English

In English, we aim to inspire learners, regardless of their starting point, to value the magic that can be found in words, whilst guiding them in their acquisition of the literacy skills needed to represent themselves positively in life beyond St. Bede’s. The English Curriculum at St. Bede’s is designed to encourage learners to appreciate the power of vocabulary, develop a reflective approach to their reading of texts and apply their rich understanding of language to their own writing. St. Bede’s English Department is successful and experienced, staffed by a specialist team.

During KS3 (Years 7-9), we aim to ensure that learners experience an English curriculum that is rich in subject knowledge and depth. Learners’ experience of English is fruitful, wide ranging and not ‘taught to a test’. Throughout KS3, students will acquire and enhance the vital skills needed for Literacy and appreciation of literary works. As learners progress to KS4 (Years 10- 11), we follow the AQA GCSE English Language and Literature courses where learners will build on their understanding and skills developed in the Key Stage 3 programme of study for English.

Year 7

English is taught to all learners in Year 7. All classes have a dedicated teacher and follow the same curriculum at the same time, regardless of which class they are in. Work centres around the study of some whole and some part texts, including those taken from other cultures and the English Literary Heritage. A love of reading is fostered through close links with our school library.

Unit 1: Modern Fiction

Students will study the following:

One of the following class novels: Holes by Louis Sachar, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne or Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Ideas and perspectives of writers and how language can be interpreted in varying ways
How contextual factors, such as historical events, can influence writing
Word classes and their functions
The craft, structure and process of narrative writing, from planning to redrafting

Unit 2: Victorian Tales

Students will study the following:

Victorian short stories and poems, featuring The Signalman by Charles Dickens; The Red Room by H. G. Wells and poetry of William Wordsworth.
Victorian genres, nuances of language and structural features
How texts can be interpreted in multiple ways
Sentence structures and various clause types
How to create a vivid scene, from planning to editing.

Unit 3: Power Voices

Students will study the following:

A range of historically powerful and culturally significant texts, such as the writing of David Attenborough and Malala Yousafzai
How language can be used to promote and inspire change
The language of rhetoric and its effect
The analysis and craft of poetic techniques
How to write a powerful speech

Year 8

English is taught to all learners in Year 8. All classes have a dedicated teacher and follow the same curriculum at the same time, regardless of which class they are in. Much of the work in Year 8 centres on the study of texts from the past, including ambitious whole fiction texts as well as a number of poems and shorter non-fiction texts. Importance of context is embedded during Year 8 and learners use this knowledge to appreciate the evolution of literature over time. A love of reading is fostered through close links with our school library.

Unit 1: Modern Fiction

Students will study the following:

One of the following class novels, taken from the modern literary canon: The Woman in Black by Susan Hill, Animal Farm by George Orwell or Lord of the Flies by William Golding
How to write academically using ambitious sentence structures
How concepts, ideas and perspectives may be interpreted in multiple ways
How writers can express important ideas through fiction and represent these ideas using symbolism, motif and allegory
How to open a narrative evoking a powerful atmosphere

Unit 2: Diverse Shorts

Students will study the following:

A range of powerful texts from varying contextual backgrounds and historically significant moments, from Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, to extracts from The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The power of rhetoric and carefully selected vocabulary in inspiring change
The effect that rhetoric can have on an audience and how to write about it using an academic style
how to debate and discuss topical issues and important societal arguments
How to write a journalistic argument, using a formal rhetorical style

Unit 3: Julius Caesar

Students will study the following:

William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar
The art of Shakespeare’s theatre and the impact it had on Elizabethan England
Theme, character, structure and Shakespeare’s language choices and how they affected audiences
The rhetorical influence of the play and its historical inspiration
How to write and deliver a powerful rhetorical speech

Year 9

English is taught to all learners in Year 9. All classes have a dedicated teacher and follow the same curriculum at the same time, regardless of which class they are in. Much of the work in Year 9 centres on the study of whole texts and refining the originality of their writing. Our aim is that learners leave Year 9 with embedded skills, depth of literary knowledge and confidence to meet the high demands of their GCSE studies as they enter Year 10. Year 9 focuses on a breadth of skill and knowledge acquisition; we aim for learners to enter Year 10 with enthusiasm and assurance.

