English
Our English curriculum is centred around concepts in each year group that allow pupils to develop their understanding of the world whilst building their own skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. These themes have been selected as the central concepts of English, in addition to being underpinned by Catholic Social Teaching principles: Heroes and Villains, Conflict and Peace, Justice and Injustice, Power and Greed, Morality and Corruption, Tragedy and Crime. It is through these themes that pupils explore their place within our society and it is through our choices of diverse texts and high-quality teaching that we will nurture a love of reading in our pupils.
At key stage 3, we sequence our reading and writing units thematically, building on our feeder schools’ approaches at key stage 2. Every year group at key stage 3 will have a deliberately sequenced journey of two reading, two writing and two oracy units, allowing pupils to retrieve and embed key knowledge and skills into their long-term memory, in accordance with the National Curriculum. A core focus for the English Department has been to improve the prevalence of non-fiction reading at key stage 3 eradicating the historical fiction bias within English curriculums nationally. Knowledge gained is tested formatively and systematically through prior and new knowledge retrieval, extended writing opportunities in addition to summative biannual Centre Assessments.
At key stage 4, pupils encounter GCSE Literature and Language content in an alternating half-termly structure, allowing pupils time to ‘forget’ knowledge of AQA specification areas before revisiting elements, cementing knowledge into long term memory. Pupils are assessed in class through prior and new knowledge retrieval, opportunities for extended writing, as well as summative biannual Centre Assessments.
At key stage 5, English Literature students study Aspects of Tragedy and Elements of Crime Writing in a linear style with the sequencing of literary methods, generic conventions, contexts, and critical theory embedded in a spiralling nature as AQA specification texts are taught. The skills and knowledge employed by successful A level students is the cumulation of knowledge developed throughout their key stage 3 and 4 curricula. In addition to prior and new knowledge retrieval, students are assessed more formally through two Centre Assessments in exam conditions.
Throughout all key stages, our retrieval ‘do now’ activities and explicit vocabulary teaching form the bedrock to our curriculum and are purposefully mapped, allowing pupils to know and remember more each year. We also afford pupils opportunities beyond those dictated in specifications and the National Curriculum, allowing pupils to broaden their knowledge of English related careers, global issues and a wide range of literature enabling them to become inspired, empathetic and responsive members of our community.