English
Intent
Our English curriculum is built on the principles of challenge and excellence, aiming for all students to achieve high outcomes while also fostering personal growth, social awareness, and community connection. In an age increasingly shaped by AI, we emphasise a deeply human approach to communication, ensuring students develop empathy, insight, and a strong literary voice.
We teach in mixed ability groups without compromising ambition. Students engage with challenging texts and concepts throughout KS3 and KS4, supported by an inclusive and adaptive teaching approach that encourages enjoyment and connection with English.
Reading is central to our curriculum. At KS3, students read at least five novels per year through book clubs, library visits, fast reading schemes, and SPARX Reader homework. This foundation supports the study of diverse and demanding texts at GCSE. Our text choices promote engagement, inclusivity, and critical thinking, helping students explore social issues and develop the confidence to write and speak with wisdom and clarity.
We focus on knowledge-building through interleaving, retrieval practice, and memory platforms. Lessons include regular review activities, vocabulary instruction, and extended writing tasks. Imaginative writing is prioritised at KS3, with dedicated lessons that teach planning, drafting, and reviewing. At KS4, students have fortnightly extended writing lessons linked to exam units.
Oracy is a growing focus, with opportunities for group discussion, formal presentations, and drama performance across all year groups. Students’ speaking skills are assessed annually, culminating in the GCSE Speaking and Listening Endorsement in Year 10.
Further information
Key Stage 3
At KS3, students are introduced to a broad and engaging range of texts, genres and writing forms which lays the foundation for future study. Students will:
- Explore poetry, playscripts, whole novels and non-fiction articles (modern and historical) from a range of genres: mythical, dystopian, Victorian, Gothic
- Investigate the language, form and structure of a text and develop their skills of analysis
- Learn about the importance of historical context when interpreting themes
- Write for a range of purposes: imaginative and transactional
- Learn how to deliberately plan, draft and review their own work, taking pride in presentation as well as content
- Have regular opportunities for quality talk, alongside reading and writing.
- Attend enrichment events such as book festivals, a ‘creative escape’ residential, theatre visits
Throughout KS3 study certain themes are ongoing such as the explicit teaching of threshold concepts and critical vocabulary; the teaching of challenging texts; the emphasis on whole class reading / reading stories aloud to promote reading for pleasure.
Key Stage 4
Over the course of Years 10 and 11 students prepare for two separate GCSEs in English Language and English Literature with the AQA exam board. The KS4 curriculum is interleaved, meaning that students study both courses simultaneously.
For English Literature, the set texts are: Macbeth, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the modern playscript: DNA and a Poetry anthology - Power and Conflict.
For English Language, students study a range of extracts, both fiction and non-fiction, as well as developing their creative and transactional writing. Students also complete a formal speaking and listening assessment which is awarded a pass, merit or distinction.
Key Stage 5: English Literature
Key Stage 5: English Language
Curriculum Plans
English Language Y12 Curriculum Plan
English Language Y13 Curriculum Plan
Curriculum time allocation
KS3 - 8 hours a fortnight
KS4 - 9 hours a fortnight
KS5 English Literature - 10 hours a fortnight (option)
KS5 English Language - 10 hours a fortnight (option)
SEND Learner Experience in English
Planning
At the start of the year, English teachers create a class plan document for each teaching group. These are updated throughout the year with information and strategies to support specific SEND students. Teachers will regularly review the impact that strategies are having and adjust as necessary. Teachers can keep up to date with SEND students’ needs in a variety of ways: working closely with Assistant Teachers and the SEND leaders; reading Individual Learning Plans and EHCPs to understand what they must and should do to support. Daily and weekly updates from the SEND department are shared via email when sudden changes occur in students’ needs.
