English

Overview:

Key Stage 3

English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others accurately and precisely and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. Through reading in particular, pupils have a chance to develop themselves culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature in particular plays a crucial role in these personal development. Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a valuable and valued member of society; pupils, therefore, who do not learn to speak, read and write fluently and confidently are effectively disenfranchised.

The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for pleasure and enjoyment. The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils: 

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding

• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information

• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language

• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage

• write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences

• use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas

• are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.

Year 7 units of study include a focus on the key concepts of:

• Contemporary Novel: Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird

• Trust and Deceit: Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing

• Pre-1914 Literature: Dickens and his contemporaries

• 21st Century Play, Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman: Race and Identity 

Year 8 units of study include a focus on the key concepts of:

• Novel: The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by John Boyne

• Nature and Environment: Shakespeare’s The Tempest

• Crime and Punishment: Conan Doyle’s The Speckled Band

• War and Conflict: Journey’s End by R.C. Sheriff 

Year 9 units of study include a focus on the key concepts of:

• Nove: of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

• Shakespeare: Tragedy - Romeo and Juliet

• Gothic and Dystopia: ‘The Future is Gothic’

• 20th Century Play: A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. 

Key Stage 4

Through a diverse range of texts, Broadlands English students will acquire the language to recognise and articulate their own identity and role within the remarkable world in which we live

AQA English Language

Our English Language GCSE course of study enables your child to develop the skills they need to read, understand and analyse a wide range of different fiction and non-fiction texts covering the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, as well as to write coherently, accurately and purposefully,  using a range of methods and vocabulary.  In addition, they will undertake a spoken language assessment, in which they will prepare and deliver a persuasive speech.   

AQA English Literature

Through our Literature course, students will gain a wealth of knowledge on the set texts as well as a range of skills, allowing them to respond critically and be successful in their exams. Students will also gain a love of literature while being exposed to each unit,  including Shakespeare, 19th Century fiction, 20th Century drama and a diversity of poetry.

The set texts taught are: 

• Shakespeare’s Macbeth 

• Dickens’ A Christmas Carol 

• Priestley’s An Inspector Calls 

• AQA Power and Conflict Poetry Anthology 

• Unseen Poetry