English
| Staff | Mrs M Bromfield | -
Head of English |
| Mr J Eaton | - Assistant English Team Leader and KS3 English Co-ordinator |
|
| Ms L Renshaw | - Teacher of English and KS4 English Co-ordinator | |
| Ms C Bristol | - Teacher of English | |
| Mr C Douglas | - Teacher of English | |
| Ms H Gadd | - Teacher of English | |
| Mr C King | - Teacher of English | |
| Ms L Latchmore | - Teacher of English | |
| Miss L Kilshaw | - Teacher of English | |
| Mrs K White | - Teacher of English | |
| Mr S Davies | - Teacher of English and Head of House | |
| Mrs L Cregan | - Department Assistant |
English Department Philosophy
The English Department empowers students to become confident and successful in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and fosters a love of literature and an understanding of the power of language.
We inspire students to:
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become confident speakers and writers who can express their thoughts persuasively, accurately and creatively |
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become inquiring thinkers who can challenge their own ideas and those of others |
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broaden their perspective of the world by exploring a range of ideas, situations and cultural issues |
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cultivate enthusiasm for reading, both for pleasure and for learning |
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develop the ability to analyse a range of texts |
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become skilled communicators in order to prepare and empower themselves to meet the demands of the world beyond KCC. |
KS3
Year 7
Year 7 begins with an exploration of the roots of the English language. In the second half-term, we aim to develop our students’ appreciation of the craft of writing by studying a novel. After Christmas, each class will design and create its own magazine. Looking first at real-life examples, students will analyse the kind of content available, the way articles are structured and the different styles that writers can use. In the second half of the Spring Term – perhaps appropriately placed given the season – students study Shakespeare’s The Tempest and also consider different views of Shakespeare’s importance. The final term begins with a study of various short stories, again focussing on the writer’s craft, and ends with a unit on poetry, where students are encouraged to develop their own creative writing and spoken performances. Throughout the year, we emphasise the importance of literacy and view it as fundamental to enabling creativity. Students will complete a range of Controlled Assessments throughout the year focussing on these key areas: Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening.
Year 8
Our Year 8 curriculum aims to build on and develop the skills learned in Year 7. Linking back to the Year 7 magazine project, we begin Year 8 by looking at journalistic style and film reviews in particular. We also study war poetry and Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. In the Spring Term, students will study another novel, this time developing their analytical skills. We also run a writer’s workshop scheme in parallel with this to encourage links between reading and students’ own creative writing. The final term in Year 8 contains units on travel journalism, creative writing and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Students will complete a range of Controlled Assessments throughout the year focussing on these key areas: Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening.
Year 9
For the first two terms of Year 9 students will follow a programme of work which includes a study of a themed poetry anthology, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a modern novel and a unit which will focus on developing writing skills in preparation for GCSE. They will also be introduced to the study of spoken language and linguistics. Throughout the year, we aim to prepare students for their Year 10 GCSE course and, in May, they will deliver a presentation in class which counts towards their GCSE Speaking and Listening grade.
KS4
Year 10
The majority of students follow a GCSE course in Year 10. This focuses on the AQA specification and will lead to either one or two GCSEs at the end of Year 11. Students will complete a common assessment piece at the start of the year. This, along with teacher assessment and other data, will be used to place them into either a single or dual award group for the remainder of their course.
Dual award students will focus on the English Language GCSE. They will undertake four pieces of Controlled Assessment, with tasks focusing on ‘Reading and Understanding Written Texts’ and ‘Spoken Language Study’. There will also be a range of opportunities for Speaking and Listening assessment, which constitutes 20% of the final GCSE English Language grade. Dual award students also complete one Literature Controlled Assessment, focusing on ‘Shakespeare and Literary Heritage’.
Single award students will complete two pieces of Controlled Assessment, with tasks taken from the GCSE English specification. Tasks will focus on ‘Prose Reading’ and ‘Creative Writing’. There will also be a range of opportunities for Speaking and Listening assessment, which constitutes 20% of the final GCSE English grade.
A small group of students will be following the AQA Entry Level Functional English specification.
Year 11
There are two progression pathways in Year 11. The route that your child will follow is dependent on performance in Year 10.
GCSE English
Students following the single award course of GCSE English will study the AQA specification. During the year, they will undertake five pieces of Controlled Assessment, involving the study of poetry, prose and Shakespeare as well as writing in a range of styles. At the end of the year, students will resit the Unit 1 modular exam in order to have the chance to improve the grade achieved at the end of Year 10. The exam constitutes 40% of the final grade, with Controlled Assessment providing 40% and Speaking and Listening making up the final 20%.
