English

Intent Statement

Our curriculum aims to foster a love of language and literature in our learners; building on their successes at KS2 and equipping them with the skills to be effective and confident communicators for life.

Through our study of the Ambrose Canon, we will take pupils on a journey of some of the greatest texts and characters in literature around the world. We aim to challenge them to be deep, critical and empathetic thinkers; to explore the ‘big ideas’/ key themes across texts and how they reflect the society of the time and to read regularly for pleasure.

We will enable our pupils to become imaginative, articulate and appreciative of language through access to an engaging and challenging bespoke curriculum.

English Department Staff

Miss J Matthews - Subject Leader of English 

Miss C Chalk

Miss C Cheadle 

Miss S Dickinson

Mr D Gornall

Miss A Harrison

Miss E Kane

Mr E Merriman

Mrs M Prady 

Miss S Tehseen

Key Stage 3

Year 7

The Year 7 English course builds on the pupils’ learning during Y6, through the links with our feeder primary schools. Pupils develop their reading, writing and oracy skills through their study of a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts from the Ambrose Canon, including units on ‘Telling Tales and Beowulf’; ‘Journeys and The Tempest’ and ‘Childhood and Oliver Twist’. As a reading school, all pupils are expected to have a reading book in their bag at all times and begin each lesson with ten minutes of reading for pleasure. Once a fortnight, all pupils have a dedicated Accelerated Reader lesson. Pupils’ vocabulary skills are developed through our explicit vocabulary strand, which is reinforced through homework tasks. All pupils are encouraged to become critical and imaginative thinkers and regularly complete ‘Big Thinks’ on a wide range of, topical themes. This is followed by frequent opportunities for pupils to develop their extended, academic writing skills through ‘Big Writes’, where they are taught to hone their writing skills through the drafting process.

Year 8

The Year 8 English course enables pupils to develop their reading, writing and oracy skills through their study of a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts from the Ambrose Canon, including units on ‘Out of this World and the Woman in Black’; ‘Children and Conflict and Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘Outsiders and To Kill a Mockingbird’. As a reading school, all pupils are expected to have a reading book in their bag at all times and begin each lesson with ten minutes of reading for pleasure. Once a fortnight, all pupils have a dedicated Accelerated Reader lesson. Pupils’ vocabulary skills are developed through our explicit vocabulary strand, which is reinforced through homework tasks. All pupils are encouraged to become critical and imaginative thinkers and regularly complete ‘Big Thinks’ on a wide range of, topical themes. This is followed by frequent opportunities for pupils to develop their extended, academic writing skills through ‘Big Writes’, where they are taught to hone their writing skills through the drafting process.

Year 9

The Year 9 English course prepares pupils fully for the demands of the GCSE courses in Year 10 and 11. Pupils develop their reading, writing and oracy skills through their study of a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts from the Ambrose Canon, including units on ‘Dystopia and The Giver’; ‘Unlocking the text and The Sign of Four’ and ‘Power and Conflict and Macbeth’.

As a reading school, all pupils are expected to have a reading book in their bag at all times and begin each lesson with ten minutes of reading for pleasure. Once a fortnight, all pupils have a dedicated Accelerated Reader lesson. Pupils’ vocabulary skills are developed through our explicit vocabulary strand, which is reinforced through homework tasks. All pupils are encouraged to become critical and imaginative thinkers and regularly complete ‘Big Thinks’ on a wide range of, topical themes. This is followed by frequent opportunities for pupils to develop their extended, academic writing skills through ‘Big Writes’, where they are taught to hone their writing skills through the drafting process.

Key Stage 4

English - Recovery Curriculum

Under normal circumstances The GCSE English curriculum would be completed as detailed in the Key Stage 4 Curriculum Maps. Due to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic a modified curriculum is being delivered which specifies what students learn in school and remotely. The department examined the Scheme of work and decided which elements of the course were essential and would still give the students the required knowledge and skills to successfully complete the course. The recovery curriculum maps are available below.

Year 10

In this course pupils are studying two full AQA Board GCSE's in English Language and English Literature. Both GCSEs require pupils to demonstrate skills in listening, talking, reading and writing. Pupils must convey their ideas, knowledge, feelings and points of view on a range of literature as well as responding critically to non-fiction and media texts. 

Year 11

In this course pupils are studying two full GCSEs in English Language and English Literature. Pupils must convey their ideas, knowledge, feelings and points of view on a range of literature, including poetry, plays and 19th Century texts, as well as responding critically to non-fiction and media texts. Throughout the course, pupils will develop their synthesis, language, structure, comparison and evaluation skills. Written elements include writing narratives, descriptions and discursive texts. These skills are evaluated through examination. Pupils sit a total of four exam papers for English Language and Literature at the end of year 11.