KEY STAGE 3 ENGLISH

In English we return to the same skills again and again, but we are clear how we want our students to make progress from when they join us in Year 7, right through to the end of their journey with us at the end of Year 11. As part of our curriculum mapping process, we pulled these ideas together in order to share our vision of what we hope students will master by the end of each year in years 7 – 9 so they are fully ready for their GCSE curriculum in Year 10.

The Key Stage 3 curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils:

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding
• develop the habit of reading widely and often, both for pleasure and information
• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
• write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
• use discussion in order to learn: they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
• are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.
   

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AT KS3
 

READING:  We want our students to be able to make an informed personal response to any text, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and to be able to evaluate these. We aim for them to develop their independence when responding to texts (both studied and unseen): they need to be able to infer, comment on, explain, analyse, evaluate and compare.  Through our vocabulary work, we hope students are able to pinpoint and explore challenging conceptual ideas, as well as talk and write about texts critically, using a sophisticated, academic style when appropriate.

Develop an appreciation and love of reading, and read increasingly challenging material independently through:

• reading a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, including in particular whole books, short stories, poems and plays with a wide coverage of genres, historical periods, forms and authors, including high-quality works from English literature, both pre-1914 and contemporary, including prose, poetry and drama; Shakespeare (2 plays) and seminal world literature
• choosing and reading books independently for challenge, interest and enjoyment
• rereading books encountered earlier to increase familiarity with them and provide a basis for making comparisons

Understand increasingly challenging texts through:

• learning new vocabulary, relating it explicitly to known vocabulary and understanding it with the help of context and dictionaries
• making inferences and referring to evidence in the text
• knowing the purpose, audience for and context of the writing and drawing on this knowledge to support comprehension
• checking their understanding to make sure that what they have read makes sense

Read critically through:

• knowing how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, presents meaning
• recognising a range of poetic conventions and understanding how these have been used
• studying setting, plot, and characterisation, and the effects of these
• understanding how the work of dramatists is communicated effectively through performance and how alternative staging allows for different interpretations of a play
• making critical comparisons across texts
• studying a range of authors, including at least 2 authors in depth each year
   

WRITING: We want our students to know and understand a variety of genres and the appropriate grammar and methods to construct these texts convincingly. It is important students are able to apply this knowledge and these key skills independently in a variety of context across a range of text types.  Students must be able to adapt and subvert texts; plan, draft, edit and proof read their writing; develop their vocabulary to be convincing and sophisticated.

Write accurately, fluently, effectively and at length for pleasure and information through:

• writing for a wide range of purposes and audiences, including: well-structured formal expository and narrative essays; stories, scripts, poetry and other imaginative writing; notes and polished scripts for talks and presentations and a range of other narrative and non-narrative texts, including arguments, and personal and formal letters
• summarising and organising material, and supporting ideas and arguments with any necessary factual detail
• applying their growing knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and text structure to their writing and selecting the appropriate form
• drawing on knowledge of literary and rhetorical devices from their reading and listening to enhance the impact of their writing

Plan, draft, edit and proofread through:

• considering how their writing reflects the audiences and purposes for which it was intended
• amending the vocabulary, grammar and structure of their writing to improve its coherence and overall effectiveness
• paying attention to accurate grammar, punctuation and spelling; applying the spelling patterns and rules
   

GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY: Over the past 5 years, we have focused significantly on the importance of vocabulary, as a whole school and within the English department. We use a wide range of strategies, including one of our home-learning platforms (Readingwise) to develop vocabulary competence amongst our young people.

Consolidate and build on their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary through:

• extending and applying the grammatical knowledge and analyse more challenging texts
• studying the effectiveness and impact of the grammatical features of the texts they read
• drawing on new vocabulary and grammatical constructions from their reading and listening, and using these consciously in their writing and speech to achieve particular effects
• knowing and understanding the differences between spoken and written language, including differences associated with formal and informal registers, and between Standard English and other varieties of English
• using Standard English confidently in their own writing and speech
• discussing reading, writing and spoken language with precise and confident use of linguistic and literary terminology
   

SPEAKING:  We are passionate about helping students to realise the power of their individual voice as an advocate for change in the world and a skill which is vital in our day to day personal and working lives. Students have to be able to formulate, develop and articulate ideas with increasing confidence, fluency and sophistication in a range of contexts, knowing when it is important to use standard English and more formal vocabulary and structures. We promote high-quality speaking through performance, frequent discussion and debate, and presenting ideas in the format of a speech.

Speak confidently and effectively, including through:

• using Standard English confidently in a range of formal and informal contexts, including classroom discussion
• giving short speeches and presentations, expressing their own ideas and keeping to the point
• participating in formal debates and structured discussions, summarising and/or building on what has been said improvising, rehearsing and performing play scripts and poetry in order to generate languages and discuss language use and meaning, using role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence, stillness and action to add impact

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AT KEY STAGE 4

READING:  We want our students to be able to make an informed, personal response to any text, recognising that other responses to a text are also possible, and to be able to evaluate these. We aim for them to develop their independence when responding to texts (both studied and unseen): they need to be able to infer, comment on, explain, analyse, evaluate and compare.  Through our vocabulary work, we hope students are able to pinpoint and explore challenging conceptual ideas, as well as talk and write about texts critically, using a sophisticated, academic style when appropriate.

