English, as a subject, underpins access to the curriculum across the Academy and at every Key Stage.
Equally, studying English allows students to develop into independent young people and adults who are empowered in
their interactions in daily life. Students need to master communication through Reading, Writing and Speaking and
Listening, but they also deserve to have access to the wealth of learning; the different perspectives on society
across different time periods and the personal exploration that the study of literature affords. It is with this
in mind that we have crafted our Key Stage 3 curriculum.
The curriculum is designed around three key fundamentals: mastery of core skills; engagement with texts as readers; creating writers who are playful with language. We build on the strong foundations our students enter with from Key Stage2, maximising on the writing skills that they arrive with and helping them to bridge the gap between Key Stage 2 and 4 reading and analysis skills.
The curriculum is designed around three key fundamentals: mastery of core skills; engagement with texts as readers; creating writers who are playful with language. We build on the strong foundations our students enter with from Key Stage2, maximising on the writing skills that they arrive with and helping them to bridge the gap between Key Stage 2 and 4 reading and analysis skills.
We immerse our students in challenging texts that act as an introduction to literature. We study texts from a range
of time periods to develop the concept of different audiences and to challenge students to see the universality of
texts and we expect students to engage with these texts on a personal level as well as honing their abilities to
write about the text as a construct for an audience.
We see our students as writers and, as writers, they need to know the conventions of texts before they can begin to experiment and craft. Our students study a variety of quality non-fiction and fiction texts, from the nineteenth century and sixteenth century onwards respectively, exploring the writers’ aims and how they have been crafted. Students then emulate these style models and become increasingly confident writers ready to embark upon their Key Stage 4 journey.
Our staff have a passion for the subject that they teach; they challenge students through quality texts, explicit modelling, questioning, and the creation of risk-taking (partly through utilising approaches from our work with the RSC) and reflective classrooms.
We want our students to be:
We will support our students outside of the classroom by:
English at Key Stage 4 & 5
In English we offer both Language GCSE and Literature GCSE to all our students. These courses develop the students’ abilities in both reading and writing, as well as exposing them to literary texts. After Key Stage 4 you might go into the Sixth Form to study 'A' Levels in English Language or English Literature, courses which develop analytical skills and critical writing.
Department Staff
We see our students as writers and, as writers, they need to know the conventions of texts before they can begin to experiment and craft. Our students study a variety of quality non-fiction and fiction texts, from the nineteenth century and sixteenth century onwards respectively, exploring the writers’ aims and how they have been crafted. Students then emulate these style models and become increasingly confident writers ready to embark upon their Key Stage 4 journey.
Our staff have a passion for the subject that they teach; they challenge students through quality texts, explicit modelling, questioning, and the creation of risk-taking (partly through utilising approaches from our work with the RSC) and reflective classrooms.
We want our students to be:
- Reflective and creative planners
- Self-reflective editors of their own work
- Thoughtful language selectors
- Thoughtful readers
- Able to identify how a writer creates meaning
- Able to analyse how meaning is created in texts
- Able to explore how texts might affect different readers
We will support our students outside of the classroom by:
- Providing a vocabulary curriculum homework to run alongside our lessons
- Offering a weekly lunchtime support session
- Offering a Sports Journalism Writing enrichment
- Offering our students experiences with authors and poets as available
English at Key Stage 4 & 5
In English we offer both Language GCSE and Literature GCSE to all our students. These courses develop the students’ abilities in both reading and writing, as well as exposing them to literary texts. After Key Stage 4 you might go into the Sixth Form to study 'A' Levels in English Language or English Literature, courses which develop analytical skills and critical writing.
Department Staff
| Staff | Role |
|---|---|
| Mrs S Colabella | Head of Department |
| Ms K Carey | Lead Practioner |
| Miss K Groom | KS3 Co-ordinator |
| Mrs S Merritt | KS4 Co-ordinator |
| Mr C Ball | Teacher of English / Head of Year |
| Mrs S Simpson | Teacher of English |
| Mrs J Glancey | Teacher of English |
| Mrs S Latham | Teacher of English |
| Mrs S Lambert | Teacher of English |
| Mr M Dunning | Teacher of English |
| Miss V Greer | Teacher of English |
| Mr T Smith | Teacher of English |
| Mr C Stevens | Teacher of English |
| Mrs M Peacock | Teacher of English |
| Mrs B Whiting | English Support |
| Ms V Clements | Learning Mentor for English |