouse – Why were people there? What were the conditions like? The Poor Law – why was this so important to Dickens? How did it impact people? The form of the novel: Structure; Vocabulary; Sequence
Oliver – how does Dickens create sympathy for Oliver? The Artful Dodger – has he been groomed by Fagin? How would he survive if not by crime?
Who is responsible for the poor? Grammar and Writing (across Terms 1 and 2) Composing a topic sentence; the subject; subject/verb agreement; the past simple tense Literary Heritage - ‘Oliver Twist’ by Charles Dickens
Pickpocketing – what is it? How did Oliver become involved in it? How can we link crime to poverty? Violent assault – focusing on Bill Sikes. Murder – how does murder make the reader feel about Bill Sikes?
Fagin – his role as a master criminal Bill Sikes – comparing how violent his language and actions are to people and animals Nancy – why does Nancy try and save Oliver even though it puts her in danger?
Is crime ever acceptable? What can fear make people do? |
Spring |
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Literary Heritage – ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ by Shakespeare
Context and the role of women The role of theatre as entertainment
The role of power and how people ruled in Ancient Greece How family was different in Ancient Greece
Marriage and the life of Shakespeare in Elizabethan England A history of his writing
Hermia; Helena; Lysander; Demetrius Grammar for Writing (across Terms 3 and 4) Using evidence; pronoun ambiguity, prepositional phrases; run-on sentences; punctuating speech Literary Heritage – ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ by Shakespeare
What role does Puck play in the love potion? Is the love potion good or bad?
The role of parents in Elizabethan England What were the duties expected of children?
structure; stage directions; comedy |
Summer |
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Literary Heritage – Poetry Anthology Structure and the use of metaphor Poetic forms: ballad; ode; haiku ‘The Tyger’ Grammar for Writing (across Terms 5 and 6) Writing about unseen texts; temporal clauses; paragraphing; avoiding fragments; extended narrative writing Literary Heritage – Ancient Tales We are going to read a number of different stories that have been shared by many generations in cultures across the world. These stories come under the heading Ancient Tales. Key terms: Ancient, tales, moral, generations, cultures |
Homework |
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Students will receive homework at least twice weekly to consist of reading and comprehension questions; revision exercises; practise papers and questions; research |
To stretch myself... |
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I will be given wider reading for each of the units. This will support my understanding of the texts and the contexts they were written in. I can practise my understanding on sites such as BBC Bitesize. |
Year 8
Autumn |
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Literary Heritage - ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ by Arthur Conan Doyle
Could medicine and science cure all evils? Was God necessary anymore? Could society change to incorporate new science as well as a belief in God?
Does being rich mean that you are above the law? The role of the working class and how they were seen as criminal and sinful
How the writer uses red herrings to confuse the reader The detective as a character Grammar and Writing (across Terms 1 and 2) Discourse markers; linking paragraphs; complex sentences; correcting fragments; independent clauses Literary Heritage - ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ by Arthur Conan Doyle
Holmes as the scientific and rational mind/Watson as the romantic dreamer Further detail on the battle between science and religion
Why were they more popular than the novel? The introduction of the ‘cliff-hanger’ |
Spring |
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Literary Heritage – ‘The Tempest’ by Shakespeare
The new age of conquest – how England rules the waves The power of wealth and how pleasing the Queen meant everything
Are natives barbaric? Should power mean the ability to destroy? Does conquest mean slavery?
Does society make us who we are or are we born that way? What makes us who we are?
Young lovers overcoming difficulty, situations over character, ending happily and in marriage Grammar for Writing (across Terms 3 and 4) Closed book analysis; composing a balanced argument; subordinate clauses; correcting commas splices Literary Heritage – ‘The Tempest’ by Shakespeare
Antonio and Sebastian plot to kill the king Alonso. The second the fools, Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban and their plot to kill Prospero. The third subplot is that of the lovers.
How Shakespeare uses dramatic form
Why did Shakespeare set the play in Italy? What are city-states? |
Summer |
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Literary Heritage – ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell
What does the farm represent? Why does Orwell choose to represent Stalinist Russia through the farm?
He was a man of strong opinions who addressed some of the major political movements of his times, including imperialism, fascism, and communism.
How does historical context influence our understanding of a text? Why was the Russian Revolution so important historically? Grammar for Writing (across Terms 5 and 6) Creative writing; extended metaphor; writing character; describing settings Literary Heritage – ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell
The commandments, apples, the windmill
How to the pigs force the other farm animals to agree? Why is it easier to agree with what we are told? How does corruption destroy the farm? What role does irony play in the text? |
Homework |
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Students will receive homework at least twice weekly to consist of reading and comprehension questions; revision exercises; practise papers and questions; research |
To stretch myself... |
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I will be given wider reading for each of the units. This will support my understanding of the texts and the contexts they were written in. I can practise my understanding on sites such as BBC Bitesize and Seneca. |
Year 9
Autumn |
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Literary Heritage - ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte
Is good behaviour Godly? What did Victorians believe happened to naughty children? Did wealth mean that as a child you were treated differently?
What did living in the countryside mean? Why were people leaving the countryside and moving to the big cities?
Can you be a Christian and a hypocrite? Are there different types of Christian? Are all Christians’ kind? Grammar and Writing (across Terms 1 and 2) Sustaining a thesis; apostrophe of omission; avoiding present tense apostrophe errors Literary Heritage - ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte
Who has access to medicine? What illnesses meant certain death?
