The Purpose of the English Curriculum is: 

• We believe that our pupils deserve a broad, deep and knowledge rich curriculum. 
• We want pupils to enjoy their English lessons and look forward to them. 
• We aim to inspire our pupils to read widely and deeply, to explore a range of cultures, experiences and opinions that come from a wide range of social, cultural, and political concepts. This will help them to develop critical thinking, to form their own opinions of the world in which they live, develop their empathy, make sure they are aware of the opinions of others and be able to accept and respect those views. 
• We want our pupils to feel confident and comfortable in reading a range of non-fiction to allow the opportunity to develop their own cultural capital and develop a desire to keep up with current affairs. 
• We want out pupils to develop self-belief and curiosity, meaning they independently seek to find answers, understanding and create questions through their learning. 
• We want pupils to have a love of writing. It is important that our pupils can communicate their own thoughts and opinions accurately. Pupils need to be able to write in a range of forms and for different purposes, which not only prepare them for their upcoming exams, but also for future ambitions and employment opportunities.  
• During lessons, pupils will focus on the spoken word.  Pupils will have the opportunity to communicate their ideas with others in pairs, groups, and class discussions. Throughout the year, pupils will be able to debate topics of interest and deliver speeches to their class. This will help pupils deal with the everyday demands of the spoken word in further education or in a work environment. 

• Mrs A Elliott – Curriculum Leader of English 
• Mrs A Bradley-Baston – Lead Practitioner in English 
• Miss I Sporidis – Literacy Co-Ordinator  
• Mrs J Nunes – 2 i/c English Department 
• Mr K Mackenzie-Ingle  
• Miss L Heath – Curriculum Leader of Media

More information about the topics listed can be found in the Student Resources area of Sharepoint.

Exam Board: AQA

Syllabus Numbers: Language 8700 | Literature 8702 

Course content:

The English course is compulsory and provides opportunities to develop skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing in a wide variety of contexts.  

Pupils will be engaged in studying for two separate GCSE examinations in this subject: English Language and English Literature. Pupils will cover work on a wide variety of texts, consisting of:  

• a complete play by Shakespeare  
• a pre-19th Century novel  
• a pre-20th Century play  
• poems from the AQA Poetry Anthology “Poems Past and Present”, published by the Examination Board  
• non-fiction texts.  

In addition, pupils will also have the opportunity to write creatively, developing vital skills to help them express a point of view as well as to write descriptively.  

Assessment structure 

• English Language and English Literature count as two separate GCSE qualifications and are given separate grades on the GCSE certificates. 
   
• Final assessment is through terminal examination only:  

GCSE English Language comprises of two examination papers consisting of questions based on unseen texts provided by the Examination Board and two creative writing tasks. 

•  Non-examination assessment: Spoken Language. Pupils will give a formal presentation. They will need to respond appropriately to questions and to feedback, asking questions themselves to elicit clarification.  

GCSE English Literature includes two examination papers based on the texts studied over the course. These assessments are ‘closed-book’ and any stimulus required for the exams will be provided as part of the question paper.  

Pupils looking to move beyond GCSE to college or sixth form have several options. There is a selection of AS English courses offering a qualification at a more demanding level, which is recognised as a qualifying contribution to Higher Education. For example, pupils can study AS Levels in either English Language, English Literature or English Language and Literature combined. High level communication skills are vital for success in the world of work. 

More information about the topics listed can be found in the Student Resources area of Sharepoint.