English

In English we acquire the knowledge to unlock the literary treasures of the world.

Our Faculty:

Miss Osborne – Head of Faculty (English and Media Studies)

Mrs O’Donnell – Deputy Head of Faculty

Ms Willis – Teacher of English (Power Of Language Whole School lead)

Ms Harrison – Teacher of English

Mrs Matthews – Teacher of English

Mrs Goddard – Teacher of English

Mr Santana – Teacher of English

Miss Galvin – Teacher of English

Mrs Joynson – Teacher of English

Mrs Scott – Teacher of English

Key Stage Three

The Key Stage Three curriculum has been shaped to meet the high standards of the new curriculum and to provide ambition for all in a rich, broad and deep programme of study in English, Literature and Literacy, to meet the needs of the students in our particular school and to build on and provide continuity from the excellent teaching and learning in literacy in our partner primary schools to engage and inspire all learners regardless of their starting points. In addition to meeting the requirements of the National Curriculum, our curriculum is driven by our faculty intents. In addition to our rich curriculum, all students have one dedicated reading lesson a week which is central to our Power of Language Strategy. In this students read and discuss engaging novels and are provided with explicit opportunities to enhance their vocabulary.

Please see the individual links to discover more details about the powerful knowledge embedded in the curriculum for each year group and ways in which you can support your child on their learning journey.

Key Stage Four

Our Key Stage Four curriculum is ambitious for all (including our less advantaged and special needs’ students) and builds on the best of Key Stage Three. Of course, there are important GCSE examinations to sit, but we still provide a curriculum which develops more confident speakers, readers and writers, making use of fiction and non-fiction resources to engage and inspire. We integrate those aspects of Life Skills and Character & Personal Development into our curriculum units to make them more relevant. In addition, we provide for our students at the right stage some of the best that has been thought, said and written in our literary canon. We do this to thoroughly prepare the students for GCSE using the AQA syllabus in GCSE English Language and English Literature for all our students.

The English Faculty frequent review the curriculum map in order to provide a sharp focus on the new knowledge, skills and understanding on which our pupils will be assessed. The Key Stage Four curriculum follows on from the excellent teaching and learning provided at Key Stage Three (and Two) to provide the pupils with the best possible chance of success in both English Language and English Literature.

Further Information and Full Specifications

English Language GCSE

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English Literature GCSE

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Key Stage 4: GCSE English Language & Literature

Intervention and Extra-Curricular Learning

Our teachers know our students very well, and, as a result, they can intervene at the point of need. As well as this, the students study English every day of the week and students who need this get extra English in the longer school day once a week in years 7 and 11. This intervention ranges from one-to-one tuition, lesson 7s, booster sessions, ​masterclasses and additional teacher support. The intervention is monitored closely to assess its effectiveness and changed where appropriate to suit the needs of the pupils.

As a Faculty, we also offer extra-curricular activities to supplement the learning and progress for all pupils. This includes external agencies providing insight into the Literature texts in new and exciting ways and trips to the theatre to see professional productions of the texts that the pupils are, or have been, studying.