Helen and Jane The city and the countryside Good and evil |
Spring |
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Literary Heritage – ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by Shakespeare
How does Shakespeare use The Prologue to interest the reader? How is it linked to the idea of Elizabethan fate?
When Juliet sees Romeo in a tomb The role of a character’s fatal flaw
How is it different to comedy? Is Romeo and Juliet a love story? Grammar for Writing (across Terms 3 and 4) Commenting on literary theory; avoiding contradictions; apostrophes for words ending in – s; it’s and its Literary Heritage – ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by Shakespeare
Exposition, rising tension and catastrophe What makes a Shakespearean character tragic?
Is it only used as a form to express love? What does Shakespeare use the sonnet form to symbolise? |
Summer |
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Literary Heritage – Poetry Anthology
How do poets use extended metaphor? ‘Paradise Lost’; ‘The Road Not Taken’; ‘Night Mail’; ‘The Canterbury Tales’ What similarities and differences are there in the poems we study? What are the differences between physical and metaphorical journeys? How do we compare poems?
How their lives influenced their writing How do we write about context? Grammar for Writing (across Terms 5 and 6) Comparing texts; chronological and non-chronological composition; first and third person narratives |
Homework |
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Students will receive homework at least twice weekly to consist of reading and comprehension questions; revision exercises; practise papers and questions; research |
To stretch myself... |
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I will be given wider reading for each of the units. This will support my understanding of the texts and the contexts they were written in. I can practise my understanding on sites such as BBC Bitesize and Seneca. |
Year 10
English Language
Autumn |
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English Language Paper 1 – Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing Section A: Questions 1-4
English Language Paper 1 – Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing Section B: Question 5
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Spring |
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English Language Paper 2 – Writer’s Viewpoints and Perspectives Question 5
English Language Paper 2 – Writer’s Viewpoints and Perspectives Questions 1-4
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Summer |
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English Language Paper 2 – Writer’s Viewpoints and Perspectives Question 5 Writing different types of non-fiction, using persuasive techniques, using paragraphs, Accurate spelling, using different sentence types, Using ambitious vocabulary Assessments - English Language Paper 1
Presenting on a topic that interests thinking carefully about how to structure your speech and use a rich and sophisticated vocabulary Presenting information and ideas Responding to spoken language Using spoken Standard English |
Homework |
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Students will receive homework at least twice weekly to consist of reading and comprehension questions; revision exercises; practise papers and questions; research |
To stretch myself... |
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I will be given wider reading for each of the units. This will support my understanding of the texts and the contexts they were written in. I can practise mu understanding on sites such as BBC Bitesize and Seneca. |
Exam Board |
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AQA |
English Literature
Autumn |
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English Literature Paper 1 – 19th Century Text (A Christmas Carol) Characters
English Literature Paper 1 – Shakespeare - Macbeth Characters
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Spring |
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English Literature Paper 1 – Shakespeare - Macbeth Characters
Themes
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Summer |
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English Literature Paper 2 – Modern Texts – An Inspector Calls Character
Theme
Assessments |
Homework |
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Students will receive homework at least twice weekly to consist of reading and comprehension questions; revision exercises; practise papers and questions; research |
To stretch myself... |
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I will be given wider reading for each of the units. This will support my understanding of the texts and the contexts they were written in. I can practise my understanding on sites such as BBC Bitesize and Seneca. |
Exam Board |
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AQA |
Year 11
English Language
Autumn |
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English Language Paper 2 Revision Reading 19th, 20th and 21st non-fiction texts Additional focus on Questions 2 and 4 as cross-over skills with Literature Papers. How can we decode difficult texts? What is a summary? How can we show understanding of how a writer creates a viewpoint or perspective? Structuring an article Assessment in November: Language Paper 2 |
Spring |
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English Language Paper 1 Revision Reteach of Key Skills English Language Paper 1 focus dependent on skill gaps identified in previous assessments Why and how do writers’ structure their texts? How to embed and choose the most language rich quotations How writers’ use language to create meaning The skill of evaluation How to write language rich descriptive writing Assessments in January: Language Paper 1 |
Summer |
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Revision and improvement strategies based on formative and previous summative assessments GCSE exams |
Homework |
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Students will receive homework at least twice weekly to consist of reading and comprehension questions; revision exercises; practise papers and questions; research |
To stretch myself... |
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I will be given wider reading for each of the units. This will support my understanding of the texts and the contexts they were written in. I can practise my understanding on sites such as BBC Bitesize and Seneca. |
Exam Board |
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AQA |
English Literature
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Power and Conflict Poetry and Unseen poetry Students will study one cluster of poems taken from the AQA poetry anthology, Power and Conflict cluster. The poems pupils will study are:
In preparing for the unseen poetry section of the examination students will experience a wide range of poetry in order to develop their ability to closely analyse unseen poems. They should be able to analyse and compare key features such as their content, theme, structure, and use of language. |
Spring |
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Pupils will revise all texts and skills for their GCSE exam. |
Summer |
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GCSE exams |
Homework |
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Students will receive homework at least twice weekly to consist of reading and comprehension questions; revision exercises; practise papers and questions; research |
To stretch myself... |
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Students will be given options for stretch tasks for homework and in lessons. |
Exam Board |
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AQA |