English

Year 7s,8s and 9s

Students start their English learning journey by passing through The Phantom Tollbooth and entering Dictionopolis where they revise and master some of the essential skills to help them on their way. Students get to flex their creative muscles next as they complete the fantasy creative writing unit: Escape from Kraznir. In the new year, they have their first of many encounters with Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare as well as a host of writers from different cultures and ethnicities in the ‘Different Voices’ unit. They tackle important issues such as climate change and plastic waste while building a persuasive campaign to cut down on litter across the school. Finally, they encounter important figures such as Malala, Anne Frank and Nelson Mandela as they explore their autobiographies.

As year 8 begins, students tackle a whole text in the shape of either Robert Swindells’ ‘Stone Cold’ or Patrick Ness’ ‘A Monster Calls’. Half term two sees them becoming international spies for a unit on Spy Fiction which includes creative writing. Next, they visit Verona, Italy where they once again encounter Shakespeare, this time through the tragic love-story: Romeo and Juliet. This is followed by an investigation into the world of Sherlock Holmes. Term three is based on journeys with a selection of non-fiction texts giving accounts of those who have taken journeys to and from England over the years. These include Floella Benjamin, Mo Farah and those on board the Kindertransport during WW2. The theme of travel concludes with Our Day Out, a play that follows a group of students and teachers on a very eventful school trip. The students finish the year with an investigation into their own accents and dialects.

By year 9 students are really gearing up to starting their GCSEs, so they start with a challenging novel: either Of Mice and Men or To Kill a Mockingbird. This is followed by a News and Media unit which allows them to see what’s involved in Media Studies GCSE. They then study another of Shakespeare’s plays, this time the comedy: Much Ado About Nothing. Students are introduced to the important writing of poets of WW1 including Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen whose work they will revisit in Year 11. They use this a springboard for writing about modern military recruitment. Dystopian fiction comes next as students face the future through a series of controversial settings and scenarios before choosing and designing their own. Key Stage Three ends with further exposure to c.19th century fiction, a key feature of English GCSEs, through a study of gothic short stories.

Year 10

The journey to GCSE success begins in earnest in year 10. Students study each element of their GCSEs in English Language and English Literature, starting with Fiction and Imaginative Writing which prepares them for English Language Paper 1. They study A Christmas Carol in the lead up to the holiday and non-fiction texts in January with their Spoken Language Endorsement completed before half term. After work experience, students return and try their hand at Transactional Writing before learning about life in the 1910s and 1940s through An Inspector Calls. The year ends with a study of representations of emotional conflict from the GCSE Poetry Cluster.

Year 11

When students reach year 11, they have just a few components left to study and they begin with Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a classical tragedy. There are exams this year so practice comes in the form of pre-public exams (PPEs) in November and March. Students complete the poetry cluster with a group of war poems and practise responding to unseen poetry. In the final run up to the real things, students revise all elements of the GCSE exams; they are given the chance to revise at home too with a weekly task uploaded on Show My Homework. For many students this is the culmination of their learning journey in English and we wish them every success.

Years 12 and 13

If students choose to continue their English learning journey into the sixth form, they have a choice of two subjects: English Literature and English Language and Literature. Both courses are linear which means they have final exams in year 13. In English Literature, students study two key topics: Aspects of Tragedy and Elements of Crime. Paper 1 refers to Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Othello and Death of a Salesman each of which features a central character on a tragic path. Paper 2 refers to Brighton Rock, When Will There Be Good News? and an anthology of crime poetry.

For the combined course, students complete exams on Telling Stories and Exploring Conflict. Paper 1 includes an anthology of writing from and about Paris; The Handmaid’s Tale and Robert Browning’s poetry. Paper 2 includes the play A Streetcar Named Desire and the non-fiction text Into the Wild. Both A levels include coursework elements: two essays for Literature; a Language Study for the combined course.