English

Curriculum Intent

The English department at Bishop Stopford’s School are committed to developing a lifelong love of language and literature delivered within the context of our students and the world in which they live. Through our choice of inclusive, challenging and complex texts we enable our students to develop the skills necessary to respond critically to information both in an educational setting and in the wider world. We build confidence, independence and resilience giving learners the ability to articulate both orally and in writing. We instil strong values, empathy and encourage emotional intelligence to give our students a springboard to embrace the challenges ahead.

Student Learning Journey

At KS3, in line with the National Curriculum students will:

In reading:

  • develop an appreciation of literature by reading an increasingly challenging wide-range of fiction and non-fiction texts including whole books, short stories, poems and plays with a wide coverage of genres, historical periods, forms and authors.
  • Students will also explore how to read critically by knowing how language (i.e. figurative, vocabulary choice and grammar) and also structure (text structure, paragraphing, sequencing etc.) are used to create meaning across a range of texts and authors including study, understanding and critical comparison of how a range of devices are used by playwrights, poets and authors to convey meaning and interpretations.

In writing:

  • students will explore how to write accurately, fluently, effectively and at length across a range of writing styles, tasks, purposes and audiences including essays, creative stories, scripts, speeches, poetry and non-fiction texts.
  • Students will know how to summarise and organise ideas coherently, in sequence and with factual detail to support their views and also apply growing knowledge of literary and rhetorical devices from their reading and listening to enhance the impact of their writing.
  • Students will understand how to critique their own writing by amending their use of vocabulary, grammar and structure in their writing in order to improve coherence and effectiveness of their work.

Speaking and Listening:

  • students will be taught how to use standard English confidently during classroom discussions and given the opportunity to express their views orally by giving short presentations and/ or speeches.
  • Students will participate in formal debates, structured discussions and develop dramatic oral skills whilst studying plays.

 

Key Stage 3 English

In Year 7 students will focus on:

Reading – development of KS2 word reading and comprehension

  • Students will learn new vocabulary which builds upon prior KS2 vocabulary knowledge (root words, prefixes/suffixes etc.)
  • Students will also further develop ability to make inferences about texts with understanding at both literal and implicit level and demonstrate comprehension of what has been read.
  • Students will use prior KS2 knowledge of the context of Shakespeare plays, poetic devices and how writers use linguistic and structural devices for effect to explore a range of texts across various genres and eras.

Writing – development of KS2 writing composition ability and use of vocabulary, grammar and punctuation for effect.

  • Students will plan how to use specific linguistic devices in their creative writing which emulates those used by authors to create characters and settings and also the appropriate structural, vocab and grammatical devices required when writing effective non-fiction pieces e.g. letters and articles.

Speaking and Listening

Throughout the year students will engage in oral presentations, drama activities (such as Hot Seating) and paired talk in order to demonstrate effective oracy.

 

In Year 8 students will build on the skills acquired in Year 7 with a focus on:

Reading:

  • critical evaluation of writer intentions and analysis of authorial methods are revisited from year 7 and applied to more complex texts such as Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and Dickens’ Oliver Twist.
  • Understanding of the significance of context in how writers create meanings is also explored further this year.

Writing and Speaking and Listening:

  • Students enhance their use of structural and linguistic devices for the purposes of informing, explaining, instructing and advising in the form of various non -fiction writing tasks. Each writing task is accompanied by opportunities for student to orally present their ideas in the form of speeches, presentations and role-play.

 

By the end of Year 9 students will be able to:

In Reading:

  • explore a range of texts including a Shakespearean play, a modern play and an anthology of culturally diverse short stories with focus on identifying meaning through critical analysis of a variety of social and historical contexts and critical comparison of authorial methods used by writers to convey meaning for readers and audiences.

In Writing:

  • students will complete a range of fiction and non – fiction tasks throughout the year with focus on the use of vocabulary, linguistic devices and structural methods to create specific effects for the reader. These schemes also enable students to frequently critique and improve their spelling, vocabulary, punctuation and grammar.

In Speaking and Listening

  • students will be taught how to use standard English confidently during classroom discussions and given the opportunity to express their views orally by giving short presentations and/ or speeches.

