English

In English, the curriculum is designed to provide specific knowledge regarding literary history, writer’s craft and an extensive vocabulary that students are able to call upon to both interact with and create imaginative texts. Students will be able to analyse and evaluate the choices made by writers, whilst making connections between elements within a text and contextual factors beyond the text itself. In turn, students will be able to craft their own writing with an intended effect in mind. They will have a secure grasp of grammar which will enable them to express themselves fluently.

Year 7

Literature Through the Ages: The Gothic

An exploration of genre and how writing changes over time. We study extracts from classic texts across time and learn to write using the conventions of the Gothic genre.

Injustice: Stone Cold

Students will read the novel Stone Cold and will explore the topics of social responsibility and learn about issues around homelessness. The main focus is on analysing how the text has been written for impact.

Prose Writing

Students will work to create their own pieces of creative writing. Reflecting on the work of professionals, they will begin to hone the craft of story writing by focussing on writing short extracts to deliver desired impact.

Understanding Poetry

Students will engage with a wide range of poems but will work on understanding the form in its all beauty. Poems are taken from a variety of times and cultures as we look to introduce students to life beyond their day to day experiences.

Year 8

Rhetoric

Students will study masters of rhetoric from ancient Greece to the modern day. Ethos, Logos and Pathos are at the heart of unit and will be used to help dissect famous speeches from history and will lead to students writing their own speech on a cause close to their heart.

Tyranny: Animal Farm

George Orwell’s allegorical text will be used to further embed the study of rhetoric and will give us the opportunity to look at a text where context is key. Students will engage with Orwell’s intentions and will analyse he crafted the text to influence the reader.

Romeo and Juliet

Students will observe how character and plot are developed and linked throughout the play. Key scenes will be studied in greater depth. Shakespeare’s masterpiece will give students an insight into contextual influences from another time and a chance to reflect on how society has changed.

Victorian England and Charles Dickens

Students will be given a taster of different works of Charles Dickens. We will be looking at contextual influences on this great writer and what he was trying to achieve through his writing. Through skilfully selected extracts, we will bridge the language barrier and transport students into worlds they may not believe existed.

Year 9

Exploring Poetry

Students will explore a series of unseen poems that cover a range of topics, time periods and cultures. They will consider a poem’s journey, any shifts and changes in a text and why they occur, and how core themes are explored and presented within a range of texts.

Dystopian fiction and Spoken Language

Students delve into the dismal world of fictional dystopia. Through sampling some of the most ground-breaking literature and social commentary through the decades, students are inspired to imagine the greatest disasters and injustices that could befall humanity and bring them alive in their writing.

As students reflect on ideas put forward in dystopian texts, we move to the GCSE Spoken Language component. Students will create a short presentation on a topic of their choosing.

An Inspector Calls

Students will explore Priestley’s social commentary within the play. They will explore the links between context and its influence on the text as a whole. Students will dissect each character and consider motives and guilt. This is a true exploration of characters and our perceptions of them.

Macbeth: Plot and Characters
Students are challenged to consider the validity of Banquo’s main claim against Macbeth, “Thou hast it now: king, Cawdor, Glamis, all, As the weird women promised, and I fear Thou played’st most foully for ’t.” Students are encouraged to engage in the great story at the heart of this great literary tradition and discover how Shakespeare’s stories also ring true in our lives today.

GCSE