English (Core)

English National Curriculum Key Stage 3

Term Covered

READING

English literature, both pre-1914 and contemporary, including prose, poetry and drama

All

Shakespeare (two plays)

Year 7, Spring 1 (Midsummer Night’s Dream)

Year 9, Spring 2 (Romeo and Juliet)

Seminal world literature

Year 7- Su 2

Year 8 - Su2

Year 9 - Autumn Term

Learning new vocabulary, relating it explicitly to known vocabulary and understanding it with the help of context and dictionaries

Year 7, Au2 - History of Language

Year 8, Sp1-History of Language

Making inferences and referring to evidence in the text

Year 7 - Au1 and Sp2

Year 8 - Spring Term and Su1.

Year 9 - Sp1 and Su1

Knowing the purpose, audience for and context of the writing and drawing on this knowledge to support comprehension

Year 8, Su 1

Year 9, Autumn Term & Su1

Checking their understanding to make sure that what they have read makes sense

Weekly ‘Read for Life’ Comprehension Lesson in all KS3 Subjects.

Knowing how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, presents meaning

All units

Recognising a range of poetic conventions and understanding how these have been used

Year 7 - Su2

Year 8 - Au1, Su2

Year 9 - Sp1

Studying setting, plot, and characterisation, and the effects of these

Year 7- AU1, SP1, SP2, SU1

Year 8- AU1, AU2, SP1, SP2, SU1

Year 9- AU1, SP2, SU1

Understanding how the work of dramatists is communicated effectively through performance and how alternative staging allows for different interpretations of a play

Year 7 - Au1, Su1

Year 9 - Sp2

Making critical comparisons across texts

Throughout - each term has a thematic link and we encourage students to reflect on previous units 

Studying a range of authors, including at least two authors in depth each year

Year 7- Michael Rosen (Au1) & Novel Idea (Sp2) 

Year 8 - Dystopian Text & Animal Farm

Year 9 - Victoriana & Romeo and Juliet

WRITING

Well-structured formal expository and narrative essays

Every assessment point

Stories, scripts, poetry and other imaginative writing

Encouraged throughout  each unit.

Notes and polished scripts for talks and presentations

Year 7- SU2

Year 8- SU2

A range of other narrative and non-narrative texts, including arguments, and personal and formal letters

Year 7 - SU2

Year 8 - AU1

Year 9- AU2

Summarising and organising material, and supporting ideas and arguments with any necessary factual detail

Year 8 - SU1

Year 9- AU2

Applying their growing knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and text structure to their writing and selecting the appropriate form

Every assessment point

Drawing on knowledge of literary and rhetorical devices from their reading and listening to enhance the impact of their writing

Year 7- SU2

Year 8 - SU1

Considering how their writing reflects the audiences and purposes for which it was intended

Every creative writing task

Amending the vocabulary, grammar and structure of their writing to improve its coherence and overall effectiveness

Every green pen lesson (re-drafting)

Paying attention to accurate grammar, punctuation and spelling; applying the spelling patterns and rules set out in English Appendix 1 to the key stage 1 and 2 programmes of study for English

Encouraged throughout  each unit.

GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY

Extending and applying the grammatical knowledge set out in English Appendix 2 to the key stage 1 and 2 programmes of study to analyse more challenging texts

Encouraged throughout  each unit.

Studying the effectiveness and impact of the grammatical features of the texts they read

Encouraged throughout  each unit.

Drawing on new vocabulary and grammatical constructions from their reading and listening, and using these consciously in their writing and speech to achieve particular effects

Encouraged throughout  each unit.

Knowing and understanding the differences between spoken and written language, including differences associated with formal and informal registers, and between Standard English and other varieties of English

Year 7 - AU2

Year 8 - SP1

Year 9 - AU2

Using Standard English confidently in their own writing and speech

Encouraged throughout each unit 

Discussing reading, writing and spoken language with precise and confident use of linguistic and literary terminology

Encouraged throughout  each unit.

SPEAKING

Using Standard English confidently in a range of formal and informal contexts, including classroom discussion

Encouraged throughout each unit 

*Speaking in full sentences as a focus*

Giving short speeches and presentations, expressing their own ideas and keeping to the point

Encouraged throughout  each unit.

Participating in formal debates and structured discussions, summarising and/or building on what has been said

Encouraged throughout  each unit.

Improvising, rehearsing and performing play scripts and poetry in order to generate language and discuss language use and meaning, using role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence, stillness and action to add impact

Year 7 - SP1, SU2

Year 8 - AU1

Year 9 - SP1, SP2

English National Curriculum Key Stage 4

Term Covered

READING

Reading a wide range of high-quality, challenging, classic literature and extended literary non-fiction, such as essays, reviews and journalism. This writing should include whole texts. The range will include: 

At least one play by Shakespeare and works from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries

A Christmas Carol Year 10, Term 2

An Inspector Calls Year 10, Term 4

Macbeth Year 11 Term 1 and 2

Language Paper 1 and 2 Year 10 Term 1 and 3

Revision Year 11 Term 3 to 5

Poetry since 1789, including representative Romantic poetry

Seen and Unseen Poetry

Year 10 Term 5 and 6

Year 11 Term 3-5 Revision of Seen and Unseen Poetry

Re-reading literature and other writing as a basis for making comparisons

Throughout Yr10 in parallel with other texts, ongoing Yr11) Yr 10 Term 1-6 and Year 11 Term 1-5

English Language paper 2  Term 3

Choosing and reading books independently for challenge, interest and enjoyment

Aspirational - Making connections through texts studied.