GCSE English Language and Literature
Students following the dual award course of GCSE English Language and Literature will study the AQA specification. The course begins with the completion of a Controlled Assessment based on the comparison of a Shakespeare play and another text from the English Literary Heritage. Students will then study a range of poetry, including cultural and heritage texts, along with unseen poetry analysis. This is in preparation for a modular exam in January. The final unit of the course sees students studying two prose and/or drama texts in preparation for their final modular exam in summer. At the end of the course, students will receive two separately graded GCSEs. The weighting for components is as follows:
English Language: 40% Unit 1 exam (assessed in Year 10), 40% Controlled Assessment (completed in Year 10), 20% Speaking and Listening.
English Literature: 25% Controlled Assessment; 35% Unit 2 ‘Poetry Across Time’ exam; 40% Unit 1 ‘Exploring Modern Texts’ exam.
For the Year 11 Literature course, the college will provide blank copies of the two set texts for use in the Unit 1 examination. Students will be asked to provide their own copies of these two texts for use in class. This will enable them to produce annotated copies of the text during their course of study.
Textbooks are available to support all GCSE routes.
All are published by Nelson Thornes and available from bookshops and Amazon.
AQA GCSE English and English Language Higher Tier Study Guide -
ISBN-10: 1408505959
AQA GCSE English and English Language Foundation Tier Guide –
ISBN-10: 1408505967
AQA GCSE English and English Language Higher Revision Guide –
ISBN-10: 1408506912
AQA GCSE English and English Language Foundation Tier Revision Guide-
ISBN-10: 1408506920
AQA GCSE English Literature Poetry and Anthology -
ISBN-10: 1408505991
KS5
In the Sixth Form, the English Department offers two discrete AS / A2 courses:
- AQA English Language
- Edexcel English Literature
AS / A2 English Language
Priest: Why do we say 'Amen' and not 'Awomen'?
Bishop: Because we sing hymns not hers.
This A-level is quite simply an analytical exploration of English language in all its myriad forms.
How come the word ‘chairman’ is seen as sexist, but the word ‘manual’ is not? Why do you talk differently to your gran than to your mates…or your teachers? Hw iz it U cn make sense of txt spk or stuf like dis? (and why does it seem so odd to see it here?)
Questions like these are explored in this A-level as we take a critical approach to how users of English communicate in both spoken and written forms, starting with the structural elements that comprise grammar and conversations before building to the ways in which infants learn language and how English has become such a global phenomenon.
The course is markedly different to English GCSE as it is far more technical, and although there is a creative element to both the AS and A2 course, allowing for the development of individuals’ powers of expression, the course is primarily analytical in nature. There is also a significant shift of focus towards a balance of both spoken and written language.
Students require a minimum grade B in English Language or English Literature at GCSE in order to access the course.
Students require a minimum grade B in English Language or English Literature to access the course.
Main modules for study:
AS Units:
Categorising texts - 30%
This is an examination module
- An exploration of the variety of language we are surrounded by and learn how to analyse it systematically.
- The study of how language is related to power, gender and technology.
Creating texts – 20%
This is a coursework module
- Practise a wide range of written forms and genres and choose two for submission.
A2 Units:
Developing Language - 30%
This is an examination module
- Children acquisition of spoken and written language.
- Language change over time
Investigating Language – 20%
This is a coursework module
- A research project on a language study of students’ own choice.
AS / A2 English Literature
‘ Books are humanity in print ‘ – Barbara Tuchman
Writers over the ages have created novels, plays and poems to entertain, to intrigue and to explore a variety of human situations. They invite us to question ourselves, others and the world around us: What motivates cruelty? Are we in control of our own destinies? Do men and women respond differently when in love? How has history defined the literature that has been handed down to us? Literature is a map of the history of mankind; it is food for the mind, the heart and the soul!
English Literature involves the study of a range of texts – poetry, prose and drama – and the exploration of character, theme, context and writer’s style. This is an essay-based course.
Students require a minimum grade B in English Language and English Literature to access the course.
AS Unit 1 Explorations in Poetry and Prose – 30%
This is an examination module.
- Unseen poetry or prose
- A group of poems, based on ‘Home’, ‘Land’ or ‘Work’
- Two novels: one text is the main focus of study, the second is the supporting text.
- Unseen poetry or prose
AS Unit 2 Explorations in Drama – 20%
This is a coursework module.
- Two plays are studied, one of which must be by Shakespeare. The explorative study of 2500 words will be the main focus of Unit 2.
- A short creative piece based on one of the plays is an additional coursework piece.
A2 Unit 3 Interpretations of Prose and Poetry – 30%
This is an examination module.
- Section A – Unprepared prose and poetry
- Section B – Analytical essay on three prescribed texts.
A2 Unit 4 Reflections in Literary Studies – 20%
This is a coursework module
- One extended study OR two shorter studies of 3000 words are prepared based on texts chosen by the teacher in consultation with students. It is a requirement that students select on further text for independent study.