The English Faculty aim to ensure that all students have a lifelong love of literature and language. We want students to be inspired to succeed and achieve their aspirational targets in this core subject. In English students will develop knowledge and skills to help them analyse the written and spoken word. Our students will be equipped with English skills required to understand the world around them today and in the future. English is the foundation of all other subjects. It has huge social and moral implications with Literature enabling students to become better thinkers and more empathetic human beings. Our curriculum is designed to encourage creative, questioning and thoughtful students. Throughout the curriculum, students are provided with a range of opportunities and experiences that will allow them to develop their interest in all aspects of English. The English curriculum in Years 7 and 8 is designed to meet the National Curriculum and focusses on the four areas assessed under English: reading, writing, speaking and listening.

In Year 7 we cover the following:

• Transition booklet: Once the students arrive in Year 7, they complete a transition unit which studies extracts from classic and modern fiction texts, non-fiction and poetry resulting in creative and functional activities as well as a chance to practice their oracy skills.
• Myths and Legends: Students study myths and legends from across the world including the study of fiction and non-fiction texts as well as a collection of poetry. This will culminate in a formal analytical essay.
• Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales: a study of Chaucer’s classic ‘Canterbury Tales’ resulting in a functional writing activity.
• When Will Met Walt: a ‘taster’ of a variety of aspects of Shakespeare’s focusing on how Walt Disney used many of Shakespeare’s plays as inspiration of his own magical works.
• People and Places: Explores global voices through a selection of poetry as well as fiction and non-fiction tests which explore different cultures. Students are also asked to consider their own cultural identity and the society they live in resulting in an analytical essay.
• Detective fiction: a study of the detective genre including Sherlock Holmes as well as a host of poetry, fiction and non-fiction tests. An image associated with this genre will be used as a stimulus for creative writing.
• Study of a novel such as 'Skulduggery Pleasant’, ‘Cirque du Freak’, ‘Stormbreaker’, ‘Harry Potter’ or ‘Oliver Twist’ resulting in a piece of creative writing and a formal analytical essay.
• End of Year Assessment: Students will complete an end of year exam in the style of English Language Paper 1.

In Year 8 we cover the following:

• Gothic Genre: a selection of 19th century and contemporary Gothic short stories and poems including: ‘The Red Room’, ‘Tell Tale Heart’ and ‘The Raven’. These are used as inspiration for their own creative writing.
• Dystopian Worlds: Students study a variety of short stories, poems and non-fiction articles in their exploration of the genre and the wider contentious issues the genre raises before writing a speech on an aspect of dystopian literature.
• Shakespeare: exploration of either ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ or ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ exploring themes and characters for an analytical essay.
• Love and Relationship Poetry: Relationships, selections of poems which explore different relationships are studied in this scheme of work. Students are also asked to consider their own familial and platonic relationships.
• Study of a novel such as ‘Trash’, ‘Roll of Thunder’, ‘Hear my Cry’, ‘The Giver’, ‘Animal Farm’, or ‘Private Peaceful’ resulting in an analytical essay.
• End of Year Assessment: Students will complete an end of year exam in the style of English Language Paper 1.

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