The students will be immersed in a range of engaging literature spanning from pre 20th Century Classics to a diverse range of contemporary texts which explore a range of pertinent issues in today’s society (such as racial and gender inequalities). These texts, both fiction and non-fiction, will serve as a platform to enhance our students’ cultural capital.

Through their studies, they will explore and analyse a breadth of perspectives and diversities which will support not only their academic progress but also allow them to engage with wider opportunities such as author visits, creative writing workshops and experiencing live productions at the theatre and in house.

Building upon their learning from Key Stage 2, our students will deepen their understanding of authorial intent, the writer’s craft, relevant historicism, contextual influences and technical accuracy to appreciate and inspire purposeful writing, encouraging students to foster their own creative style. These five elements are revisited throughout their curriculum journey, to enable students to appreciate the nuances of an author’s work and how this mastery will support their own work.

A love of English, both the spoken and the written word, is an element which underpins the design of our curriculum. Our teachers strive to foster an enthusiasm for reading and support this via suggested reading lists, the use of the library and having an awareness of literary events that are celebrated in the United Kingdom.

Within Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9), our students will delve into a range of texts which serve as an introduction to the content of Key Stage 4, and a development from the forms they have encountered during Key Stage 2. The purpose is to develop initial skills and enhance their understanding of a text as a holistic piece. Students will study a breadth of authors and topics to nurture a critical mind and hone literacy skills.

We provide a range of culturally rich stimuli encompassing both British and American authors to support our students in finding their place amongst our society.

As our students enter into Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11), they will continue to study many well loved Classics, as well as emerging literature, to support them in their journey towards critical thinking. Amongst these, our students will read for meaning the following texts: Shakespeare’s Macbeth, An Inspector Calls, and either: A Christmas Carol , The Strange case of DrJekyll and Mr Hyde or A Sign of Four. In addition an anthology of Power and Conflict Poetry and a range of unseen poetry to prepare them for their English Literature exams. The messages of these texts transcend time and therefore provide our students with relevant moral messages.

Our students will also study a myriad of fiction and non-fiction texts to solidify their knowledge and to help them prepare for their English language exams.  Students will practice comprehension and writing for different audiences and purposes. In addition to this, students will prepare and deliver a speech based on a topic they feel passionate about to a selected audience.  We follow the AQA exam board. 

Our passion and challenge aims to encourage a student’s inquisitiveness and thirst for knowledge in order to ensure that the love of learning stays with them throughout their journey in education and in later life.  Altogether, our curriculum prepares our students for an aspirational Post 16 career path studying English Literature at A Level. This will enable them to study either  English Language or Literature, Educational Studies, Journalism and degrees that require skills such as: good communication, effective research  and analytical thinking at university or enter careers in publishing, copywriting, journalism and communications.