Curriculum Implementation

Curriculum Implementation

English structures the curriculum into a 3-year Key Stage 3, a 2-year Key Stage 4 and a 2-year Key Stage 5 curriculum. The curriculum is a progressive model.

Subject specialists have given consideration and thought to the sequence and rationale of the curriculum; why we teach the content we do and in the order that we do. This is to ensure knowledge is not isolated information; it is connected knowledge that enables comprehension.

At Key Stage 3, the full National Curriculum is delivered. The English curriculum is organised into units. Each unit builds on prior knowledge allowing connections to be made and enables knowledge to be transferable. In English, we believe this facilitates deeper comprehension. The content taught in each unit is chosen so lessons focus on developing deeper understanding and capacity for skilful performance.

At Key Stage 4, the full AQA GCSE English Language and Literature courses are delivered. Content is structured into units. The English Language curriculum is designed to ensure students practice the skills of identifying implicit and explicit information, analysing the effects of language and structure, evaluating texts and writers’ perspectives as well as writing creatively in a range of forms through the study of non-fiction and fiction texts. The English Literature curriculum is designed to ensure students practice the skills of writing critically, analysing characters, themes and ideas in poetry, prose and plays. Students analyse how language, structure and form are used to create meaning and they learn to make links to the contexts in which texts are written. Each lesson builds on prior learning, allowing connections to be made between content Units have been organised and designed to promote learning and provide depth and breadth of understanding

At Key Stage 5 the AQA Specification A Love through the Ages is delivered. Content is structured into units. The curriculum is designed to ensure students study a range of poetry, prose and plays across time with the thematic link of love through the ages. Each lesson builds on prior learning, allowing connections to be made between content. Units have been organised and designed to promote learning and provide depth and breadth of understanding. Subject and cross subject sequencing intends to develop schemata making subsequent learning possible

Student voice has been conducted to ensure that students have a contribution to the curriculum content. This has resulted in new prose texts being introduced in Key Stage 3.

The English Department is a member of NATE and the Chartered College, and we work alongside the School Improvement Partners to quality assure our curriculum and ensure that it provides a high quality and comprehensive curriculum for all.

Pedagogical approach

The pedagogical approach for English adheres to the LLT Teaching and Learning Policy. Subject specialists deliver the English curriculum through 50 x 55-minute lessons per fortnight

Rosenshine and ‘Teach Like a Champion’ strategies are implemented in all lessons and lesson episodes are designed to enable students to store knowledge into the long-term memory.

Lessons

Tasks and activities are engaging and whenever possible are linked to local context, careers and progression and develop cultural capital. Examples include the study of the literary canon with the exploration of social and historical context, discussions of potential careers such as journalism and the focus on spoken language with debates, discussion and presentations which underpin key communication skills in job roles.

Lessons are structured to enable students to review/retrieve prior knowledge and activate it to make connections with new learning. This is through ‘Do It Now’ tasks at the start of each lesson.

In each lesson, students are informed what they are learning and what the outcomes for the lesson are. We call these ‘WALT’ (What we are all learning today,) and ‘WILF’ (What I’m Looking For.)

New information is delivered in small steps and models are provided to support student comprehension. We utilise name the steps, everybody writes, turn and talk, worked examples and I do, we do, you do to develop essential knowledge in our subject and to develop our students into independent and successful learners.

Lessons provide opportunities for students to practice applying their new learning. This may include guided and/or independent practice.

Questioning is used to inform adaptive teaching, and this includes techniques such as ‘right is right’ to ensure students accurately and clearly articulate their responses.

Students are asked to complete practical based activities such as drama-based role play and performance to consolidate and deepen essential knowledge and to provide opportunities to further develop the connections between substantive and disciplinary knowledge.

Students develop essential knowledge and then apply it in activities that ‘bring it all together.’ This ensures they connect knowledge and learning.

We assess an ever-expanding curriculum. Assessment takes place in the form of formative and summative assessment tasks. These are carefully considered and link directly to the curriculum intent for the half term. Summative assessment samples from the whole curriculum to date – not just what has been most recently taught

Clear ‘essential knowledge reading’ activities are provided to support reading development and provide depth and breadth to the curriculum. In English, our curriculum provides essential knowledge reading activities which include ‘consolidate your learning,’ ‘deepen your knowledge’ ‘wider reading’ reading activities. These activities broaden and widen essential knowledge, as well as consolidating the learning provided in each topic.

Literacy

In English, teachers clearly communicate their subject discipline using appropriate vocabulary. This includes the use of command words, vocabulary lists, Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary.

English reading materials are carefully selected to develop reading and comprehension skills. The English department teach reading comprehension strategies through the disciplinary literacy reading strategies such as reciprocal reading, reading lists, going for Goals with REAL, explicit vocabulary instruction, DARTS and modelling. We provide support for students so they can access challenging texts such as using glossaries, Frayer models and explicit vocabulary instruction.

In English, we provide opportunities for students to ‘bring together’ knowledge developed. This is through extended reading and writing tasks, as well as Oracy tasks.

To develop Oracy, the English department uses physical, linguistic, cognitive and social and emotional structures to assist in students’ ability to communicate ideas and concepts verbally.

In English, we provide a number of extra-curricular activities to broaden the scope of the English curriculum. These include a weekly key stage 4 and 5 reading club, a key stage 4 creative writing club, a key stage 3 reading and spelling club and a key stage 3 school newspaper club. We provide opportunities to visit theatres across the country to experience productions of set texts for GCSE and A-level.