English
About Our Subject
The English Department at Christopher Whitehead has a passion for English. First and foremost we wish to encourage the students to take pleasure in reading a wide range of literature and in their own ability to write well for a variety of purposes. We also value oracy, and promote its confident use throughout our curriculum. As a team of committed English specialists, with an enviably wide range of experience, we are acutely aware that ours is a subject that is regarded as vital in the wider world and we work hard to ensure that every student is able to maximise their potential.
However English should be, and is, more than this; it is a subject that broadens our horizons. We live in a world of mass communication and we aim to teach our students the complex tools of being able to read critically and to develop their ability to question the world. Importantly, we encourage them to explore big ideas and understand how Literature both questions and reflects what it is that makes us human.
At the end of their time with us we look to have a cohort of students who have developed into imaginative and critical thinkers and are able to communicate their ideas clearly and effectively through the spoken and written word.
Key Stage 3 Information
Our three year Key Stage 3 curriculum is an important stepping stone that lays the foundations for an excellent English and English Literature student and begins our journey through literature. We look closely at the skill-set required to master key skills while also providing broad exposure to great works and genres of writing from across the ages and cultures. Using a wide variety of stimuli we practise speaking, reading and both analytical and creative writing skills. Students are also encouraged to develop their reading ability and to regularly use the library through the Accelerated Reader programme.
In year 7 we look at a broad range of literature, including myths and legends, Shakespeare and narrative poetry. Students will develop different writing styles and develop their powers of observation and description, both of people and places, and will become more equipped at understanding and analysing characters.
In year 8 we begin with a unit on the Gothic genre before completing close reading and analysis of Animal Farm by George Orwell. The year finishes with a unit based on texts from other cultures. Students build on the skills introduced in Y7 and explore a diverse range of fiction and non-fiction texts connected to each unit. The deliberate choices made by writers and the influence of writing for a specific audience and purpose is explored in greater detail.
In year 9 we ask students to look outwards to explore some of the big questions that we meet in both society and literature. In the first term we return to Shakespeare and ‘Macbeth’, exploring the nature of evil. After Christmas, the students use both fiction and non-fiction to look at our diverse world, looking at refugee tales, LGBTQIA+ stories and racism in society. We finish the year looking to the future and science fiction stories, including the work of HG Wells, Ray Bradbury and the portrayal of science fiction in film.
Key Stage 4 Information
Our Key Stage 4 students study for two GCSEs in English; one is AQA English Language and the other is AQA English Literature. These courses seek to develop and assess students’ skills in reading and writing across a wide variety of genres from the 19th – 21st centuries. Speaking and Listening remains an important part of the curriculum but is now declared as a separate grade on GCSE certificates.
Students are taught through the literature texts which include ‘An Inspector Calls’, ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘Romeo & Juliet’ as well as an anthology of poetry on the broad themes of power and conflict. We use these texts as well as a variety of literary non-fiction to practise the skills required for both English Language and English Literature.
Students also study the craft of writing for a variety of purposes. Technical accuracy in students’ work now has greater emphasis and is 20% of the final GCSE English Language grade, so it is vital that students are able to correctly use a range of sentence structures, punctuation and vocabulary for effect in a range of different texts.
