English

SUBJECT OVERVIEW

English at Redhill is a broad, enjoyable and challenging curriculum. In each year of their education, Redhill students will be exposed to new texts, contexts, concepts and topics, whilst also being equipped with the tools they need to improve in the core reading and writing skills. In English, our goal is not just to achieve exam excellence, for which we have a proven track record over many years, but to equip our students with the skills they will need to be effective and prosperous citizens.

Redhill's English department is a large, highly experienced team of subject specialists, each with a passion for the subject and a wealth of experience. As a result, in the course of their learning journey, students get to experience a range of teaching styles and approaches to the subject of English. We are also very proud to have a long-standing track record of supporting trainee teachers in their journey to become outstanding practitioners. In the last decade, over twenty trainees have been with us and gone on to enjoy successful teaching careers

INTENT

Our five-year curriculum has been designed to ensure pupils are able to make the most possible progress in both knowledge acquisition and skill application. In English there are several key skills within reading and writing that students need to master. We are therefore able to assess each of these skills a number of times over the 5-year learning journey, and to place great emphasis on the student’s own progression journey through the use of directed improvement time. We have carefully mapped our curriculum to ensure that students are given feedback on both their reading and writing skills (relative to their key stage) in every year of their education. The specific process of this progression is covered in further detail within our curriculum overview documentation.

At the end of Year 11, students will receive two separate qualifications in GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature. GCSE qualifications are reported on a nine point scale from 1 to 9, where 9 is the highest grade.

English Language (AQA) Language Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing. 50% (1 hour 45 minutes)
English Language (AQA) Language Paper 2: Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives. 50% (1 hour 45 minutes)
Component 3 – Spoken Language Formal Presentation
English Literature (AQA) Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th Century Novel. 40% (1 hour 45 minutes)
English Literature (AQA) Paper 2: Modern Texts and Poetry. 60% (2 hours 15 minutes)

ENGLISH CURRICULUM Spring TERM

WIDER SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES

In English we develop Cultural and Social Capital in the following ways:

Careful selection of texts from different cultures and time periods
Regular opportunities for students to express different points of view, both through discussion and writing
Students will develop an appreciation of authorial intent and understand how the texts are a social commentary both at the time they were written and today
Students cultivate their own voice through spoken language and structured talk opportunities
Questioning is used to challenge students’ preconceptions and perspectives.

In English, we feel it is important to create a culture open minded thinkers who able to challenge their own and other perspectives in a constructive and respectful way.

We enjoy taking our students to the theatre and exposing them to the magic of live performances. We visited Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-Upon-Avon where students were immersed into Shakespeare’s world. Katch22 Theatre Troup came to Redhill to perform J.B Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’. We have enjoyed performances of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ and William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth at the RSC in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

SMSC

Spiritual Moral Social and Cultural development

Spiritual development – pupils are given opportunities to form and reflect upon their own beliefs and opinions about life through the study of literature and non -literary texts. In the English classroom they show respect for other people’s opinions, beliefs and values. Pupils enjoy developing their personal opinions based on the texts that they are studying. We use a range of creative and imaginative ways to teach and for pupils to show their understanding.

Moral development – throughout English pupils explore social and cultural issues. They are encouraged to form their own opinions in response to the texts that they encounter. A skill nurtured throughout English is the ability to analyse and reflect upon ethical issues and also show an understanding of an opposing view to their own.

Social development – In the English classroom, pupils from different backgrounds work together. All pupils are willing to work together in the classroom and are cooperative. Through English pupils are given every opportunity to explore social and cultural changes that contribute to their own life.

Cultural development – Pupils explore multi-cultural Britain and appreciate the variety of cultures that have contributed to everyday life in Britain. Learning about the different perspectives in society allows pupils to have an appreciation of the cultural development of others and they show an interest in exploring this. Pupils are taught to show respect to people from other faiths, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds locally and globally. This is explored through the novels and texts we study.