English Curriculum

Year 7

Students begin by exploring Greek Myths before moving on to narrative structures, both are designed to develop their understanding of story, archetypes and the craft of fiction writing. They will then study a modern novel and thematically linked non-fiction texts enabling them to develop their ability to express a clear viewpoint. The concepts of identity, justice and power are embedded through fiction and non-fiction texts and students have opportunities to write in a wide range of forms such as poetry, stories, speeches, articles to express their views and imagination. The work of gothic masters gives an opportunity to explore genre and creative writing. Year 7 concludes with Shakespeare and students have the opportunity to take part in a production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. Students will have regular class readers such as ‘The Graveyard Book’ by Neil Gaiman and ‘I have no secrets’ by Penny Joelson.

Year 8

Students begin by exploring characterisation through the work of Charles Dickens. The study of Oliver Twist acts a stimulus for creative and descriptive writing and the study of non-fiction texts enables students to develop their ability to write from different perspectives. Students move on to an exploration of protest poetry from a diverse range of poets and a modern novel, building their understanding of the concepts of diversity as well as protest. All students have the opportunity to craft and perform their poetry. Students study ‘Blood Brothers’ and have the opportunity to think like a director before concluding the year with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Students will have regular class readers such as ‘Divergent’ by Veronica Roth and ‘Stone Cold’ by Robert Swindells.

Year 9

Students begin by exploring narrative craft with a focus on structure and have the opportunity to craft their own creative writing. Students will read ‘A Christmas Carol’ with a focus on the character of Scrooge and the Ghosts and then move on to understanding the context, plot and character of ‘Macbeth’. Students will explore a range of world Literature which allows them to examine different viewpoints and the value of Literature in helping us empathise and explore the world from another’s perspective. Students further their understanding of drama through ‘DNA’ before concluding the year with an exploration of texts linked by the key concept of power.  Students will have regular class readers which includes non-fiction ‘Survivors’, Diverse Short Stories’ and novels such as ‘Noughts and Crosses’ by Malorie Blackman.

Key Stage 4

Year 10

Year 12

English Language
Students begin the course with a detailed exploration of the ‘building blocks’ of language; they cement their linguistic knowledge and skills whilst exploring how language is used to represent themselves and others. Students go on to explore language diversity, with a focus on gender, social groups and occupation, as well as geographical diversity (accent & dialect). Students engage with academic research in these areas as well as articles from wider media sources which allow discussion of concepts such as ‘accentism’.

English Literature
We begin the Year 12 English Literature course with an immersion in the tragic genre, examining its history and major proponents from Ancient Greece to the present day, through both drama and poetry. With the knowledge we acquire, we then examine Shakespeare’s play, King Lear, John Keats’ Selected Poems, and Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, through the lens of tragedy, using these texts as the source of our further interrogation of this ever-evolving genre.

Year 13

English Language: Students focus on Child Language Acquisition and Language Change- both in the UK and globally. Throughout the course, students engage with wider discourses and deepen their appreciation of the power of language in society. The Non-examined assessment offers an opportunity for students to conduct their own language investigations and produce creative texts.

English Literature: The texts are examined as expressions of social and political protest. The Non-examined assessment essays provide students with the opportunity to examine a novel and a collection of poetry of their choosing from a number of critical perspectives, including from a feminist, Marxist, and eco-critical perspective.