Read and appreciate the depth and power of the English literary heritage through:

• reading a wide range of high-quality, challenging, classic literature and extended literary non-fiction, such as essays, reviews and journalism. This writing should include whole texts and range across:
  • at least one play by Shakespeare
  • works from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries
  • poetry since 1789, including representative Romantic poetry  

• re-reading literature and other writing as a basis for making comparisons
• choosing and reading books independently for challenge, interest and enjoyment

Understand and critically evaluate texts through:

• reading in different ways for different purposes, summarising and synthesising ideas and information, and evaluating their usefulness for particular purposes
• drawing on knowledge of the purpose, audience for and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs, to inform evaluation
• identifying and interpreting themes, ideas and information
• exploring aspects of plot, characterisation, events and settings, the relationships between them and their effects
• seeking evidence in the text to support a point of view, including justifying inferences with evidence
• distinguishing between statements that are supported by evidence and those that are not, and identifying bias and misuse of evidence
• analysing a writer’s choice of vocabulary, form, grammatical and structural features, and evaluating their effectiveness and impact
• making critical comparisons, referring to the contexts, themes, characterisation, style and literary quality of texts, and drawing on knowledge and skills from wider reading

WRITING: We want our students to know and understand a variety of genres and the appropriate grammar and methods to construct these texts convincingly. It is important students are able to apply this knowledge and these key skills independently in a variety of context across a range of text types.  Students must be able to adapt and subvert texts; plan, draft, edit and proofread their writing; develop their vocabulary to be convincing and sophisticated.

Write accurately, fluently, effectively and at length for pleasure and information through:

• adapting their writing for a wide range of purposes and audiences: to describe, narrate, explain, instruct, give and respond to information, and argue
• selecting and organising ideas, facts and key points, and citing evidence, details and quotation effectively and pertinently for support and emphasis
• selecting, and using judiciously, vocabulary, grammar, form, and structural and organisational features, including rhetorical devices, to reflect audience, purpose and context, and using Standard English where appropriate

Make notes, draft and write, including using information provided by others [e.g. writing a letter from key points provided; drawing on and using information from a presentation]

Revise, edit and proof-read through:

• reflecting on whether their draft achieves the intended impact
• restructuring their writing, and amending its grammar and vocabulary to improve coherence, consistency, clarity and overall effectiveness
• paying attention to the accuracy and effectiveness of grammar, punctuation and spelling

GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY: Over the past 5 years, we have focused significantly on the importance of vocabulary, as a whole school and within the English department. We use a wide range of strategies, including one of our home-learning platforms (Readingwise) to develop vocabulary competence amongst our young people.

Consolidate and build on their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary through:

• studying their effectiveness and impact in the texts they read
• drawing on new vocabulary and grammatical constructions from their reading and listening, and using these consciously in their writing and speech to achieve particular effects
• analysing some of the differences between spoken and written language, including differences associated with formal and informal registers, and between Standard English and other varieties of English
• using linguistic and literary terminology accurately and confidently in discussing reading, writing and spoken language
   

SPEAKING:  We are passionate about helping students to realise the power of their individual voice as an advocate for change in the world and a skill which is vital in our day to day personal and working lives. Students have to be able to formulate, develop and articulate ideas with increasing confidence, fluency and sophistication in a range of contexts, knowing when it is important to use standard English and more formal vocabulary and structures. We promote high-quality speaking through performance, frequent discussion and debate, and presenting ideas in the format of a speech. We weave oracy and spoken language elements throughout our curriculum from year 7 right through to year 11. As the GCSE Spoken Language Endorsement we ask students to write and present a TEDTalk style speech, enabling student to really find their voice, their passion and speak out about something they feel will make a positive difference within the world.

Speak confidently, audibly and effectively, including through:

• using Standard English when the context and audience require it
• working effectively in groups of different sizes and taking on required roles, including leading and managing discussions, involving others productively, reviewing and summarising, and contributing to meeting goals/deadlines
• listening to and building on the contributions of others, asking questions to clarify and inform, and challenging courteously when necessary
• planning for different purposes and audiences, including selecting and organising information and ideas effectively and persuasively for formal spoken presentations and debates
• listening and responding in a variety of different contexts, both formal and informal, and evaluating content, viewpoints, evidence and aspects of presentation
• improvising, rehearsing and performing play scripts and poetry in order to generate language and discuss language use and meaning, using role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence, stillness and action to add impact

ASSESSMENT IN ENGLISH

We assess regularly in English through our ongoing day-to-day monitoring of class work, with teachers providing students with live feedback. We use this information to adapt our teaching and ensure our students are making progress. Every unit, apart from our faster reads, has a mid-cycle checkpoint and a final assessment, which enables students to demonstrate, and teachers to assess, the skills and knowledge we have specifically been teaching within the unit. All units have clearly identified core curriculum strands so it is clear how they fit into the bigger learning journey from Year 7 to Year 11, as well as other subsidiary but important strands, ensuring breadth of coverage and repeated rehearsal of key skills in new contexts as our learners progress in English at St Peter’s.

