English

Intent

The aim of the English Department is to enable all pupils to communicate effectively and to understand the nuances of English Language and Literature. Pupils will develop analytical skills which can be used across many subjects as English Language and Literature are subjects which impact upon every curriculum area.

We understand that our young people come to us under very challenging circumstances, may have had impaired attainment due to attendance and can struggle in areas of their life, including education. There may be gaps in their schooling which impact their knowledge and skills, or they could have extremely high expectations of themselves and attempt to project ‘perfection’ through their education. Their mental health can also impact their ability to read for pleasure or even process texts. We therefore firstly aim to reengage all students with English in our classrooms by developing confidence, identifying the gaps in their learning. We use accelerated reader to gain an immediate insight into students’ reading ages, areas of strengths and of improvement. The English department differentiate every lesson, dependent on prior learning and ability.

We provide a wide and varied English curriculum across all key stages, introducing pupils to quality literature including a range of poetry, prose, and drama. Despite potential barriers to learning, we also seek to foster an enjoyment of reading and a love of literacy. We have one lesson a week which is a ‘Love of Literacy Lesson’; this is a lesson dedicated to reading and strengthening literacy skills. Additionally, we ensure a balanced approach to reading, writing, and speaking and listening and pupils are given the confidence to develop the reading, writing and oracy skills necessary to succeed in their school lives and beyond.

We endeavour to inspire and motivate pupils, providing appropriate stretch and challenge with the highest expectations for all. We aim to fill the gaps in their English learning as well as enable them to thrive in English, and effectively equip them with the knowledge, skills and understanding that they need in order to successfully pass their AQA GCSE exams.

Curriculum

We provide a wide and varied English curriculum across all key stages, introducing pupils to quality literature including a range of poetry, prose, and drama. We also seek to foster an enjoyment of reading. We have high aspirations for every single student in English; in order to meet the needs of our students, we cover a syllabus which will equip them with the skills needed for the GCSE exams. We follow the AQA GCSE curriculum.

We ensure a balanced approach to reading, writing, and speaking and listening and pupils are given the confidence to develop reading, writing and oracy skills necessary to succeed in their school lives and beyond.

Our aim is to inspire and motivate pupils, providing appropriate stretch and challenge, and all English staff have high expectations whilst meeting the individual needs of their pupils’ mental health challenges.

We aim to provide pupils with a solid foundation on which to build their futures, and effectively equip them with the knowledge, skills and understanding that they need in order to be successful in an increasingly demanding world.

Key Stage 3

Students are taught English in mixed ability classes and have 4 x 50-minute lessons per week. Within our lessons, we follow the national curriculum in order to support pupils with their class experience of learning, benefiting from group work, peer discussion, independent activities within the classroom. Reading is integrated into lessons but there is also one lesson a week which is dedicated to reading in the library.

We read and study a range of texts across Key Stage 3 that aim to give pupils the necessary skills to move confidently into Key Stage 4.

Within Year 7, Autumn term starts with creative writing, before moving onto the short novella ‘A Christmas Carol’. The spring term focuses on poetry, starting with the study of a diverse anthology that includes poems from other cultures, and ends with pupils studying a range of Shakespeare’s texts. Summer term introduces Year 7 pupils to Media , with students learning how to write for different forms, purposes and audiences. We will end the year with studying the fiction book, ‘Holes’. All work is adapted to meet each student’s individual abilities.

Within Year 8, Autumn term starts with genre writing, before moving onto the musical ‘Blood brothers’. The spring term focuses on Journalism and ends with pupils studying ‘The Great Gatsby’. Summer term introduces Year 8 pupils to Poetry from other cultures which includes poems from other cultures. We will end the year with studying the fiction book, ‘Divergent’. All work is adapted to meet each student’s individual abilities.

Within Year 9, Autumn term starts with poetry across time, before moving onto a more developed analysis of the novella ‘A Christmas Carol’. The spring term focuses on the GCSE text ‘An Inspector Calls’ and ends with Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Summer term introduces Year 9 pupils to Animal farm, ending the year with the Art of Rhetoric. All work is adapted to meet each student’s individual abilities.

