High achievement for all epitomises what the English Faculty believes in, that no matter what barriers young children may face, as teachers of English we are responsible for ensuring children overcome barriers, make progress, achieve their full potential and leave school as happy, confident and well educated global citizens.
Teaching and Learning
There are four main English strands – reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Reading- Our students study a wide range of modern, classic and Shakespearean literature – reading a variety of novels, plays and poetry. We develop and extend students’ subject knowledge by ensuring that they study books in English lessons and that they also have a dedicated lesson in the school’s well stocked library. Every student is asked to carry a reading book with them at all times and they can read this or choose another during registration, at break and at lunchtimes. Students also study a range of literary non-fiction texts such as letters and biographies.
Writing- Our students are encouraged to write at length and in detail in many different forms. For example: essay writing, character studies, newspaper articles as well as creative writing such as poems and stories. Careful instruction is given in both punctuation and spelling.
Spoken Language- Our students are encouraged to speak in front of their peers by reading aloud, making presentations and answering questions. Students also speak in role which encourages insight into a character’s feelings and motivations. Students are encouraged to be free thinkers and speakers and to widen their understanding of the world around them through the study of Literature in the classroom.Students are encouraged to listen, not only to the meanings of words, but also the tone in which they are delivered in the texts studied. Students are encouraged to openly discuss and debate ideas and the English classroom is a place where all ideas are heard.
“Challenge, pace and engagement which require students to hypothesise and speculate. In a Year 8 English class, students used their knowledge of the Gothic style of writing and narrative structure to consider the direction an Edgar Alan Poe story might take. One student’s answer was so imaginative and vivid that it drew a gasp from the others.”
“Students enter the school with below average standards in English and mathematics. By the end of Year 11, all groups of students’ attainment is broadly in line with national figures, reflecting the outstanding progress they make.”
The Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 English curriculum and schemes of work meet the needs of all learners and cover the programme of study for English. The English curriculum keeps pupils at the heart of any ideas, a key feature in the current St. Paul’s Way KS3 curriculum is the inclusive element that allows all pupils to achieve regardless of their need or ability. This includes the introduction of classics and 19th century literature texts and the mirroring of the skills required at key stage four.
The GCSE English Language and English Literature courses are designed to develop students’ ability to perceptively explore texts and widen their ability to read, understand and respond insightfully to a number of stimuli. The AS and A2 Level courses are designed as a follow-on from GCSE and aim to further develop students’ appreciation of and engagement with literary and non-literary material.
English is a popular subject choice in our Sixth Form and widely favoured by students. English has a strong teacher base and is widely recognised by universities and employers as a well-respected academic course. It is suitable for all careers and is particularly pertinent to law, administration, media and publishing.
English celebrate their strongest performance of results, where students continue to achieve exceptional grades. The Faculty have achieved the highest ever GCSE results in English Language and English Literature in both % of students achieving a standard pass and the number of students achieving the top end grades.
More information about the sites listed is given in the relevant chapters. Information correct at time of going to press.
• Exam boards
• www.aqa.org.uk the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA)
• Coursework and revision
(Please read notes on the use of essay banks in ‘revision’).
• www.gcseguide.co.uk – Use the ‘bookshop’ option to see what revision guides are available in each subject area.
· Mr Bruff—You tube videos https://www.youtube.com/user/mrbruff
· Memrise—for learning quotes