English

English celebrates the breadth of the human imagination and the extraordinary power of language. The aim of our department is to take students on a journey to develop their love and knowledge of powerful written and spoken texts. We do this through teaching the works of a diverse range of writers from different times and cultures.

To develop reading we teach a range of texts that increase in challenge through the key stages, carefully selected to ensure pupils develop vocabulary, explore language from different times and prepare for life in modern Britain. Reading for pleasure is an integral part of the curriculum with individual reading time built into lessons.

Pupils are taught to write accurately and effectively, building knowledge of grammar and vocabulary in the process, resulting in increased fluency. Additionally, pupils learn how to speak confidently and effectively, notably in the Poetry By Heart work.

Key Stage 3

In each year of Key Stage 3 pupils read a novel and Shakespeare play, as well as studying a selection of poetry and a range of non-fiction texts.

Year 7

Through the theme of Other Worlds we ignite the imagination by exploring classic and modern texts. An initial transition unit uses Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Later in the year, we study Susan Cooper’s King of Shadows before students are introduced to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and a range of poetry from different periods and cultures.

In doing so, we teach:

  • Creative reading and writing and the language of analysis.
  • Knowledge of how writers can use language, structure and form to entertain, inform and persuade.

Year 8

Through the theme of identity pupils study The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo and Shakespeare’s The Tempest. We also look at poetry from Amnesty International’s Words That Burn initiative and a range of non-fiction texts that include William Bligh’s account of the Mutiny on the Bounty and works written by Charles Dickens and Dorothy Wordsworth.

In doing so, we teach:

  • The art of reading and writing from a viewpoint and the language of persuasion
  • How different viewpoints can be expressed persuasively in both written and spoken forms.

Year 9

Through the theme of Power and Conflict we begin the year examining the rhetoric of conflict to be found in speeches from Henry V, Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King and Colonel Tim Collins. We teach texts that include A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, as well as the poetry of Ted Hughes, Carol Ann Duffy and others.

In doing so, we teach:

  • The art of reading and writing in different forms for different purposes and audiences and the language of rhetoric.
  • How language can assert ideologies of power, portray human frailty and evoke empathy.
Key Stage 4

In Years 10 and 11, we continue our journey begun at Key Stage 3 and build on the knowledge students have already acquired. In doing so, we teach students so they deepen their knowledge of texts from across different time periods.

At GCSE, there are ten mixed ability teaching groups following the AQA GCSE specifications in English Language and English Literature (8700 and 8702). Students study for both these qualifications across 8 lessons per fortnight. GCSE English Language and English Literature specifications both have one tier of entry and are assessed entirely by written examination at the end of the course.

For English Language GCSE, students study a variety of high quality fiction and non-fiction writing across a range of text types from the past and present:

  • Fiction
  • Literary non-fiction
  • Descriptive writing
  • Narrative writing

Speaking and listening skills are assessed in this specification but are accredited through a separate qualification.

Click here to view details of the AQA GCSE English Literature specification.

For English Literature GCSE, students study a range of high quality literary texts from the past and present, including:

  • Poetry (from the AQA Poetry Anthology power and conflict cluster and unseen poetry)
  • A Shakespeare play (Macbeth)
  • A 19th century text (The Sign of Four)
  • A modern text (Lord of the Flies)

Click here to view details of the AQA GCSE English Literature specification.

Key Stage 5

At A level, the English department offers highly successful courses in English Literature and in Film Studies.

English Literature

Students follow the OCR English Literature syllabus (H472).

Students complete three components

  • Shakespeare and pre-1900 poetry and drama
  • Prose texts organised by theme e.g. American Literature, Gothic Literature, Dystopian Literature, Post-colonial Literature
  • There is also a non-examined assessment (NEA) which is worth 20% of the final qualification. The NEA allows students to produce their own creative writing as well as an independent study of contemporary literature across all three genres.

Click here to view the A level English Literature specification.

Film Studies

The Film Studies group follows the OCR (H410) A Level Film Studies specification.

Students complete three components:

  • Film History (study of films from three periods in 20th century US film history; study films from two major European film movements)
  • Critical Approaches (study of contemporary British and contemporary US film; study of documentary; study of non-European, non-English language film; study of US independent film)
  • The non-examined assessment (NEA) gives students the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge, understanding and skills through the production of a 5-minute short film or a 10-minute screenplay.

Click here to view the A Level Film Studies specification.

Enrichment

The English Department also looks to develop this love and knowledge of language by inviting students to take part in a wide range of extracurricular activities each year . These include:

  • the Rotary Youth Speaks Competition
  • the Young Writer Competition
  • Poetry By Heart, BBC Radio 2 500 Words Competition
  • the GCSE Poetry Live Simon Powell Poetry Prize
  • the Carnegie prize book club

The department has had significant success with the Poetry By Heart competition, in both 2021 and 2022 a KLB student reached the prestigious final at the Globe Theatre, performing on the stage there.

Additionally, the department runs Film Club on Tuesdays and our Creative Writing Club on Thursdays.

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