We inspire students to find their voice, develop it, and use it powerfully with purpose.
We aim to equip students with a strong command of the spoken and written word to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for pleasure.
We encourage students to debate and respond to others’ ideas and emotions through challenging topics, while understanding viewpoints from a wide range of diverse groups perspectives, cultures and historical contexts. Students will understand how to craft their writing to match the conventions of a wide variety of forms, as they make judicious choices regarding voice, language, structure and grammar.
Enrichment
Throughout the curriculum, we look for opportunities to further enrich student students’ understanding, progress and enjoyment of English.
- Visits to the library
- Reading for pleasure
- Bespoke trips (these have included visits to the theatre and Bradford Literature Festival)
- National Theatre streaming
Assessment
Internal assessments will take place throughout each year to monitor pupil progress and further inform teaching and learning.
KS4 Specification
Careers
The skills learnt in English are some of the most valuable and transferable skills that give access to a wide range of careers and opportunities.
- Journalism
- Writer/playwright/poet
- Education and childcare
- Marketing and advertising
- Public Relations
- Administration and data entry
- Human resources
- Customer services
Curriculum Overview
| Year | Cycle 1 | Cycle 2 | Cycle 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 7 | Greek Myths: Study a range of Greek myths from Prometheus to the Odyssey, responding analytically and writing creatively The Tempest, William Shakespeare: An introduction to Shakespeare, his works and the form of the play | The history of rhetoric: studying famous speeches and other examples of rhetoric to prepare for own speech writing | Narrative poetry: Studying a range of poems from Beowulf to the Ballad of Charlotte Dymond, turning knowledge of narrative poetry into own written narrative |
| Year 8 | Social justice poetry: exploring poems across a range of social themes from the Industrial Revolution to race and the marginalisation of women in society, applying poetry analysis skills alongside creative and persuasive writing | Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare: Developing understanding of Shakespeare and exploring aspects of the tragic genre, mastering transactional writing within the context of the play | Animal Farm, George Orwell: A study of texts and contexts with elements of descriptive writing, exploring aspects of non-fiction alongside the novel |
| Year 9 | Gothic genre: understanding the conventions of the genre with application across a diverse range of texts Identity poetry: studying a range of poems addressing the theme of identity, alongside poetic techniques and analysis | Purple Hibiscus, by Chiminanda Ngozi Adichie: a foray into Nigerian fiction, tackling challenging and thought-provoking topics Imaginative writing | GCSE Power and Conflict Poetry anthology: Preparation for the GCSE English Literature exam with the study of 15 poems exploring themes of war, power and identity |
| Year 10 | Macbeth, William Shakespeare: the application of knowledge of Shakespeare and tragedy in preparation for the GCSE English Literature exam | GCSE Language paper 1: Critical reading of fiction texts, creative writing, and transaction spoken language A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens: a study of the novel and gothic genre in preparation for the GCSE English Literature exam | GCSE Language paper 2: Critical reading of non-fiction texts and and formal, transactional writing Unseen poetry: the application of knowledge of poetic techniques and analysis |
| Year 11 | An Inspector Calls, J.B. Priestley: a study of the play and genre in preparation for the GCSE English Literature exam | GCSE exam preparation | GCSE exam preparation and exams |