In English we use additional information to help us support students with low literacy levels and / or low reading age. All students complete CATS and NGRT testing when they enrol. This data is then compared with KS2 SATS results and the Sparx reading age test to identify students who are at, just below and well below expected levels. Students with a reading score of below 95 (SAS) will be prioritised for intervention schemes such as Lexia. Students with a reading score below 90 will be considered for our Reading Partnership Scheme: weekly small group reading aloud. English teachers will be familiar with students reading age and this will inform planning. English enrichment events are targeted to include students with a variety of needs. In the summer term we offer a English / SEND residential for 30+ KS3 students to boost creativity and mental well-being.
Specifically, at KS4, English teachers will monitor and review assessments to identify emerging needs which may warrant applications for access arrangements for GCSE exams. Regular leadership meetings will flag students of concern and this can instigate further testing to better understand students’ needs.
Before each lesson
English teachers will consult seating plans and ensure that SEND students are with supportive peers and in a position where they feel safe and seen. Students with physical and sensory needs will need additional consideration to determine the best positioning for them to comfortably access learning. Teachers will seek students’ input and students should feel they can raise this with their teacher.
Teachers will have identified those SEND students that they wish to prioritise for short check-ins and feedback.
Resources for students with Literacy needs / other SEND will be prepared: coloured overlays; chrome books; bookmarks; checklists; enlarged photocopies; models and writing frames.
Entry routine
All students are welcomed to the English classroom in a friendly and affirmative manner. When thresholding, this is an opportunity for SEND students to ask for anything extra that they might need that day and teachers can foreground any changes to the normal routines.
All English lessons begin in a calm and focused way: the retrieval task will already be displayed on the board (and SEND students may have this printed too); the seating plan is known; books will often be set out beforehand; registers are taken in silence.
During teaching
- To avoid cognitive overload, handouts are created to provide students with all resources that are required.
- PPT slides have a dyslexia friendly font and colour.
- Learning is chunked down and sequenced in a clear order that students are familiar with; SEND students will often have a checklist for the lesson making this explicit.
- Students receive scaffolded resources such as structure strips, word banks, sentence stems.
- When we live model, this will be printed for SEND students or shared via Google Classroom for students with a chrome book
- The Teaching Assistant and English teacher are a team and SEND students can ask either for help.
- Teaching Assistants are rarely seated with just one student; like the teacher, they will monitor the needs of all SEND students and support when needed.
- All students are encouraged to try independent tasks and resilience is praised.
- During independent tasks, teachers and TAs will circulate and give feedback / next steps.
- We have a ‘no hands up’ approach to teacher questioning but teachers will know SEND students that prefer not to answer in front of the class and speak with them 1:1 or in a small group.
- During book club and novel study, students with low reading age are supported via the ‘control the game’ method whereby the teacher and fluent readers read aloud so all students can enjoy stories.
- In book club lessons, oracy work in the form of group discussion, supports students who struggle with recall and inference.
- During reading, the teacher will use supportive strategies (summarising, questioning, clarifying new vocabulary) to enable students with low literacy levels to maintain concentration and recall.
- Where possible, feedback for SEND students will happen during the lesson and take the form of a verbal explanation with a short written comment (next step).
- When unknown or new individual needs show themselves during a lesson we communicate this to the SENDCo through the proper channels.
After each lesson
English teachers will use evidence from live marking and student feedback to identify misconceptions / weaknesses that can be revisited next lesson.
If there is a specific concern - or if they have missed a lesson - SEND students should have a short 1:1 check-in, with either the Teaching Assistant or teacher.
Teachers may share follow-up resources or models of excellence via google classroom.
Teachers will award green boards for students who have worked hard and shown resilience.
After each assessment
In the English department, all assessments are followed with a DIRT lesson (Dedicated, Improvement and Reflection Time) when students receive individual feedback and can try again and make improvements.
Assessment results are recorded and shared with the department and parents.
If there is a specific concern regarding a SEND student, this will be communicated with the SENDCo.
Parents can contact class teachers or the Faculty Lead at any time for further information regarding an assessment. Progress meetings with parents are very much welcomed.
Reading and literacy in English
Subject contact
Shirley Young