What we offer at KS3/4/5

Here in the English department, we have designed a coherent curriculum that will engender students’ interest in English and provide the building blocks for future success.

Our KS3 curriculum is organised thematically with clear links through to GCSE and beyond. In Year 7, the students will focus on myths and legends, which covers topics from Theseus and the Minotaur through to post-modern versions of Cinderella. Year 8 will then move on to the idea of conflict; students will explore the poetry of Wilfred Owen and a range of non-fiction material specifically chosen to broaden their understanding of the wider world. They will also be exposed to seminal texts such as ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘Of Mice and Men’.

At KES, we begin our GCSE English Literature journey in Year 9 with a view to entering students for examination in Year 10. This increases our students’ chances of success by reducing how much they have to revise and provides them with an opportunity to secure a good GCSE pass before Year 11. Year 11 is then devoted solely to the teaching of GCSE English Language.

After GCSE, we offer IB English Literature and Language, which has grown enormously in popularity over the past few years. Everything that the students have learned in the previous five years is taken further, providing students with an excellent foundation to go into further education.

Over to the left is a curriculum map that provides a term-by-term breakdown up to KS5. (Accurate as of September 2020)

Qualifications at KS4 and KS5

We currently offer students the following courses:

AQA GCSE English Literature - students will be required to study:

• A 19th century novel

• A post 1945 text

• A Shakespeare play

• An anthology of 15 poems

• Unseen Poetry

WJEC GCSE English Language - students will be required to study:

• Component 1 - Fiction reading and writing

• Component 2 - Non-fiction reading and writing

Extra curricular activities in the English Department

Perhaps the crowning glory of the English department is a close affiliation with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). We are the lead associate school in East Kent working in partnership with the Marlowe theatre, which means students have the opportunity to work with trained Shakespearean actors, have the chance to appear on stage at the Marlowe or at the RSC theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon and students can appear on the RSC youth advisory board, which allows them to have a direct input into shaping the approach of the RSC when it comes to the teaching of Shakespeare in schools.

In addition to the amazing opportunities through the RSC, we also provide some excellent clubs for students to take part in. There is the Creative Writing Club that will encourage students to develop their ability to think outside of the box, and the Poetry Club which will enhance students’ ability to engage with the written word and expose them to some of the best poetry that they might not come across in their everyday studies.