Years 7 and 8

During English lessons in Years 7 and 8, pupils complete reading skills lessons based on a range of texts taken from the English Literary Canon, as well as engaging with more modern texts. Pupils are taught how to write discursively and creatively across both years- building a portfolio of written work across both year groups. Pupils respond to a range of stimuli and create narratives based on the themes taught in reading lessons. Assessments have been created to test and practise the skills needed for GCSE without the harsh specifications of GCSE marking, and pupils work on 5 ‘SMART’ Reading Targets designed with exam objectives in mind.

We want our students to love reading books into adulthood, and share their love of books with others. We dedicate one hour a week for Reading for Pleasure with Years 7 and 8 in which they read a challenging text as a class and engage in vocabulary development.

Our vision is that students will graduate from key stage three English with the academic and cultural literacy required to be educationally mobile, whatever their background.

Hours per week: 4

Year 9

During English lessons in Year 9, we do not explicitly teach the GCSE course and instead follow a curriculum that continues to promote a love of literature through the study of challenging texts and the contexts in which they are written. Pupils are taught texts that have been specifically selected to prepare them for the English Literature GCSE whilst promoting a love of literature and reading without tackling the actual texts taught in Year 10. Pupils continue to write in a range of forms and hone their craft this year and work more explicitly on brevity, tone, and the nuances of a range of writing forms.

Skills and knowledge needed for KS4 are seamlessly interwoven to fully prepare students for GCSE study without introducing exam terminology and assessment objectives too early. As the year progresses, pupils are marked using GCSE specifications to ready them for the step up in Year 10.   

Hours per week: 4

Years 10 and 11

In Year 10 and Year 11, students study for the English Language and English Literature GCSE qualification. All students have the opportunity to achieve two GCSE qualifications in English.

At Key Stage 4, students further develop their analytical and evaluation skills and will apply these skills to a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts. Through the study and discussion of these texts, students are challenged to consider the moral and social issues that are central to texts. They will also develop the sophistication of their writing skills, both in analytical essay writing and in creative and discursive writing. Pupils will build upon their writing portfolios, redraft, and take more ownership of their own written work. Through the use of Thematic Roadmaps, analytical paragraph checklists, and separate Context Booklets, pupils are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and self-awareness to tackle their GCSEs in Year 11.

Exam board: AQA & Eduqas

Hours per week: 5