English at Key Stage 4
Year 10
Year 10 English is focused on developing skills gained during Key Stage 3. A solid start is essential, and students are encouraged to feel empowered through careful selection, not only of material, but also of the sequencing of that material. The year as a whole is sequenced by means of a long-term plan, which allows deep, and well-paced, coverage of both Language and Literature courses, along with opportunities to assess children’s understanding and development. We build on elements of our Key Stage 3 learning with the Victorian novel, A Christmas Carol, and explore concepts related to power and identity in our Power and Conflict poetry, and An Inspector Calls. Likewise, we build on established concepts of tragedy and characterisation, in our study of Macbeth.
Some students are catered for through a one-year Literature course, which allows a tandem approach to the two subjects, and offers a more narrowly-focused garnering of relevant exam skills.
Year 11
In Year 11, we aim to help develop students’ knowledge and understanding of the GCSE literature texts (Macbeth, A Christmas Carol, An Inspector Calls, Power and Conflict poetry, and unseen poetry, so that students are able to read and respond in clear, thoughtful and critical ways. Students will have 2 English Literature exams in the summer of Year 11. To help them develop how they read and respond to these texts, English Language allows students to hone their skills through exploring creative fiction texts, and through a range of non-fiction texts that invite students to consider the ideas and perspectives of others. We also aim to help students to write creatively and transactionally in a range of forms, and for a range of audiences. Students will have 2 English Language exams in the summer of Year 11: a culmination of the wide range of texts we have studied and skills practised over time.
Both English Language and English Literature help students to see the world through a variety of lenses so that they leave Year 11 ready for their next steps in education and the world beyond.
