English Department
> Click here to view our Intent, Implementation, Impact Statement for English
Click below to view our learning journey map which shows how units are sequenced to deliver the skills, knowledge and understanding that students need to succeed.
> Click here for our KA English Learning Journey
The information below shows more about the teaching of English at our school.
“Without language, one cannot talk to people and understand them; one cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their poetry, or savour their songs.”
– Nelson Mandela
An understanding of language is vital to effective communication meaning that learning in English forms the heart of the curriculum in any school. As one of the core subjects, it provides pupils with the skills needed to engage positively in the world around them. Without a basic knowledge of reading and writing, pupils will not be able to discuss tactics on the sports field, read a recipe while cooking, understand a bus timetable, or write a CV. However, our goal in the English department at King Arthur’s is to move beyond functional literacy and instil a love of reading and writing in our students that extends well beyond their school days. We offer a curriculum that champions diversity and widens our pupils’ horizons. We aim to create passionate readers, writers and speakers who have an appreciation for language and literature in all its forms.
KS3
The curriculum in English is based on the study of a variety of literary texts, both fiction and non-fiction, across a range of genres. Our schemes of work are planned to include various teaching and learning approaches to help students develop their skills in reading, writing, and speaking and listening.
In Key Stage 3, we aim to build the resilience of our students in tackling more challenging pieces that will directly feed into the skills they require for GCSE. Each year, pupils will cover a breadth of different genres (including poetry, prose, plays, non-fiction, and media genres) and engage with the skills that may be required in their Year 11 exams. In this way, we hope that students are ‘spiralling’ both the content and skills they will need to be successful.
However, more importantly, we want our learners to use what they read in English to build awareness and empathy for wider social and cultural issues. For example, students are asked to explore contemporary issues surrounding prejudice, discrimination and micro-aggressions in the dystopian ‘Noughts and Crosses’ as well as how society tackles climate change, protest and the value of education in a broad range of non-fiction texts, including ‘I am Malala.’
A brief overview of the content for each year group is provided below:
· Year 7 – Pirates (introductory module), Lord of the Flies, The Tempest, Gothic and Frankenstein
· Year 8 – Noughts & Crosses, Much Ado About Nothing, ‘Our World’ (topical non-fiction) and I am Malala, Conflict Poetry.
· Year 9 –Macbeth, Exploring Short Stories, ‘The Power of Words’ (topical non-fiction), Place and Belonging Poetry
Reading lessons
At KA, we recognise the impact of reading for pleasure on our young people’s future achievement. Our pupils read aloud in lessons whenever it is practical, and our teachers encourage discussion, debate, and deeper exploration of the content. Reading is also promoted during tutor times in Key Stage 3.
GCSE (KS4)
English Language and English Literature
English is one of the core GCSE subjects and it is compulsory for all students to follow a course which will lead to a formal qualification in English. A good English GCSE is a requirement of further education courses and almost any profession that our young people might end up pursuing in the future. This means that their learning in English over the two-year GCSE course is of pivotal importance.
Assessment
Students are entered for both GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature. Our Exam Board is AQA http://www.aqa.org.uk
The curriculum is structured to balance the demands of both specifications over the course of two years.
Students will sit four public exams (two for each of the English GCSEs) which take place at the end of the two-year course and are marked externally. These usually take place at the end of May and the beginning of June.
English Language
Paper 1 Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing (fiction)
Paper 2 Viewpoints and Perspectives (non-fiction)
English Language is an unseen exam. Students are taught to understand the requirements of the exam paper, including the format of the questions they will be expected to answer, but cannot revise a set text. It is therefore of the utmost importance that GCSE pupils are practiced at reading and picking apart texts that they have never seen before. Keeping up good habits of independent reading that they have learned in Key Stage 3 will help to ensure success in this area.
English Literature
Paper 1 Shakespeare and the Nineteenth Century Novel
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- Shakespeare – ‘Romeo & Juliet’
- Nineteenth Century novel – ‘A Christmas Carol’
Paper 2 Modern Texts and Poetry
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- Modern text – ‘An Inspector Calls’
- Poetry – ‘Power and Conflict’ (AQA poetry anthology)
All of these exams are closed book. As part of their revision, pupils are expected to learn a selection of quotations from each text to assist them in answering the essay question set. Students are given skills and strategies to help them with this in their lessons in Year 10 and 11.
Grades
Students are awarded Grades from 1 to 9, where 9 is the highest and 1 is the lowest.
A Grade 4 is considered a standard pass and will allow students to pursue Level 2 and some Level 3 vocational courses at college or enrol on an apprenticeship. Students who do not achieve a Grade 4 in at least one GCSE English will have to resist this qualification.
A Grade 5 is considered a good pass and will allow students to pursue most Level 3 courses in Further Education establishments.
Several Sixth Forms and Colleges request that students wishing to pursue English Language or Literature at A-Level have a Grade 6 or above.