English
We seek to develop key communication and literacy skills in a relevant and up-to-date manner.
The study of literature allows for new ideas to be explored and empathy to be built; it is an enriching and eye-opening experience.

Curriculum
The core skills that we develop throughout Key Stage 3 and 4 are the three strands of reading, writing and speaking & listening. In Y8 we read a play by Anne Fine called ‘Goggle Eyes’ and the novel ‘Beowulf’, an ancient Viking tale of violence and monsters. We also learn to write arguments on uniforms, zoos and homework. Some of our classroom activities include debating, personal writing, group discussions and making news programmes using the iPads.
Year 9
Y9 is a continuation of the work in Y8, building on the good habits and understanding already gained. The class texts are ‘Holes’ and ‘Our Day Out’. Pupils use publisher to create leaflets and make movies using iPads.
Year 10
In Y10 pupils are introduced to writing literature essays, including the study of poetry and Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. All pupils also analyse ‘Coraline’, a quirky gothic fairy-tale, using the novel, graphic novel and film. A wide range of non-fiction texts, such as newspaper articles, are also utilised.
Unit 1 Writing for Purpose and Audience, Reading Non-Fiction and Media Texts
1 hour 45 mins examination – 30%
Unit 2 Speaking and Listening Controlled Assessment, completed in the classroom over the two years and assessed by the teacher – 20%
Unit 3 Studying Spoken and Written Language, two pieces of Controlled Assessment completed in school – 20%
Unit 4 Personal or Creative Writing, Reading Literary and Non-Fiction Texts
1 hour 45 mins examination – 30%
The majority of pupils achieve highly in this subject but those who do face difficulties can avail of small group and one-to-one support with a literacy support teacher.
Unit 1: The Study of Prose. Classes read either ‘Of Mice and Men’ or ‘To Kill A Mocking Bird’.
Unseen prose, a comprehension style task. 1 hour 45 mins examination – 30%
Unit2: The Study of Drama and Poetry
Classes read ‘Juno and the Paycock’ by O’Casey and a collection of poems.
2 hour examination – 50%
Unit 3: The Study of Shakespeare
Pupils study ‘Macbeth’ and complete an essay exploring a theme in class.
Controlled Assessment – 2 hours, 20%
AS Unit 1: The Study of Poetry 1900-Present Day (Plath and Hughes) and Drama 1900-Present Day (‘A Doll’s House’ or similar).
External examination 2 hours – 24% of the overall A Level
AS Unit 2: The Study of Prose pre 1900 (‘Frankenstein’ or similar).
External examination 1 hour – 16% of the overall A Level
A2 Unit 1: Shakespeare (‘Othello’ or similar).
External examination 1 hour 30 minutes – 20% of the overall A Level
A2 Unit 2: Poetry pre-1900 and Unseen Poetry
(Chaucer’s ‘The Wife of Bath’ or similar).
External examination 2 hours – 20% of the overall A Level
A2 Unit 3: Internal Assessment
Pupils read two novels of their own choosing and write a 2500-word essay – 20% of the overall A Level
Teacher support and guidance is given but the work is completed independently.
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