English

Key Stage 2 English

At Key Stage 2 learners should build their core skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening to then apply them effectively in KS3 and master them in KS4 with a view to making good progress in all areas.

English and literacy are at the heart of the KS 1 and 2 curriculum. We teach reading, starting at Ks1, where we follow the Letters And Sounds phonics program. At KS2 we aim to develop a love for reading in our students.

The curriculum is designed to engage our students through the use of interesting and relevant topics covering all sub-strands of the National Curriculum. English is taught as a discrete subject every day but has close cross curricular links to the foundation subjects which are taught through a topic learning approach.

 

Year 1 pupils will take the phonics screening test.

Year 6 students take the SATs exam which is a statutory national test and excellent practice for future exams.

Students produce work on a range of topics including:

• Fiction
• Non-Fiction
• Poetry
• Narrative
• Drama
• Journalistic Writing

Key Stage 2 Long Term English Plan.pdf

Alongside this, every student has a dedicated literacy session every day, where students work as individuals or in small groups to build their core reading skills. They are assessed twice a year for their reading age and to ensure personalised intervention.

KS3 and 4 students with high levels of maturity and reading ages above 16.5 have the opportunity to mentor KS2 students as reading prefects.

Key Stage 3 English

At KS3 learners should apply effectively the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills they have built in KS2 with a view to making good progress in all areas.

The curriculum is designed to engage our students through the use of interesting and relevant topics covering all sub-strands of the National Curriculum; fostering an appreciation of good literature through the study of a wide variety of texts.

Language work is focused on sentence construction, vocabulary, paragraphing, Standard English and spelling.

Pupils are assessed rigorously throughout the year and are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning and development through the use of clear assessment outcomes. Assessment covers a range of skills and is used to help pupils in the transition between KS3 & KS4 at the end of Year 9.

All students in Year 9 take the Functional Skills Level 1 exam which is an accredited qualification and excellent practice for future exams.

KS3 and KS4 study the same themes each term to maximise enrichment and cross curricular opportunities

Students produce work studying the following units:

• Class Novella
• Media
• Poetry
• Shakespeare
• Drama
• Creative Writing

Long Term plan: O:\NH\AWL Planning\2020-2021\Long Term plans

Alongside this, every student has a dedicated literacy session every day, where students work as individuals or in small groups to build their core reading skills. They are assessed twice a year for their reading age and to ensure given personalised and intervention.
 

Key Stage 4 English

At Key Stage 4 learners should master effectively the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills they have built in KS2 and applied in KS3 with a view to making good progress in all areas.

In Year 10 pupils are given a range of opportunities to develop their skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening that they will need to complete their GCSE English in Year 11.

Students study and analyse a range of texts; such as contemporary fiction, Shakespeare, poetry and non-fiction. They also develop writing skills such as; creative writing, informative writing, persuasive writing and a range of others.

Through all the units there are speaking and listening tasks to improve discussion and dialogue in a variety of formal and informal scenarios.

KS3 and KS4 study the same themes each term to maximise enrichment and cross curricular opportunities.

Students at Year 10 study GCSE English Literature with a focus on a range of set texts. In addition, students have the opportunity to see their set text, `Blood Brothers` live on stage.

Students at Year 11 study GCSE English Language. This skills based approach enables and encourages students to explore a range of reading styles and materials. Students are encouraged to write freely on a range of subject matters as well as discuss in depth language for meaning.

Alongside this, every student has a dedicated literacy session every day, where students work as individuals or in small groups to build their core reading skills. They are assessed twice a year for their reading age and to ensure given personalised and intervention.

Students with high levels of maturity and reading ages above 16.5 have the opportunity to mentor KS2 students as reading prefects.

Long Term plan: O:\NH\AWL Planning\2020-2021\Long Term plans