English

Intent

The study of English provides the foundation for all other learning and better literacy skills have (through various studies) been linked to greater success, increased happiness and even an improved lifespan. Therefore, we believe that the English curriculum is at the heart of living ‘life in all its fullness’.

As a department, we aim to provide students with a breadth of fiction and non-fiction reading of the highest possible quality and literary value, which embody the values of tolerance and mutual respect that we wish to instill in our young people. Through these texts, we aim to foster a love of reading, in students, and expand their cultural capital and awareness of great literature. 

We intend to ensure that all students can read fluently and expertly for comprehension and inference, to enable them to think critically about a text. We also aim to create writers who write engagingly, fluently, accurately and suitably for purpose and audience. 

We aim to recognise and build upon the prior learning of students, allowing children to develop both their reading and writing skills in an independent way that promotes resilience.  

Learning Journey - Reading

2024 2025 english reading map.pdf

 

Learning Journey - Writing

roadmap writing curriculum 24 25.pdf

 

 

Learning Journey KS5

learning journey a level language.pdf

 

literature a level learning journey.pdf

 

 Assessment Calendar

 

 Reading List Year 7, 8 & 9

literary reads y7 8 and 9 .pdf

 Reading List KS4 & KS5

literary reads ks4 5.pdf

 

By Year 11, a student of both English Language and Literature will be able to:

• maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response to a text, whether fiction or non-fiction.
• use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.
• analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
• show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.
• use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation.
• communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences.  
• organise information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features to support coherence and cohesion of texts.
• use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation.

 

By Year 13 a student of English Language will have:

• learned about the different levels of language that make up the English language, and how these shape meaning.
• studied a wide range of modern and historical texts for what is represented within them.
• considered how an audience is positioned and how bias may impact the formation of a text
• studied how children learn how to read and write
• considered the influence of our society and its diversity on the way that people use the English language, studying the work and findings of linguists
• understood the way that language has changed and shifted over time, and the reasons for this, studying the work and findings of linguists
• studied the various societal discourses around language use and its effects
• decided whether they are prescriptivist or descriptivist in their approaches to language use.
• written their own opinion editorial on these societal discourses
• conducted their own independent linguistic study, writing a hypothesis then testing whether or not it is true
• written a piece of creative writing and a commentary on that piece