English

The English Faculty is housed in spacious classrooms each with an Interactive Whiteboard. Additionally, there is an English ICT room for use by students of all ages, as well as new wireless laptops, which can be booked out for use in classrooms.

The Faculty has close links with the LIRC to promote and encourage a love of reading in all of our students. All students are encouraged to read for pleasure through the use of Accelerated Reader, library visits, ILID days, competitions and private reading in lessons. 

Key Stage 3

All students in Years 7, 8 and 9 follow detailed differentiated Schemes of Work, which aim to improve students’ responses to a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts in preparation for their GCSEs. The Faculty has a wide range of high quality contemporary fiction texts designed to engage students of all abilities.

Topics studied include:

• Novels
• Non fiction
• Creative writing
• Poetry
• Plays
• Shakespeare

All students are assessed on their reading, writing and Speaking and Listening levels over the course of the year in the form of standardised assessments.

Homework is set weekly and is designed to reinforce basic skills such as grammar and spelling, practice reading, writing and the ability to research and recall key information.

Key Stage 4

All students follow the AQA GCSE syllabus and are entered for the English Language and English Literature examinations. Both qualifications no longer have Controlled Assessments and therefore end in two terminal assessments for each GCSE in Year 11.

Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to read a wide range of high quality, challenging literature and non-fiction text from a range of genres and types (from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries).

The removal of tiers in English means all students will be entered for the same exams that lead to the new GCSE grades 1 to 9. 

Key Stage 5

English Literature and Language

This popular AQA course is a contemporary approach to the study of a range of literary and non-literary discourses and texts, and will offer students the opportunity to develop their subject expertise by engaging creatively and critically with a wide range of texts.