‘Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.’
Aristotle

Our curriculum vision

All learners, regardless of their ability, will have access to inspiring, ambitious, and high-quality texts. Our English curriculum will cultivate a culture of literary exploration and resilience that will promote a curiosity for literature and language.

Learners will study a variety of texts and writers throughout the history of language and consider how texts have changed over time. They will develop the ability to speak, listen, read, and write with passion and purpose, using language to learn and communicate, to think, explore and organise. Through challenge and support, students will be guided through the Key Stages where they will build knowledge and skills. High quality teaching, carefully sequenced lessons, modelling, and feedback will ensure progress for all.

Having been exposed to literature in this way, learners will be confident about exploring others’ viewpoints and perspectives, while also expressing their own, and expanding their world view. We aim to develop independent learners who have empathy and understanding of themselves and the world around them. We want to instil our passion for the English language into our students. Access to the English language is a portal that ensures our students can be critical thinkers within their school career and beyond.

Year 9

In Year 9, students complete their study of the National Curriculum for Key Stage 3, preparing them for GCSE study in Years 10 and 11. Students work in mixed ability groupings to create aspiration and engagement for all. This is a mixed programme of study, exploring both Language and Literature topics. Our model of curriculum sequencing allows students to revisit key concepts, allowing for greater understanding before embarking on GCSE study.

Years 10 and 11

All learners, regardless of their ability, will have access to the texts that are offered at GCSE. Our curriculum will develop, enhance, and refine the knowledge of literature and language gained from Key Stages 1-3, and equip students with the skills to apply this to their GCSE exams. It promotes learners with the intellectual and cultural curiosity to take learning into life beyond the classroom.

Learners will study a variety of texts selected from lists provided by the exam board. They will have the opportunity to consider how texts are a product of their contexts, and how these contexts change over time. We expose learners to fiction and non-fiction texts which challenge them and their thinking, but which also allow them to appreciate the beauty and timeless quality of literature. Learners will develop their analytical skills and be able to confidently explore the language, structure, and form of a variety of texts across genres.

Learners will refine their ability to communicate orally and through their writing for different purposes and audiences. They will learn to critically evaluate texts and their themes, ideas and information using precise vocabulary and terminology.

By the end of Key Stage 4, learners have been exposed to high quality classic and contemporary texts and will be equipped with the ability to read, recognise, and understand how language is used to convey complex ideas, thoughts, and feelings. They will have had the opportunity to expand their horizons, express their viewpoints, and challenge their thinking. Learners will be equipped for the next stage of their journey.

How to find out more

www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english – Exam board website featuring the specification and an array of exemplar assessment materials

Be ambitious: Engage with the Super Curriculum