Progression to Key Stage 4

Skills for progression to Key Stage 4

Developing analytical skills

Understanding inference

Building knowledge of literary devices

Identifying differences in audience, form, and purpose

Confidently using accurate punctuation and demarcation

Key Stage 4

In Years 10 and 11, students are taught in mixed ability for English and have 4 x 50 minute lessons. All young people have the opportunity to study Language and Literature. However, when a young person is unable to manage two GCSEs, we focus on Language to ensure they have the best possible chance of passing their English GCSE and gaining the skills they need to move onto Key Stage 5 study.

Within our lessons, we follow the AQA GCSE curriculum in order to support pupils with their class experience of learning, benefiting from group work, peer discussion, independent activities within the classroom. Reading is integrated into lessons but there is also one lesson a week which is dedicated to reading in the library.

We read and study a range of texts across Key Stage 4 that aim to give pupils the necessary skills to complete the GCSE exams.

The course includes a variety of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, prose and drama as well as the completion of the Spoken Language Endorsement. Our set texts include: Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, An Inspector Calls, Love and Relationship poetry from the AQA anthology and Macbeth.

Skills for progression to KS5

Writing analytical essays

Developing a rich and broad vocabulary

Reading around the text

Constructing an argument

Seeing the text from another perspective

Understanding different contexts

Crafting language for a range of specific purposes

Using grammar and punctuation effectively and appropriately

Literacy and reading

Within all classes, literacy is promoted and there is a consistent approach across the school. All subjects have the same ‘word of the week’ so that developing vocabulary is a whole school approach, with each word being submitted by a different department each week. Vocabulary selected are used across the curriculum to introduce, recap knowledge, and further develop understanding of these terms. We have a consistent approach to our lesson structure and marking within the department. All classrooms have dictionaries and thesauruses available to support pupils with developing their reading and writing skills.

How we support reluctant readers

Students can often arrive to us with lower than national average reading ages, as their mental health, anxiety and potential special educational needs impact their ability to process a text or just read for pleasure. We, therefore, work at reintroducing them into reading using some of the following methods dependent on their individual presentation:

Having KS3 and KS4 age-appropriate recommended reading lists available in the library and within the curriculum

Having a large variety of books available in our school library, including graphic novels, poetry anthologies, plays, autobiographies and classic novels

Engaging classes in group discussions about books they have read

Having one-to-one discussions with pupils about the books they have previously read and enjoyed

Having a ‘student book recommendation’ list which is advertised around the school

Giving personalised book recommendations based on pupils’ personal interests and themes they enjoy in other mediums (for example music, film, radio, magazines, television, games – if a pupil has no such interest then teacher will recommend books based on their personality once they get to know them)

Encouraging them to borrow books from our school library

Ordering books that they enjoy, want to read or are interested in reading

Reading together as a class quietly

Reading together as a class aloud using during form time and our ‘Love of Literacy lesson’, to build confidence with oracy skills

Reading for 10 – 15 minutes at the start of every PM form time, including the teacher and any LSAs

Modelling a very positive and inclusive approach to reading

Reading to students when they cannot read themselves

Offering 1:1 reading support with a Learning Support Assistant in a private space

Having walls displays in the English classroom centred on books, language, vocabulary, literacy, or important literary figures

Encouraging students to write book related articles for the school magazine such as book reviews and top 10 books

Celebrating World Book Day as a school

British values

Democracy: Whilst studying English Language and Literature, you will learn about Democracy through many different topics and texts, but you will explore Democracy in more detail in the following texts and schemes of work: Shakespeare -Macbeth and a range of poems from the Love and Relationships poetry cluster

Individual Liberty: Whilst studying English Language and Literature, you will learn about Individual Liberty through many different topics and texts, but you will explore Individual Liberty in more detail in the following texts and schemes of work: Non-Fiction: A range of non-fiction texts. Persuasive Writing. Fiction: Divergent, Holes, An Inspector Calls, Animal Farm. Poetry: Love and Relationships

Rule of Law: Whilst studying English Language and Literature, you will learn about The Rule of Law through many different topics and texts, but you will explore The Rule of Law in more detail in the following texts and schemes of work: Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth. Non-fiction: Spoken Language Endorsement. A range of poems from different cultures and across time

Mutual Respect: Whilst studying English Language and Literature, you will learn about Mutual Respect through many different topics and texts, but you will explore Mutual Respect in more detail in the following texts and schemes of work: Non-Fiction: A range of pre 19th century and 21st century texts. Fiction: An Inspector Calls, Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Holes. Poetry: Relationships cluster and Poetry across different cultures.

