“Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.”
– Rita Mae Brown
Across KS3 we explore a variety of novels, plays, poetry and media texts with a range of different writers and viewpoints. Through the teaching of Literature, we lead students to visit cultures and experiences beyond their own; giving them a broad understanding of the world around them and encouraging them to consider different perspectives. Students learn through a mixture of written and oral work; learning to write for a variety of purposes, audience and genres, whilst encouraging a love of reading and developing the ability to present their own informed opinions verbally in front of others.
We are keen to promote a love of reading and give students in KS3 the opportunity to read everyday in school. We support this by using the Accelerated Reader programme, which gives students of all abilities access to a range of texts online and through the Learning Resource Centre.
Key Skills
Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 study both Language and Literature in English lessons and, through the study of a range of novels, plays, poems and non-fiction, develop their reading, writing and spoken language skills.
KS3 Topics
Year 7 – Non fiction novel – Lion, Autobiography writing unit, novel – Bone Sparrow
Year 8 – Gothic writing, War Poetry, novel – Oliver Twist, Shakespeare Merchant of Venice, non fiction speech writing unit
Year 9 – Diverse voices reading unit, novel – Animal Farm, Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet, Power and Conflict Poetry
KS4 Overview
Key Stage 4 is an extremely important time in our students’ lives and, as such, we have designed a curriculum that puts students’ achievement and future aspirations at the forefront of our teaching. For the large majority of our students, Key Stage 4 will provide them with an opportunity to acquire two qualifications; GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature.
We follow the AQA English Language and English Literature syllabi.
In English Language students study a range of texts from both fiction and non-fiction sub-genres.
In English Literature students study the set texts Macbeth, A Christmas Carol, An Inspector Calls and Power and Conflict Poetry.
English Language and Literature are assessed through linear examination at the end of the two years of study.
All students are required to perform a spoken language component which can be done individually or in a pair. Individual arrangements for spoken language can be facilitated in discussion with class teachers.
We recommend the Collins AQA GCSE 9-1 revision guides, available through school or online here.