Unit 1: Modern Play

Students will study the following:

J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls
Structural theatrical methods, such as dramatic irony and foreshadowing
Theme and characterisation as concepts purposefully constructed by the writer
How political systems and historical moments can be represented in literature
Development of extended academic writing, including a thesis
How structure can be manipulated in writing to create an interesting narrative

Unit 2: Romeo and Juliet

Students will study the following:

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Gender theories and the role of women in Elizabethan England
How Shakespeare presents ‘big ideas’ through theme and characterisation
Greek theatrical methods: hubris, peripeteia, anagnorisis, catharsis and tragic conventions
Shakespeare’s metre and form
How to express an argument through writing a letter, using powerful vocabulary and sentence craft

Unit 3: Poetry Anthology and Writing Skills

Students will study the following:

a range of poems from contemporary and classical poets, developing an appreciate for poetry as an art
revise prior poetry knowledge and develop further understanding of language and structural techniques
how contextual factors can impact poets’ intentions
poetic voice and tone
how to use comparative language to draw links and connections
the revision of creative and viewpoint writing

Year 10

In Year 10, students undertake their GCSEs in English Language and English Literature, following the AQA specimen. Students follow the same course content, regardless of the class they are in and have three Literature and one language lesson every week. Through their study of all literature texts, students develop a mature critical style, that considers authorial intent, contextual factors and multiple interpretations. They learn to use academic vocabulary fluently and at length.

Unit 1: The Power and Conflict Poetry Anthology & Creative Writing

Students will study the following:

Fifteen poems by a range of authors that explore ideas of human power and conflict
How to critically explore language and structural choices
How poetry is inspired by history, society and the human condition
How to compare poems using a critical style, using comparative phrases and analytical verbs
the process of writing: planning, drafting, editing, proofreading and redrafting
how to structure a narrative in an effective and interesting way
sentence craft, vocabulary extension and descriptive techniques

Unit 2: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens & Creative Writing Development

Students will study the following:

Authorial intent, contextual factors and Dickens’ ideas
The structure of the novella and its effect
How to analyse language and structural choices with depth and considering multiple interpretations
Dickens’ themes and characters as constructs
How to construct an academic essay, using a thesis and a convincing central argument
the process of writing: planning, drafting, editing, proofreading and redrafting
how to structure a narrative in an effective and interesting way
sentence craft, vocabulary extension and descriptive techniques

Unit 3: Blood Brothers by Willy Russell & Viewpoint Writing

Students will study the following:

Authorial intent, contextual factors and Russell’s ideas
The structure of the play and its effect
How to analyse language and structural choices with depth and considering multiple interpretations
Russell’s themes and characters as constructs
Writing academically, using a thesis and a convincing central argument
how to write a convincing and compelling argument
how to use connectives and a rhetorical style
how to write in different formats (letters, articles, speeches, essays and leaflets)

Unit 4: Unseen Poetry & Viewpoint Writing Development

Students will study the following:

How to respond to an unseen text
How to annotate a poem for language, structure and effect
How to write a poetry essay and comparison
How to write a convincing and compelling argument
How to use connectives and a rhetorical style
How to write in different formats (letters, articles, speeches, essays and leaflets)

Year 11

In Year 11, students undertake their study of English Language and Literature following the AQA specimen. Students follow the same course content, regardless of the class they are in and lessons are split equally between English Language and literature. Students continue to develop a mature critical style, that considers authorial intent, contextual factors and multiple interpretations, using academic vocabulary and a mature critical style.

ENGLISH LITERATURE
Unit 1a: Shakespeare’s Macbeth

Students will study the following:

Authorial intent, contextual factors and Shakespeare’s ideas
The structure of the play and its effect
How to analyse language and structural choices with depth and considering multiple interpretations
Shakespeare’s themes and characters as constructs
Writing academically, using a thesis and a convincing central argument

ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Unit 1b: Paper 1 ‘Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing’

Students will study the following:

How to answer the questions accurately with depth and using a mature style
How to comment on writer’s language choices and their effect
How to comment on the structure of a text and its effect
How to evaluate writer’s choices
How to write a convincing and compelling narrative
How to create a vivid scene using descriptive devices

ENGLISH LITERATURE
Unit 2a: Revision of Literature Texts

Students will study the following:

Key themes from all texts; how to track themes across a whole text
Language, dramatic and structural devices used by writers to create meaning
Contextual factors and perspectives and how they influence the texts
How to write an essay in a mature, analytical style.
How to respond to an extract and link it to the wider text
How to annotate and analyse unseen poems with depth.
How to compare methods across two poems

ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Unit 2b: Paper 2 Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspective

Students will study the following:

How to summarise and compare writers’ ideas
How to comment on writer’s language choices
How to compare how writers present their perspectives
How to write a convincing argument in an appropriate style

Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic…

J.K. Rowling