Reading in different ways for different purposes, summarising and synthesising ideas and information, and evaluating their usefulness for particular purposes

English Language paper 1 Yr10 term 1,

English Language Paper 2 Yr10 Term 3 Ongoing in All Literature text in Year 10 and 11

Drawing on knowledge of the purpose, audience for and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs, to inform evaluation

Ongoing AO3 in all GCSE literature texts

Identifying and interpreting themes, ideas and information

English Literature Paper 1 and Paper 2 - All Units - Ongoing

Exploring aspects of plot, characterisation, events and settings, the relationships between them and their effects

English Literature Paper 1 and Paper 2 - All Units - Ongoing

Seeking evidence in the text to support a point of view, including justifying inferences with evidence

Ongoing AO1 in all Lit and Lang texts

Distinguishing between statements that are supported by evidence and those that are not, and identifying bias and misuse of evidence

English Language Paper 2 - Section A 

Analysing a writer’s choice of vocabulary, form, grammatical and structural features, and evaluating their effectiveness and impact

Ongoing - Key Language and Literature skill

Making critical comparisons, referring to the contexts, themes, characterisation, style and literary quality of texts, and drawing on knowledge and skills from wider reading

English Literature Paper 1 and Paper 2 - All Units - Ongoing

Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these

English Literature Paper 1 and Paper 2 - All Units - Ongoing

WRITING

Write accurately, fluently, effectively and at length for pleasure and information through:

Adapting their writing for a wide range of purposes and audiences: to describe and narrate

English Language Paper 1 Section B 

Year 10 Term 1 and 2

Year 11 Revision Term 1-5

Adapting their writing for a wide range of purposes and audiences:explain, instruct, give and respond to information, and argue

English Language Paper 2 Section B 

Year 10 Term 3 and 4

Year 11 Revision Term 1-5

Selecting and organising ideas, facts and key points, and citing evidence, details and quotation effectively and pertinently for support and emphasis

English Language Paper 2 Section B 

Ongoing English Literature

Selecting, and using judiciously, vocabulary, grammar, form, and structural and organisational features, including rhetorical devices, to reflect audience, purpose and context, and using Standard English where appropriate

English Language Paper 1 Section B 

English Language Paper 2 Section B (

Make notes, draft and write, including using information provided by others [e.g. writing a letter from key points provided; drawing on and using information from a presentation]

Ongoing - Key Language and Literature skill

Revise, edit and proof-read through:

Reflecting on whether their draft achieves the intended impact 

Restructuring their writing, and amending its grammar and vocabulary to improve coherence, consistency, clarity and overall effectiveness

Paying attention to the accuracy and effectiveness of grammar, punctuation and spelling

English Language Paper 1 Section B 

English Language Paper 2 Section B 

GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY

Consolidate and build on their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary through:

Studying their effectiveness and impact in the texts they read

Ongoing - English Literature and Language

Drawing on new vocabulary and grammatical constructions from their reading and listening, and using these consciously in their writing and speech to achieve particular effects

English Language Paper 1 and Paper 2 - Section B

Analysing some of the differences between spoken and written language, including differences associated with formal and informal registers, and between Standard English and other varieties of English

English Literature Paper 1 and Paper 2 (Macbeth, An Inspector Calls)

Using linguistic and literary terminology accurately and confidently in discussing reading, writing and spoken language

Ongoing - English Language and Literature.

SPOKEN ENGLISH

Speak confidently, audibly and effectively, including through:

Using Standard English when the context and audience require it 

Working effectively in groups of different sizes and taking on required roles, including leading and managing discussions, involving others productively,

Class teaching strategy used throughout KS4

Reviewing and summarising, and contributing to meeting goals/deadlines

Class teaching strategy used throughout KS4

Listening to and building on the contributions of others, asking questions to clarify

and inform, and challenging courteously when necessary

Class teaching strategy used throughout KS4

Planning for different purposes and audiences, including selecting and organising information and ideas effectively and persuasively for formal spoken presentations and debates

English Language Spoken component  - (Yr 10 Summer 2)

Listening and responding in a variety of different contexts, both formal and informal, and evaluating content, viewpoints, evidence and aspects of presentation

Class teaching strategy used throughout KS4 - (Yr10 Summer 2)

Improvising, rehearsing and performing play scripts and poetry in order to generate language and discuss language use and meaning, using role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence, stillness and action to add impact

English Literature Paper 1 and Paper 2 - Macbeth, An Inspector Calls, Poetry of Power and Conflict - Ongoing