GROUPING IN ENGLISH

We are currently in the process of moving towards mixed ability teaching, and our current grouping structure varies a little between different year groups. We understand that grouping can be is important to students, parents and staff, and we use our knowledge of effective practice, drawing on research, as well as our understanding of the needs and mix within a cohort, when making grouping decisions. We aim to stretch and challenge all our students, in every group, and are always developing our practice to ensure all students are supported to make excellent progress. Our shift to a mixed ability approach is based on robust research, as well as analysis of our internal data.

Year 7

Groups are currently in tutor groups, which are completely mixed ability. In each population (W, X and Y) there is one smaller group which falls within the DELL provision, specifically to support students who have identified literacy needs.

Year 8

English groups in Year 8 are mixed ability. In each population (W, X and Y) there is one smaller group which falls within the DELL provision, specifically to support students who have identified literacy needs.

Year 9

English groups in Year 9 are mixed ability. In the Q population there is one additional smaller group who follow an alternative English pathway, specifically designed to support a small number of students who have identified literacy needs.

Year 10

This year in Year 10 we have we have one higher attaining group and 4 mixed groups in each population (P and Q). Within each mixed group there will be several high attaining students and some students who will need specific support from the teacher. There is one smaller provision in the Q population, which is an alternative English pathway, specifically designed to support a small number of students who have identified literacy needs.

Year 11

This year in Year 11 we have we have two higher attaining group (P and Q) and 3 mixed groups in each population. Within each mixed group there will be several high attaining students and some students who will need specific support from the teacher. There is one smaller provision in the Q population, which is an alternative English pathway, specifically designed to support a small number of students who have identified literacy needs.

HOME LEARNING IN ENGLISH

We set weekly homelearning for all year groups in English which is designed to deepen understanding of key texts, practice key skills in writing and develop writing stamina, increase a range of reading skills and expand students’ vocabulary proficiency.

Year 7 and 8

Weekly wider reading or writing

Students are expected to read or write at home for at least half an hour each week. Their homework will either be to read and then their ‘reading journal’ or to complete a task as part of their ‘writing journal’. We will alternate between reading and writing throughout the year.

Half termly vocabulary

Students are set vocabulary work to do using the Readingwise platform. The vocabulary will be linked to the unit and skills students are focused on in their English lessons during that cycle. This homelearning is set as ‘tasks’ on Readingwise and students can track their progress towards completion. We recommend students do frequent short bursts on Readingwise, as research shows this is the most effective way to build and sustain vocabulary proficiency.

Year 9, 10 and 11

Weekly writing

Students are expected to complete a writing task each week at home. These are set on Google Classroom. The writing tasks will vary across the year, covering all modes of writing necessary to succeed in English exams, including creative and narrative writing, persuasive and expository writing, and analytical, academic writing. They are expected to write a minimum of one side of A4, and are also asked to review and reflect on this piece of writing as part of the task. As students move towards their exams, these will more frequently be past paper questions.

Literature Homelearning

Students have weekly literature homelearning, as the study of literature is a separate GCSE. In Year 9, this is focused on helping students develop their understanding of literature as a subject, the conventions of certain text types and genres, and the terminology that will enable them to respond critically to any text. In Years 10 and 11, this is designed to secure their knowledge of their core literature texts. Literature homelearning will usually take one of the following formats:

• Watching GCSE pods and completing sections of a Knowledge Organizer
• Using Seneca to deepen and secure knowledge of core texts
• Learning Core Quotations
• Answering a Past Paper exam question

Vocabulary

Students are set half termly vocabulary work to do using the Readingwise platform. The vocabulary is linked to the unit and skills students are focused on in their English Language or Literature lessons during that half term, or to aid revision of a core text. This homelearning is set as ‘tasks’ on Readingwise and students can track their progress towards completion. We recommend students do frequent short bursts on Readingwise, as research shows this is the most effective way to build and sustain vocabulary proficiency.

STAFFING IN ENGLISH

• Megan Wootton – English Lead Practitioner
• Kathy Hamilton – Subject Learning Leader
• Lyndsay Kennett – Department Lead for developing metacognition and creative writing
• Camilla Simpson –English teacher
• Gemma Pragnell - English teacher
• Caroline Harding - English teacher
• Molly Seymour - English teacher
• Rebecca Horn - English Teacher
• Vicky Ovens - English teacher
• Miriam Pannell - English teacher
• Ellie Richards - English teacher
• Kate Amphlett - English teacher
• Alexander Davies - English teacher
• Rachel Gunbie - English teacher