English

Subject Team

Mrs McGonigle (Head of Department)
Mrs Gardiner
Mr Wardell

Subject Overview

The English Department aims to:

Provide an opportunity for students to engage with a wide range of exciting fiction and non-fiction texts;
Encourage students to use English fluently and effectively in both its written and spoken form;
Ensure that students can respond critically to information;
Develop students’ abilities to express themselves confidently and coherently;
Provide opportunities for students to embrace their creativity; and
Equip students with the skills they need to successfully communicate within and beyond the classroom.

What You Will Learn

Language and Literacy is a compulsory Area of Learning at KS3 and it includes all aspects of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Students here will have the opportunity to study a range of engaging topics, such as: Prose, Non-fiction Texts, Creative Writing, Poetry, Drama, Spoken Language and Media. To ensure that there is a structured progression between the key stages, each topic has been chosen carefully to mirror the GCSE English Language and Literature courses.

Creativity is nourished and celebrated in the English Department. To instil a love of language, students will have the opportunity to take part in a vast array of activities and competitions throughout the year. This includes: poetry writing, creative writing workshops, public speaking, debating and drama. There is something for everyone!

Communication skills are also at the forefront of Key Stage 3 study. Therefore, Speaking and Listening tasks and opportunities are embedded into units of work to allow students to grow in confidence before entering GCSE level.

Our impressive school library provides students with access to a wide range of newly stocked fiction and non-fiction texts. Our ‘Fully Booked’ library club is also available to all students throughout the week. We ensure that students are reading novels that are suitably challenging to feed their imagination and develop a lifelong love of reading.