English
KS3 Curriculum Intent and Rationale:
For our students in Key Stage 3, we root all learning within the central concept of the human condition which links robustly to both SMSC and our PSHCE curriculum. We feel that these links enable students to succeed as individuals and recognise the power of their voice and their position in the world. We have a spiralised curriculum. This key concept of the power of voices is an integral part of each unit that KS3 students study. Through a wide range of genres, all students are enabled to build confidence, explore their identity and what it is to be human.
Year 7 begin with a unit designed around the big issues young people face in the world such as climate change, social media, and prejudice. This then leads into the core text which is rooted in aspects of prejudice and discrimination to show our students what this looks like in the world and support them in establishing their own values through how they respond to this. Year 8 focus on culture and identity, exploring not only aspects of diversity but also exploring gender stereotypes. Year 9 have a core focus on aspects of relationships, with the world and with each other.
Key stage 3 units alternate between reading and writing, and each year group culminates in an opportunity for students to be assessed for their spoken language. All lessons introduce tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary which is used explicitly to enable them to achieve higher level academic writing. Students are exposed to Shakespeare in each year to develop confidence with such challenging language before the demands of GCSE. Students firstly become acquainted with the plot and relevance to the modern world with regards to themes in Year 7. This is followed by a study of both a comedy and a tragedy in later years.
KS3 are exposed to a wide range of skills, knowledge, and concepts multiple times to secure long term knowledge and understanding. Each unit checks student understanding through a mini progress check before they build up to their end of unit assessments to allow for any misconceptions to be identified. All students are further given an opportunity to close these gaps through a designated improvement and response lesson.
KS4 Curriculum Intent and Rationale:
The KS4 English curriculum builds on the knowledge and skills our pupils acquire through our KS3 curriculum. We follow the AQA specification for both English Language and Literature.
Year 10 is Literature heavy to enable students’ exposure to aspects of the human condition. This allows for frequent interleaved revision during Year 11. All lessons have retrieval activities and explicit vocabulary to enhance students’ understanding of the texts. Context also is key to students critical thinking skills.
As we expect students to have absorbed a range of skills and knowledge in KS3, KS4 is about elevating these skills in a more critical and exploratory way. Aspects of developing thesis arguments and essay structure are more explicitly taught with higher level writing skills.
A core focus is placed of crafting and accuracy as students will enter KS4 with a confidence with their ideas; KS4 crafts these.
English is the foundations for all careers and is a key life skill. Through combining these skills with an understanding of the world, we know students will believe they can achieve in school and subsequently succeed in life.
Year 11 Revision Materials
- A Christmas Carol Checklist
- An Inspector Calls Checklist
- Macbeth Checklist
- Language Checklist
- Power and Conflict Checklist
Learning Journeys
