Staff
The following teachers work within the department:
Miss R. Phillips – Head of Department
Mrs C. Woodliffe – Second in Department
Miss H. Keith – Teacher of English, Key Stage 3 Cooridnator
Mrs M. Blakeway – Teacher of English
Mrs A. Bailiss – Teacher of English and Sociology
Mr R. Bailey – Teacher of English
Mrs M. Davies – Teacher of English
Mr J. Stephen – Teacher of English and German
Mrs M. Grainger – Teacher of English
Mr P. Greenhalgh – Teacher of English
Miss H. Keith – Teacher of English
Mrs C. Masterson-Lemin – Teacher of English
Mr J. Whitehurst – Teacher of English, Achievement Leader Y7/8
Mrs C. Forster – Teacher of English, Deputy Headteacher
Miss S. Ingram – Teacher of History and English
King Edward VI English Department Curriculum Intent:
Overall intent:
We aim to equip students with the analytical and communication skills they require to excel in their examinations and successfully navigate the world outside school. To do this we work to help students build an astute awareness of the difference between literal and implicit meanings in fiction and non-fiction texts; encouraging them to become discerning readers. We attempt to train them to become readers who can perceptively identify and understand bias and objectivity within the range of texts they are, and will continue to be, influenced by on a daily basis. We also try to train them to They then use this understanding of the written word to become influential writers themselves.
Another goal of the department is to instil in students an appreciation of literature of all forms and genres while enhancing their exposure to a wealth of cultural capital and a wide range of challenging and thought provoking contemporary and historical themes. We try to ensure that all All our students should develop the skills to become competent, confident and content in using, comprehending and interpreting the spoken and written word and that they are exposed to an enjoyable and engaging English curriculum while developing these skills.
Embedding literacy:
Teaching students to develop strong communication skills in reading, writing and speaking and listening has always been and will continue to be the foundation of our subject. We attempt to go beyond this by teaching Sstudents are taught to write for a range of purposes and audiences, with technical accuracy, in ways that will engage their readers. SWe try to ensure that students are encouraged to can write with flair by encouraging them to usinge an ambitious vocabulary and a wide range of literary and linguistic devices with sophistication and subtlety. Essentially, we aim to facilitate students in ‘crafting’ their writing to create deliberate effects. Students are taughtWhile we aim to teach students to be shrewd analytical readers, we also and encouraged students to read widely for pleasure in and outside school. The department and have built excellent links with the LRC to support our students wider reading. As reading for pleasure is increasingly avoided by a generation of children who are exposed to more media forms than any generation before them, we aim to challenge this avoidance and foster a love of literature in our students by exposing them to a wide range of engaging literary texts.
Encouraging independence:
Our aim is to ensure that students develop the habit of questioning the world around them and in doing this become independent learners in all aspects of life. By selecting a range of texts, classroom topics and themes that confront and often challenge the social expectations present in a range of historical contexts and in the modern day, we try to interest and subsequently motivate students to engage with learning and to ask thoughtful questions about the topics we cover and also about humanity and society. We feel that motivated and engaged students can become effective independent thinkers and learners. We also encourage independent learning by challenging students through a range of independent learning tasks set in lessons and as homework and by setting independent research activities.
Enrichment:
One of our primary goals is to cultivate a love of reading. We carefully consider the texts we choose to teach at all key stages as we want them to stimulate students’ interest and enjoyment in reading while exposing them to characters, themes and plots that challenge prejudice, question the world we live in and deal with a range of sensitive yet pertinent issues. In addition to teaching texts that develop students’ cultural understanding, we encourage them to produce a range of written texts that develop their cultural awareness. We try to enrich students’ cultural experiences whenever possible, both inside and outside of the classroom. Whether this be through our use of teaching resources, the film and media texts we use in lessons or through trips to the theatre, enhancing students’ exposure to cultural capital is one of our priorities. In addition to this, teaching the social and historical context of texts is a key objective of the English Literature curriculum and this is something we take advantage of. We do this by using a range of creative ways to enhance students’ awareness of British and global culture past and present while strengthening their ability to consider the intentions of the different writers that they study.
Curriculum Overviews for Key Stage 3 and 4
Please follow the links for additional information on the department and its work:
Key Stage 3 English Scheme of Work
KS3 English – how parents can support students.
Year 7 Improving Reading and Writing skills
Key Stage 4 – GCSE English Language & Literature for students sitting exams in 2017 onwards
Please follow the link below for the overview of the curriculum.
KS4 Knowledge Organisers
GCSE English Language
GCSE English Literature