English (Y7-13)

(Exam Board: AQA)

Subject Aims

In English, we aim to ensure that all students leave with the reading and writing skills needed to access the next stage in their lives. This involves decoding, comprehension and analysis and the writing of both functional and creative texts.

During KS3, the curriculum is designed to give students the ability to study a wide range of reading and writing. It is designed to be academically rigorous whilst also allowing students to access texts to improve their cultural capital. It is produced in collaboration with the KS2 feeder schools to ensure continuity of skills and preventing the repetition of core texts.

The KS3 curriculum is designed to reflect the needs of the National Curriculum, including the study of 2 Shakespeare plays and assessing and promoting Spoken Language throughout the curriculum.

Students study a wide variety of texts which explore ideas around British Values and also allow them to reflect on world issues and increase their cultural capital – both contemporary and historical.

The KS3 curriculum is designed to be challenging but also to allow the LAT students to access the curriculum. For example, Treasure Island is taught via a shortened version with extracts from the original text.

All students have the opportunity to study for both English Language and English Literature at GCSE.

At KS5, we have two routes of study available – English Language and English Literature. Where possible, the curriculum at KS4 is designed to support the transition into A Level with skills being developed to ensure that they are ‘A Level ready’ – especially with the more able students.

Curriculum Overview

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

Year 11

Travel Writing
Shakespeare – Romeo and Juliet
Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah
Conflict in Literature
Creative Writing

Titanic – non-fiction unit
Poetry study – Anthology
Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson
Our Day Out – Willy Russell
The Tempest – SMO

Poetry Study – Anthology
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
Gothic Writing – various texts
GCSE studies begin– Shakespeare – Macbeth

A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
Modern novel study
English Language Papers 1 and 2

Poetry Anthology

Consolidation work

English Language – A Level

Meanings and Representations in Texts
Language and Society
Language and Gender
Language and Region
Language and Occupation
Language and Ethnicity
World Englishes
Language Change
Child Language Acquisition
Non-Exam Assessment (20% of the course) – Creative writing and commentary plus independent language investigation

English Literature – A Level

A Streetcar Named Desire – Tennessee Williams
Othello – William Shakespeare
Feminine Gospels – Carol Ann Duffy
Poetry Anthology
The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood