English

Intent:

The English Department at Sandhurst School is committed to fostering a lifelong love of learning through a rich and stimulating English curriculum. We believe English is fundamental to success in all areas of life, equipping students with the essential skills of literacy and communication.

Further information

Our Curriculum

The curriculum is designed to develop confident and articulate communicators. Students will be empowered to express themselves clearly, fluently, and creatively in both spoken and written English. They will learn to adapt their language to different audiences and purposes. They will be able to communicate with precision. The curriculum is designed to enable all students to leave with a good pass in English language.

The curriculum experience develops critical thinkers and analytical readers. We will equip students with the tools to analyse a wide range of texts, from classic literature, and literary criticism to contemporary media. They will develop skills in close reading, interpretation, and critical evaluation.

We strive to ensure that all students develop a love of independent reading through the recurrent focus on it (at the start of lessons, in the library, through homework). All students will be exposed to a diverse range of high-quality texts, both classic and modern, that will broaden their understanding of the world and themselves. They will encounter critical responses and understand how these reflect the text but also the writer. The curriculum is designed to enable all students to achieve a grade in GCSE English literature.

Implementation: Teaching and planning

Our teachers are specialists of English and dedicated to creating a stimulating learning environment where all students can thrive. We are committed to providing a curriculum that is both challenging and rewarding, ensuring all students reach their full potential in English.

We provide an inclusive learning environment where all students feel respected, valued and empowered to participate. We encourage collaboration where students learn from each other and work together to solve problems, building communication, resilience and teamwork skills in the process. We offer enrichment opportunities both within the classroom and through extracurricular activities. We identify the needs of our SEND/SEMH students to best support them in their education, including adapted instruction and intervention where necessary. We collaborate with learning support specialists to ensure all students have the opportunity to flourish in our classrooms. We are passionate about English and strive to instil this enthusiasm in our students, creating a positive learning experience for all.

Assessment

Students’ work in books (KS3) & folders (KS4) will be frequently seen and assessed for misconceptions, this may result in reteaching and, or, intervention. At least twice per term students will be assessed more formally through an assessment task. These will take place in exam conditions and will be recorded in the assessment booklets, marked and moderated where necessary according to the markschemes in the booklets. Following the marking of assessment tasks, a post-assessment lesson will take place addressing the issues raised and modelling good answers.

Impact

We aim to equip students with the essential literacy skills needed for success in further education, employment, and life as active citizens. Through our curriculum, students will gain exposure to a variety of cultures and historical periods, fostering empathy and understanding of the world around them and their role in it. The intention is to ensure equality of opportunity: through differentiated resources and teaching and our alternative curriculum we will facilitate all students fulfilling their potential. The least able will be supported through modelling, scaffolding and regular rewards (stepping stone qualifications); the most able will have lessons designed to challenge and incorporate the study of academic texts.

Curriculum time allocation

KS3 (Years 7, 8 and 9) - 7 hours per fortnight

KS4 (Year 10) - 8 hours per fortnight

KS4 (Year 11) - 9 hours per fortnight

KS4 exam information

Exam	English Language
Board	AQA
Spec	8700
Paper 1	Explorations in creative reading and writing: Students are given a piece of fiction writing and asked to answer Section A and Section B. Questions in Section A are primarily focused on language and structural analysis and evaluation. It is vital that students revise their key terminology and are confident in their usage of PEE paragraphs. Section B is a piece of creative writing which counts for 40 of the 80 marks. It is imperative that students revise and practise their creative writing to ensure it is of a high standard. Good spelling, punctuation and grammar are essential for this component.
Paper 2	Writer’s viewpoints and perspectives: Students are given two pieces of non-fiction writing and asked to answer Section A and Section B. Questions in Section A include a summary, language analysis and a comparison of the writer’s viewpoint. As with Paper 1, it is vital that students know their key terminology and are confident in the use of PEE paragraphs. Section B is a piece of non-fiction writing. It is imperative that the student has revised and practised their non-fiction writing to ensure it is of a high standard. Good spelling, punctuation and grammar are essential for this component.
Paper 3	Speaking and listening A student will be awarded a Pass, Merit or Distinction based on their ability to do the following in a speech of approximately 5 minutes in length. Express sophisticated ideas/information/feelings using a sophisticated repertoire of vocabulary organises and structures his or her presentation using an effective range of strategies to engage the audience achieves the purpose of his or her presentation listens to questions/ feedback, responds perceptively and if appropriate elaborates with further ideas and information.

Exam	English Literature
Board	AQA
Spec	8702
Paper 1	Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel: Both the Shakespeare component and the 19th-century novel component consist of a literary essay. An extract will be given but students will still need to refer to the play as a whole. It is thus vital that key quotes focusing on character/theme are memorised and the student should be confident in their use of PEE paragraphs. Contextual information is also vital.
Paper 2	Modern texts and Poetry: The Lord of the Flies component consists of a literary essay. It does NOT include an extract. It is imperative that the student has memorised quotes on both characters and themes; and is confident in their use of PEE paragraphs. It is also vital that contextual information is memorised to ensure key marks are not lost. Seen Poetry: The Seen Poetry component requires students to compare one seen poem to another. They will be given one poem but will then need to compare with another from memory. It is vital that students know key quotes/ themes and contextual information from the 15 set poems from the Power and Conflict Anthology. Unseen Poetry: This component consists of a long, literary analysis of one poem [ 24 marks] and a shorter comparison of the first and a second poem[ 8 marks]. These poems will probably NOT have been seen by the student before. It is vital that the student has a good understanding of poetic devices and is confident in their ability to structure a poetry essay and write a comparison.

Department Contact

Mrs F Patrick
fpatrick@sandhurstschool.org.uk