English Faculty

Miss Khaliq - Head of English
Mr Kirk - Second in English
Mrs Khatun - Lead Teacher of KS3
Mrs Razaq - Lead Practitioner - English
Mrs Mukuna – Curriculum and Enrichment Coordinator at KS4
Mrs Elliot – Head of Media
Mrs Khan – Coordinator of Home Learning and Revision
Mr Callanan - Behaviour for Learning Coordinator
Mr Parsey - Teacher of English
Miss Healey - Teacher of English
Mrs Wild - Librarian
Miss Kelly - Teacher of English
Mrs Begum - Teacher of English

KS3 Curriculum

At KS3, students follow a broad and varied curriculum based around ‘The Story of English’ from which they will develop their understanding of how the art of story-telling has evolved through time. The study of key texts from the literary canon will broaden the students’ understanding of different cultures and contexts. The curriculum offered at Key Stage 3 is diverse and aims to foster a lifelong love and appreciation of our literary heritage, as well as preparing students with the key skills necessary for the demands of Key Stage 4.

Writing

Year 7:

In Year 7, students will develop their reading and writing skills through a variety of language-focused topics such as exploring The Odyssey and using this as inspiration to create their own narrative. The scheme provides students with the opportunity to develop their creative writing skills through the analysis of a range of stories from The Odyssey and from learning how to experiment with different narrative structures. There is a clear focus on fostering a sense of independence with students learning how to plan, draft, self-edit and proof-read their written work. They are taught how to write for a specific audience and purpose, which is then further developed as they progress to the Rhetoric scheme. High levels of challenge are provided for students as they learn about persuasive devices such as the Aristotelian triad and chiasmus, and how they can use them effectively in their own writing. Students will be exposed to a range of modern and contemporary writers and orators such as Martin Luther King, Barack Obama, and Malala Yousafzai, as they analyse the power of effective speeches.

Year 8:

Our Year 8 cohort will build on the skills developed in Year 7 to understand and respond to a range of fiction and non-fiction texts, and to develop their descriptive, narrative and transactional writing skills. Students will explore texts from the canon and contemporary texts such as The Body- Snatcher and Animal Farm and will analyse the language, form and structure used by writers to create particular meanings and effects. They will then use their knowledge of the conventions of the genre to create their own dystopian tale and a piece of transactional writing which demonstrates their skills in crafting for effect.

Year 9:

Year 9 students will continue to build on the development of their language skills with a clear focus on the demands of the transition to GCSE from Year 9 to Year 10. They will develop skills that move them towards becoming skilful writers who consciously craft their writing to engage and compel their audience. Towards the end of Year 9, students will utilise their knowledge of powerful rhetoric and create inspiring and moving speeches that will speak out about injustices in the world. Students will continue to develop their writing skills with a greater grammatical focus in Year 9 as they explore the building blocks of effective sentence construction and learn how to craft subtle variations to create effect. Students’ exposure to challenging texts will continue in order to develop their higher-level reading and writing skills to prepare for the demands of the Key Stage 4 curriculum

Reading

Year 7:

In Year 7, our students are exposed to a range of rich and diverse literature from the literary canon. The story of English begins with a Myths and Legends unit which explores Homer’s Iliad. The journey through literature continues with the study of the Shakespeare text Romeo and Juliet and culminates in the exploration of literature from the Romantic period with particular focus on Blake and Wordsworth. Students will explore the context, themes, language, and characters in a variety of texts. Students will examine and analyse key quotes from the texts and learn how to incorporate these into analytical paragraphs. Assessments will take the form of low stake quizzes, multiple choice questions, vocabulary quizzes and will slowly move towards building analytical paragraphs.

Year 8:

The story of literature in Year 8 progresses with the study of Gothic text, The Body-Snatcher by R L Stevenson. The literary learning journey moves on to the exploration of poetry from the First World War paying particular attention to the works of Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. Throughout the year, students will explore themes, characterisation and writer’s intention. Students will make links to prior learning on male heroism and courage from The Iliad and the effects of conflict. The final text that students will study is Animal Farm. Here, students will consider how the changing political landscape in the twentieth century influenced themes and characterisation. Assessments in year 8 will gradually move towards building independence with an academic style of analytical writing. Appropriate support and challenge will be provided throughout the curriculum.