Tolerance of others: Whilst studying English Language and Literature, you will learn about Tolerance and Respect through many different topics and texts, but you will explore Tolerance and Respect in more detail in the following texts and schemes of work: Fiction/ Drama: An Inspector Calls, Macbeth, Divergent. A range of poems and also genre writing and media schemes of work. Non-fiction writing: the thoughts and feelings of a writer. Tolerance and Respect of opinions and diversity.

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

Spiritual: Spiritual development in English involves students acquiring insights into their own personal existence through literacy appreciation and analysis. Through reflection on literary works students consider the attribution of meaning to experience. Through careful selection of novels and plays students consider the belief that one’s inner resources provide the ability to rise above everyday experiences. Through empathy with characters students develop a growing understanding of how ideology contributes to personal identity. Students will be provided with opportunities to extract meaning beyond the literal, consider alternative interpretation and hidden meanings while engaging with ideas in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama. Students explore how choice of language and style affects implied and explicit meaning. Students are provided with opportunities to reflect on their own life and lives of others using diaries, journals, letters, biographies, and autobiographies. Students experience a rich variety of quality language use, and learn how to use language in imaginative and original ways, drawing on their reading, and considering how words, usage and meaning change over time.

Moral: Moral development in English involves students exploring and analysing appropriate texts which furnishes them with the knowledge and ability to question and reason, which will enable them to develop their own value system and to make reasonable decisions on matters of personal integrity. Students develop an awareness that life throws up situations where what is right or wrong is not universally agreed. Novels and plays are selected that extend students’ ideas and their moral and emotional understanding. Through reflection on a writer’s presentation of ideas and the motivation and behaviour of characters, pupils express informed personal opinions. Students learn to articulate their own attitudes and values through being provided with opportunities to discuss matters of personal concern, related to books and plays read in class. They should be given opportunities to talk for a range of purposes including exploration and hypothesis, consideration of ideas, argument, debate, and persuasion. In discussion they should be encouraged to take different views into account and construct persuasive arguments.

Social: Social development in English involves students reading novels and short stories that offer perspectives on society and the community and their impact on the lives of individuals. Students are provided with opportunities to read texts that portray issues and events relating to contemporary life or past experience in ways that are interesting and challenging. In taking different roles in group discussions pupils are introduced to ways of negotiating consensus or agreeing to differ. Students are provided with opportunities to consider the coinage of new words and the origins of existing words, explore current influences on spoken and written language, examine attitudes to language use, and consider the vocabulary and grammar of Standard English and dialect variations.

Cultural: Cultural development in English involves short stories and plays being selected which encourage students to empathise with the feelings and experiences of others in order to develop their understanding of other people’s attitudes, ideas and behaviour. Students develop sensitive awareness of, and the ability to respond constructively to, the backgrounds, experiences, concerns, feelings and commitments of others through poetry, imagery, drama, role play, myth and historical narrative.

Examples of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education in English include:

Pupils being given the opportunity to compare their own culture and community with that which is different

Pupils becoming aware of how different societies function and different social structures

Pupils addressing issues of discrimination (race/gender/age) within texts

Pupils being given the opportunity to develop empathy for characters and understand the feelings and emotions of characters in the text

Pupils being encouraged to make reasoned judgements on moral dilemmas that occur in texts

Pupils covering intangible concepts such as love, relationships, beauty, and nature in poetry

Pupils thinking through the consequences of actions – e.g. advertising, charitable campaigns, or sensationalism in the media.