English

Curriculum intent

Our English curriculum has two primary aims. Firstly, we want to give our students the knowledge and skills to become confident, competent and critical users of language so they can understand complex issues and insightfully question what they read or hear. This core foundation provides them with the ability to speak and write fluently so they can communicate as independent and resilient thinkers, and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them effectively. Secondly, but no less importantly, we want our students to leave school with an understanding of what English is as a subject and how it relates to other branches of knowledge and culture, whether it be humanities, science or the arts. 

Understanding and mastery in English is the gateway to success in other curriculum areas and in the future careers of our students. Reading enables them to acquire and build on powerful knowledge essential for active and full participation in their studies as well as in wider society so, at LBHS, reading is at the heart of what we do. Careful thought is put into the design of our reading curriculum in order to ensure that our students develop the core communication skills of reading for understanding and analysis, speaking and writing to discuss, debate and challenge, and listening and reviewing for mediation and consensus. 

The content of our KS3 English curriculum is unapologetically ambitious and rigorous. It intends to equip students with a foundational knowledge of literary movements and texts to provide the groundwork for more specialised study at KS4 and KS5. It seeks to make connections between literature, history, and contemporary culture clear and relevant to our students’ lives. Regardless of whether our students choose to pursue the study of English language or literature further, we believe they have a right to know and understand a range of literary and non-literary texts which encourage them to explore their heritage and broaden their cultural awareness. Such connections spark interest and a greater depth of understanding which enables them to make further connections in their own lives.