English

“The best of a book is not the thought which it contains, but the thought which it suggests; just as the charm of music dwells not in the tones but in the echoes of our hearts.”
Oliver Wendall Holmes (1809-1894) American author and poet

Key Stage 3

Students will be encouraged to enjoy and explore a wide variety of different texts in years seven to nine. Firstly, we believe that it is important to study whole novels and plays; therefore classes will read and discuss great works of literature, such as Shakespeare plays and ‘Animal Farm’. We also promote students’ own reading by introducing them to more modern fiction, such as ‘Skellig’ and ‘The Foreshadowing’. However, it is important to introduce students to as many non-fiction genres as possible, too. Throughout Key Stage Three students will investigate and analyse: the differences between tabloid and broadsheet newspapers; different types of travel writing; advertising campaigns and much more.

Furthermore, students in Key Stage Three will be given opportunities to develop their imaginative skills in various pieces of creative writing, such as poems, short stories, scripts, etc.

We are, also, placing greater emphasis on spoken tasks to increase students’ confidence in giving presentations and expressing their opinions in a range of situations.

Key Stage Four

The majority of students will be completing the:

Edexcel English Language Specification.

Edexcel English English Literature Specification.

Those students who take a vocational course in year 10 and 11 will be following:

The Edexcel English Specification for two years

A Level English Language

English Language places emphasis on understanding the underlying messages of texts and how this is greatly affected by their context, for example in the study of language and gender, language and power and language and technology. Students can also develop their creative talents in the coursework, which consists of two pieces of original writing, which could be articles, monologues, reviews, etc.

English Language Specification

A Level English Literature

The focus in English Literature is upon appreciating aspects of narrative and the writer’s craft. Students will study a variety of works: modern, such as ‘The Kite Runner’ and classic, such as ‘The Great Gatsby’. There is an emphasis on exploring different genres, such as tragedy (‘Othello’, ‘All My Sons’) and pastoral writing (‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’, Blake poetry).

 English Literature Specification