Key Stage 4 English

At KS4, students will study the Edexcel GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature courses.  Building on the skills and knowledge acquired at Key Stage 3, the curriculum will focus on embedding higher level understanding as follows:

Reading

  • Students will read and appreciate in depth, a range of English literary heritage texts spanning various eras and authors including Shakespeare, literature from the 19th, 20th and 21st Centuries and poetry since 1789. This includes a wide range of full texts across plays, fiction and non-fiction as well as short stories.
  • Students will be challenged to:
    • understand and critically evaluate texts by forming personal views and opinions based on evidence within texts.
    • identify and summarise explicit and implicit information from texts such as themes and ideas
    • analyse the effectiveness of writers’ use of language, structure and form to create effects for the reader.
    • make critical comparisons between texts, refer to the context, themes and the authorial methods within texts using knowledge and skills from wider reading to achieve this.

Writing

Students will be able to:

  • adapt writing to suit a variety of tasks, audiences and purpose by using appropriate linguistic devices and accurate structural features in their work.
  • write formally using standard English with ideas, facts and points well organised and coherent. Evidence, details and quotations will be used to support and emphasise ideas and create effects for the reader.
  • revise, edit and amend use of spelling, vocabulary, punctuation, sentence types and grammar to check for accuracy, clarity and overall effectiveness.

Spoken Language

Students will be taught to:

  • Speak confidently using Standard English and other forms of English where necessary.
  • Engage in talk with peers either in pairs, groups, debates or whilst undertaking certain roles i.e. that of characters within literature
  • Listen to others speak in both formal and informal settings and contribute to this by asking questions and challenging courteously when necessary.
  • Plan spoken presentations and debates and explore how language can be used effectively to persuade, inform or convey mood via vocabulary, tone, volume or intonation.

Key Stage 5 English

At KS5, students will study the AQA English Literature A Level Specification B Course. 

Building on the knowledge and skills embedded in Key Stage 4, students will undertake an in-depth study of a variety of Tragedy and Political and Social Protest texts ranging from the Classical Greek to Shakespearean to modern across plays, novels and poetry.

Students will be taught how to:

  • Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts using associated concepts and terminology and coherent, accurate written expression.
  • Analyse the ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
  • Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the context in which literary texts are written and received.
  • Explore connections across literary texts.
  • Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations.

Students will also study a range of critical views and interpretations with regard to Feminist Theory and Literary Value & the Canon in order to explore different meanings in literary texts and different ways of reading. They will then demonstrate their understanding of this through their writing of conventional and re-creative essays.

 

How is English taught?

In English, lessons have clear outcomes so students understand what they will be learning, why and how. Lessons begin with a retrieval activity to recall prior learning and create a bridge between what students already know and will now learn so students have a solid foundation from which to embark on new learning. Students are guided through their learning with clear success criteria and modelled or teacher examples so expectations of the high quality of work required from them is clear and attainable. The support provided to students here is planned so that as time passes students are challenged as they become less dependent on scaffolds and can complete tasks with more independence and self-regulation. Opportunities for feedback within lessons take the form of verbal feedback from teachers, mini-plenaries which assess student understanding of what they know and where they are within the lesson’s learning journey and students are encouraged to peer and/or self-assess the quality of their work verbally and/or in written form.

In terms of marking and feedback, teachers complete a ‘deep mark’ of student work twice a unit where students are given detailed feedback on their strengths and areas of improvement after two assessments. Students are then encouraged to complete DIRT (Dedicated Improvement Reflection Time) tasks whereby written feedback from the teacher is used by students to understand and strengthen the areas identified as requiring improvement. Students then use this time to develop these identified areas. In addition, teachers use data obtained from these ‘deep marks’ to implement the Diagnostic Therapy Testing model (DTT) where teaching is led by the areas of improvement as identified from the deep mark to ensure students make rapid and effective progress.

Home learning

Homelearning is set weekly and embedded within schemes of learning to ensure tasks completed independently enable students to practice and retrieve knowledge gained in class and/or prepare them for subsequent learning due to take place. The tasks set for homelearning within English are varied to ensure students are consistently practising the skills taught in class and for the purpose of student enjoyment and engagement. For example, students may be asked to retrieve knowledge and understanding of concepts taught in class by completing quizzes or answering comprehension style questions. Students may also be asked to explore ideas in advance of lessons e.g. conducting research tasks relating to stimulus to be looked at in class. In all key stages there are also opportunities for development of writing and oracy skills with students being asked to write speeches or presentations. At key stages 4 and 5 students may also be asked to complete exam-style questions under timed conditions to develop their application of knowledge and skill.