English: Curriculum
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Key Stage 3
- In Year 7 and 8 students develop their skills in our Core Concepts (below) – reading, writing and speaking and listening. In Year 7, students study a modern novel and a range of dramatic monologues as well as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and a range of writing tasks. In Year 8, students study Sherlock Holmes stories, as well as a modern novel, Much Ado About Nothing and a range of writing tasks. We have adapted our Key Stage 3 curriculum to prepare students for the new GCSE qualifications by ensuring that all Key Stage 3 students read nineteenth century fiction and begin to analyse the structure of texts.
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Key Stage 4
- AQA GCSE English Language and Literature
In Year 9, students build the skills necessary for GCSE by studying a modern work of literature and poetry from World War One. They study GCSE English Language Paper One (Reading and Producing Fiction texts) and give individual presentations.
In Year 10 students prepare for GCSE English Language Paper Two (Reading and Producing Non-Fiction texts) and GCSE English Literature Paper One (Shakespeare and Nineteenth Century Fiction). They also give an individual talk and study a selection of poetry texts.
In Year 11 students prepare for GCSE English Literature Paper Two (Modern Texts and Poetry) as well as reviewing both English Language papers. -
Key Stage 5
- Edexcel AS and A Level English Literature
In the Lower Sixth, students prepare for AS English Literature. They study a selection from the Forward Poems of the Decade anthology, Dr Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.
In the Upper Sixth, students prepare for A Level English Literature. For the examined units, they study a selection of metaphysical poetry, King Lear by Shakespeare, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguru and for coursework they study The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguru and compare it with a text of their choice.