English and Literacy

St George's is a caring and inclusive school that enables every individual to flourish spiritually, morally and academically for the rest of their lives.  We aim to be a lighthouse for our local community by being a beacon of God’s love.  We provide a progressive curriculum that is adventurous and challenging, leading to resilience, curiosity and independence.  We aim to inspire all within our community to develop their God given potential for the benefit of others.

"For the body does not consist of one member but of many"

1 Corinthians 12:14

The English Curriculum

Adventure

Within the English curriculum, we ensure pupils embrace adventure through a variety of literary genres, spanning different times, places and cultures. We ensure pupils feel inspired to embark on their own literary adventures, through encouraged independent reading. Our well-stocked library, and suggested booklists, are there to promote reading as a means of discovery.

Challenge

Our curriculum will always be challenging, and we aim to stretch pupils from Year 7 all the way to Year 11. Pupils will be exposed to a variety of texts by a wide range of writers, addressing different genres, styles and forms of texts including fiction prose, poetry, plays and non-fiction texts.  We constantly aim to challenge pupils’ knowledge and skills, alongside expanding and enriching their vocabulary.

Resilience

By exposing pupils to a range of challenging texts, we aim to build resilience from year 7. Pupils are challenged to form their own opinions and verbalise these to others. Pupils will also build resilience by working with others to challenge ideas ands ideals presented in a range of literature. Independent learning through homework, revision, timed writing and recall information is targeted to build resilience within the school learning environment.

Curiosity

Pupils will be invited to be curious within the English curriculum, and encouraged to use taught topics to expand independent learning. Pupils will be able to find answers to questions within literary and non-literary genres. Pupils will be asked to question characters, ideas, themes and issues while exploring texts, and will also be encouraged to learn about relevant contextual information.

Independence

The English classroom acts as a space for pupils to express curiosity when exploring literature and a place for independence to grow. Pupils are encouraged and invited to give their opinions and independent viewpoint. We actively encourage pupils to reflect on ideas they have and challenge and encourage others. Students will be able to see how English related skills are valid, not only as a gateway to all other subjects taught in school, but for valuable life skills in order to foster an independent outlook on life.

Community

The English classroom aims to provide a community for pupils to encourage, inspire and question one another, leading to high level discussion, debates and independent ideas. Teachers work as a team, to ensure all pupils are actively engaged in their lessons.  We encourage a trusted, safe and secure learning environment in each of our classes where students feel that they are a valid part of their learning community.

Click Here

Homework will be set every Friday on Educake and will be due the following Thursday for all year groups.

Access this via Educake | An easier way to assess learning

Pupils should log in with their username given to them by their English teacher.

YEAR 7 ENGLISH CURRICULUM

YEAR 8 ENGLISH CURRICULUM

YEAR 9 ENGLISH CURRICULUM

AQA ENGLISH LITERATURE GCSE (TAKEN AT THE END OF YEAR 10)

English Literature GCSE is designed to inspire, challenge and motivate every pupil, regardless of their ability. This GCSE involves the completion of two examination papers:

Paper One

• Section A: Shakespeare Text: ‘Macbeth’
• Section B: 19^th Century Text: ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens

Paper Two

• Section A: Modern Text: ‘An Inspector Calls’ by J.B. Priestley
• Section B: Poetry Anthology: ‘Power and Conflict’
• Section C: Unseen Poetry

All papers are closed book examinations.

English Literature provides skills which will enhance students’ cross-curricular development and future academic studies, including the study of AS and A-level English Literature.

POST-ENGLISH LITERATURE GCSE

Spoken Language Endorsement (previously Speaking and Listening) Pupils will become aware of the importance of effective verbal communication. Preparation towards this endorsed unit will be achieved through the practice and encouragement of good verbal communication in class, with the final completion of a summative assessment.

Year 10 Curriculum

AQA English Language GCSE:

English Language GCSE enables pupils of all abilities to develop the skills they need to read, understand and analyse a wide range of different texts covering the 19th, 20th and 21st century. This GCSE also provides students with the skills to write clearly, coherently and accurately using a range of vocabulary and sentence structures. This GCSE involves the completion of two exam papers:

Paper One: ‘Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing’

• Section A requires students to read one fiction source and answer four related questions.
• Section B requires students to produce a piece of writing inspired by an image or a topic.

Paper Two: ‘Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives’.

• Section A requires students to read two non-fiction sources and answer four related questions.
• Section B requires students to produce a piece of writing to present a viewpoint on a topic.

Year 11 Curriculum

General Information (useful information for Parents)

• In order to be successful in your English Literature GCSE you should revise themes in each text; key characters, language devices, structural features, and think about how and why they are used. Revise the context within which the texts are set. Learn and revise key quotations that support your ideas about themes and characters.
• To revise for the exam, you could use the knowledge organisers and notes from lessons to revise for your exam. Practice exam questions are available below or from your teacher. Use Educake to set yourself tests to revise topics and texts.

AQA ENGLISH LANGUAGE GCSE:

English Language GCSE enables pupils of all abilities to develop the skills they need to read, understand and analyse a wide range of different texts covering the 19th, 20th and 21st century. This GCSE also provides students with the skills to write clearly, coherently and accurately using a range of vocabulary and sentence structures. This GCSE involves the completion of two exam papers:

Paper One: ‘Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing’

• Section A requires students to read one fiction source and answer four related questions.
• Section B requires students to produce a piece of writing inspired by an image or a topic.

Paper Two: ‘Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives’.

• Section A requires students to read two non-fiction sources and answer four related questions.
• Section B requires students to produce a piece of writing to present a viewpoint on a topic.

Here are the 3 videos from Mrs Davies.  Also below are 2 links : one to the powerpoint and one page of the extracts.

POWERPOINT

EXTRACTS

Further links:

The Sword in the Stone

Fantasy Fiction - year 7

Fantasy Fiction - year 8

Wizard Outline

English and various Careers <- click here for more information.