To Enrich, Empower and Enjoy! To become Empathetic and Eloquent. 

Our aim is to enrich our students' understanding of themselves and the world around them, appreciating the experiences of others. We aim to empower our students with a wide vocabulary and an understanding of the power and nuance of words, along with the confidence to use this appropriately. We hope to nurture a life-long love of reading, writing, speaking and listening so that we help to create empathetic and eloquent leaders of the future.  

The English Team’s main bases are in thirteen classrooms on the upper level of the school. One classroom is a computer suite, all have projector facilities and most have interactive whiteboards. The English team currently has the leadership roles of the Director of Literacy, Team Leader, KS3, KS4, KS5 and film/media Lead Teachers. Close links are maintained with the Library and Sixth Form Resource Centre. 

At Key Stage 4 and 5 we also offer courses in Media and Film Studies. 

Students coming to us in year 7 are taught in mixed ability groups with an average class size of 25. The syllabus is divided into English language lessons, in which they learn how to craft a piece of successful fictional writing, and English literature, in which they study a wide range of texts including Shakespeare and Dickens. 

In Year 8 students are set in ability groups; the lessons build on and develop skills acquired in year 7 and continue the emphasis on reading. While we focus on fostering an enjoyment of reading and writing, we also understand the need for students to be prepared for their GCSE examinations.

Throughout Key Stage 3, students are introduced to Shakespeare, a range of novels, dramatic texts and poetry.  In both years 7 and 8 students are also given the opportunity to experience taster units in media and film studies, option subjects available in Year 9.

Homework is set through the platform Sparx Reader and is impactful in nurturing a love of reading, whilst also developing technical accuracy. 

For more information contact Ms. McGonagle 

Year 9 is considered a bridging year when the skills necessary for GCSE are embedded. During Year 9, there is an emphasis on challenge, depth and breadth. Students study a Shakespeare text, a novel, a play, a range of poetry and discursive topics. They are regularly assessed with GCSE style tasks. Y9 students will study for the AQA GCSE English Language and AQA GCSE English Literature courses. Both courses are linear and assessed by examination only at the end of Year 11. For more information on AQA English language or AQA English literature, visit https://www.aqa.org.uk/

Year 10 and year 11 students are preparing for the Eduqas English Literature and Eduqas English Language examinations.

Throughout Years 10 and 11 students will study a range of fiction and literary non-fiction; the skills of creative and discursive writing; one Shakespeare text; a combination of novels and drama texts; and a range of poetry. Students will also complete a Spoken Language assessment; this will not contribute to their GCSE grade but will be reported as a separate grade on the GCSE English Language certificate.

For more information about Eduqas GCSE English Language or Eduqas GCSE English literature, please visit

https://www.eduqas.co.uk/

For more information contact Miss A Richards

Two English courses are on offer at A-Level: AQA English Literature, AQA English Language and Literature. We try to create the ambience of a university tutorial by encouraging students to engage in discussion as much as possible and to become independent learners. Students are usually taught by two different teachers for various parts of their course, which allows them to experience the high level of quality that exists in the team.

Film Studies

We offer Eduqas Film Studies at A-Level, giving students a chance to engage with topics such as American cinema, Silent cinema and a range of documentaries. Coursework gives students a chance to create their own short film or screenplay, enabling them to put the theory learned into practical use.  For more information, clock on the link below.

AS and A Level Film Studies | Eduqas

Media Studies

We offer OCR Media Studies as a C-tech qualification. This gives students the opportunity to learn about Media products and audiences and enables them to embark on a creative journey through which they will study and create music videos and adverts. For more information, click on the link below.

Cambridge Technicals - Digital Media

For more information about A Level English courses, please visit www.aqa.org.uk. 

For more information about A Level Film Studies, please visit www.eduqas.co.uk

For more information contact Mr. Seddon

English Curriculum Journey.pdf