Main School
English
G. K. Chesterton: "Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity."
Teaching English is vital to students. It informs all other subjects and is critical to their understanding of the world and other people. Our aim is to introduce students to a wide range of Literature, both current and past, produced by a diverse range of authors to enrich their global understanding. This is underpinned by teaching students a range of crucial skills to apply to these texts. We will equip them with these reading and writing abilities in order to prepare them for exams, work and the world at large. In addition, we intend our students to be sophisticated users of English, therefore we build their vocabulary and critical thinking so that they might express themselves clearly and intelligently.
Our provision includes:
- a range of trips and activities to enhance their subject knowledge and understanding
- a range of work-related learning and Enterprise opportunities
- a knowledge-rich, thematic curriculum that provides breadth of texts and depth of thinking through recurring themes in our chosen texts
- developing analytical skills
- developing core writing skills from punctuation to spelling
- develop key literacy skills to enhance reading abilities
- enabling students to flourish in the wider world by equipping them with transferable skills and knowledge
- develop independence, resilience, and autonomy to ensure students confidently make good choices and progress in life
- provide opportunities for students needing additional support or intervention to achieve success in this subject
At KS3 we introduce students to the critical reading skills – moving away from reading and understanding at primary school. These skills, such as applying context to deepen understanding or considering a range of perspectives, enable students to be GCSE ready and equipped for a variety of skills needed, including interacting with the range of people they will meet in life. We also build on their existing writing skills so that they might express themselves accurately, fluently, and judiciously.
KS3 Objectives:
- to teach students Critical Reading Skills to be GCSE ready
- to teach students to improve their existing writing skills such as spelling and vocabulary
- to develop student knowledge of a wide range of texts from Shakespeare to the 21st Century
- to develop student understanding of texts and their contemporary and current relevance by connecting them to today’s world
- to firmly embed student knowledge of texts by connecting those texts and recurring themes and concepts
"There is nothing outside the text" - Derrida.
English provides the foundations for life; it enables us to have a voice, to be heard and understood. It is crucial that students leave school with a ‘voice’ and the tools to successfully manage working life, regardless of profession choice.
Our intention is to provide KS4 students with an education chosen to equip them for life. We will enable them to have good reading and writing abilities in order to prepare them for exams, work and the world at large. In addition, we intend our students to have as many advantages as we can afford them by giving them meaningful homework, challenging lessons, gift every student with their own set of literary texts that they study for the course, enrichment opportunities and a range of interventions, including the opportunity for an additional qualification for some of our identified students. Our interventions vary from 1:1 interviews or support, small group seminars or targeted groups aiming for particular grades. These are run by both students and teachers. This is to ensure our offer meets the needs of all our students and their life chances are all significantly increased.
