WAH ACAP
English
English Faculty
For Key Stage 3, contact the Second in Faculty: adrian.vandenburg@jhanson.hants.sch.uk
For Key Stage 4, contact Head of Faculty: Victoria.North@jhanson.hants.sch.uk
Key Stage 3: The English curriculum in Years 7, 8 and 9 is designed to follow the National Curriculum Programme of Study for Key Stage Three. Delivering English eight times a fortnight, it is the aim of the Faculty to provide all students with opportunities that will enable them to develop their ability to communicate effectively in speech and writing, to listen with understanding, and to become enthusiastic, independent, knowledgeable and responsive readers and writers. In order that their learning and love of English be enhanced further, each Reading and Writing unit is themed. For example, in Year 8, students study dystopian fiction through ‘Animal Farm’ and later create their own dystopian narratives using the conventions taught in the reading of the novel.
The three attainment areas for English – Reading, Writing and Speaking and Listening – are all taught and assessed against skills descriptors.
Homework: English homework is set weekly on Satchel One. Homework is differentiated according to English class and individual ability, and provided via PDF attachments.
- Spellings are completed and marked via Satchel One
- Reading/re-reading of class novel with comprehension questions, discussed and marked in class
- Year9 only: Reading Booklet, discussed and marked in class
Key Stage 4: The English curriculum in year 10 and 11 is designed around the specifications of the AQA English Language (specification 8700) and English Literature (specification 8702) GCSEs. During English Lessons, students’ English skills are developed; they are encouraged to improve reading competencies which enable them to effectively investigate writers’ use of language, structure and viewpoint and be experimental with their own creative and imaginative deployment of language and structure – both in Writing and Speaking & Listening.
Across eight lessons each fortnight, students currently in Year 10 study English Literature – according to the requirements of the AQA English Literature GCSE and the ‘Writing only’ elements of the AQA English Language GCSE. They study Macbeth (Shakespeare), An Inspector Calls (Modern Drama), and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or Jane Eyre as their set 19th -century novel (Prose) alongside the poetry from the Power and Conflict anthology.
All Year 11 students, across eight lessons each fortnight, revise their AQA English Literature GCSE and learn what is required of the AQA English Language GCSE, with the main focus on their inference and analysis skills across a range of fiction and non-fiction texts. They will sit the examinations for the two GCSEs in the May (English Literature) and June (English Language) of their Year 11.
All English GCSEs are assessed through 100% terminal examinations, and are not tiered: students can gain a Level 9 -1 from the examinations. All English GCSEs are closed texts: students are not allowed copies of the texts they have studied in the examination.
Homework: all English homework is recorded on Show My Homework and is set to support the work happening in class.