Year 9:

The Key Stage 3 story of English concludes in Year 9 with the study of modern literature. After studying their final Shakespeare text at KS3, (The Tempest) students will explore poetry where they will be exposed to a range of poems from different cultures with a view to introducing students to some of the skills eventually needed to access GCSE Unseen Poetry. Students will also study the modern play: Small Island where they will examine challenging themes such as power, race and identity. Throughout the year, assessments will build towards academic literary essays with more of an emphasis on independent quote retention, quote selection and analysis within appropriate context of the text. Appropriate support and challenge will be provided throughout the curriculum.

Speaking and Listening

A plethora of opportunities are provided throughout the Key Stage 3 curriculum for students to develop their oracy skills in their English lessons. Students are encouraged to share and discuss their ideas with other students in pairs, groups and through whole class debates and discussions. Students are also explicitly taught how to express their views in a polite, respectful and eloquent manner in a range of formal settings. In addition, ‘Poetry by Heart’ competitions are held in school every year for students to showcase their passion for literature, as well as demonstrate their ability to engage and entertain an audience consisting of both their peers and a panel of judges.

Accelerated Reader

At The Radclyffe School we firmly believe in the transformative power of reading and its ability to unlock new worlds and ideas for our students. With this in mind, we offer a KS3 ‘Accelerated Reader’ programme specifically designed to support students’ progress in reading for meaning. Students begin the AR programme at the start of Year 7 and will continue until the end of Year 9. Classes are timetabled into the school library once a fortnight for an ‘Accelerated Reader’ lesson which comprises of the following: developing comprehension skills; extending vocabulary; learning a range of spelling strategies; and most importantly – reading for pleasure! At the end of every term, we hold celebratory ‘Accelerated Reader’ assemblies to recognise the progress of our students in their reading and award certificates, trophies and prizes to acknowledge their achievements.

Key Stage 4 Curriculum

At Key Stage 4, students continue to build upon the skills and knowledge from Key Stage 3 ensuring that the challenge that was deliberately built into the curriculum continues in this new phase of their school journey.

English Language

Students will study extracts from a range of fiction and non-fiction texts allowing them to explore different time periods, cultures and worlds that they might otherwise not be exposed to. Whilst studying these texts, students will continue to develop their skills of communication, exploring the power of the written and spoken word. They will examine writer’s craft and develop their understanding of how writers entertain, persuade and manipulate. Students will be encouraged to use the methods studied to create their own powerful voice through written assignments, debate, discussions and a speech that will be delivered to their peers.
The content of the curriculum develops learners in to confident, young people who are empowered to communicate through all mediums that are necessary to succeed not only in the English Language GCSE but in life after school.
The two years of study will culminate in students taking two external exams where they will demonstrate their ability to understand, analyse, evaluate and compare unseen texts from different eras. They will have the opportunity to use the skills and knowledge that they have developed to create imaginative and purposeful writing that responds to their audience.

English Literature

Whilst studying for the English Literature GCSE, students will examine a diverse range of texts from the Literary Canon. Their understanding of the ‘Story of English’ that has been embedded at KS3 will allow them to greater appreciate and understand the challenging texts that they will study. Students will explore:

• Shakespeare’s Macbeth
• The 19^th Century text, A Christmas Carol
• The modern text, An Inspector Calls
• A cluster of poems that focus on Power and Conflict
• Unseen Poetry.

They will journey deeper into the language of Shakespeare and other literary giants. They will be encouraged to not only offer their own perspectives but to consider alternative viewpoints. Students will develop their skills of inference and deduction; they will consider the writer’s intentions; the contextual factors that have influenced the text and will begin to bring all these elements together in the form of a cohesive, thoughtful and exploratory essay.

Students will read for twenty minutes a day and will be expected to learn the fortnightly spelling rule and spellings.

Twice per week at KS4 inclusive of one active piece of work and one based on quotation retention.

• Gifted and Talented Lectures
• Reading and Literacy Leaders
• Book Club
• A variety of enrichment trips to enhance cultural capital.