English will foster independent, skillful communicators with a passion for reading and writing.
Reading, writing and oracy are fundamental skills for students to possess. At Beckfoot we teach students the origin and development of these skills, thereby enabling them to decode and recreate the world around them.
Students will study a variety of texts while they’re at Beckfoot, all from different time period, genres and perspectives through both analytical and creative methods.
From exploring the works of Homer, Shakespeare and Dahl, they will develop their knowledge sequentially as they hone their analytical skills.
Enrichment
Studying English at Beckfoot encourages students to develop a love for what is on their doorstep; from the works of the Brontes to J.B. Priestley, students will recognise that they are pat of a rich literary heritage.
From being inspired by local writers, students will also work closely with local primary schools to help younger children develop their literacy skills. Students will also have the opportunity to take part in whole Beckfoot Trust debates to improve their oracy skills.
Assessment
In years 7, 8 and 9, internal assessments will take place throughout each year to monitor student progress and further inform teaching and learning.
At GCSE, students will study both English Language and Literature, will be assessed at the end of Year 11 through written exams.
KS4 Specification
Careers
English will provide students with fundamental literacy skills, and the agility to critically and creatively evaluate the written and spoken world in which they live. By producing confident writers, readers and speakers, learners will be prepared for future work and further education.
- Marketing
- Communications
- Public Relations
- Law
- Teaching
- Journalism
- Writing
Curriculum Overview
| Year | Cycle 1 | Cycle 2 | Cycle 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 7 | Telling the story: Students will understand how a story is constructed as they learn about stock characters, form and structure of stories over time: Iliad to Dahl. Creatively Coraline: Students will learn to recognise story conventions as they examine how a ‘modern classic’ exemplifies the techniques they’ve learnt and apply them to their own ‘quest tale’. | Shakespeare – to laugh or cry? Students will learn to recognise the conventions of three types of Shakespearean plays (history, tragedy and comedy) as they develop their knowledge of the plot of several of his plays. The Merchant of Venice: Students will develop a deeper understanding of Shakespeare as they study this text to deepen their knowledge of the plot and characters and their relationships. | Sonnets: Students will learn about the origins of the sonnet form and learn to recognise, analyse and explain the form: Petrarch to the Romantics. Oracy – could my voice change the world? Students will read a range of speeches and analyse their use of rhetoric, and deliver their own speech using these skills. |
| Year 8 | Remarkable lives: Students will develop their understanding of the autobiographical form and use their knowledge to produce their own written piece. Macbeth-tragedy: Students will deepen their understanding of the tragedy form as they begin to understand what makes Macbeth a tragic play and the contextual backdrop of it. | War poetry: Students will learn about war poetry, exploring why soldiers chose poetry to express their experiences and feelings. Letter writing: Students will learn about the importance of letters and produce their own to voice an opinion in a letter to the council. | Ghosts and ghouls: Students will be introduced to Gothic conventions and be exposed to a range of Gothic texts. The Woman in Black: Students will build on their prior knowledge of the Gothic and analyse the supernatural conventions in the modern novel and consider the protagonists development throughout the novel. |
| Year 9 | Investigative journalism: Students will understand the role of a journalist and analyse different ways in which stories can be reported as they work to produce their own news article. Extended metaphor: Students will understand the purpose of an extended metaphor in poetry and prose and how they are used to deliver a message. The modern novel – Of Mice and Men: Students will begin to understand the hardships people faced in the Great Depression as they identify what Steinbeck was influenced by and explain what is meant by a feminist/Marxist interpretation. | Dystopian fiction: Students will understand the origins of the utopian and dystopian forms of writing and apply dystopian conventions to their own story. Other world views: Students will be exposed to a range of literature from around the world so they can explain why people around world use prose and poetry to raise awareness about racism, genocide, feminism, and other relevant issues. | Flipping the form: Students will learn how to change one form of writing into another and apply different forms to change a newspaper. Socrates to question time – talking to: Students will understand the features of Socratic questioning and partake in a debate. |
| Year 10 | Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare: Students will develop a confident overview of the plot, narrative devices, themes and characters in the play. Frankenstein (sets 1&2): Students will develop a confident overview of the plot, narrative devices, themes and characters in the play. A Christmas Carol: Students will develop a confident overview of the plot, narrative devices, themes and characters in the play. | Language paper 2: Students will become familiar with the format of questions 1-5 on the exam paper and understand how to approach them. Romeo and Juliet characters and themes: Students will develop a detailed knowledge about the development of key characters in the play and be confident in answering a character based questions. Language paper 1: Students will become familiar with the format of questions 1-5 on the exam paper and understand how to approach them. | Literature paper 2 – Power and Conflict: Students will understand the content and context of all 15 poems and learn to write basic comparisons of them. Spoken language: Students will research a topic of their choice in detail and deliver a 3-5 minute presentation about it to their class. |
| Year 11 | Literature paper 2 – An Inspector Calls: Students will learn to answer a character or theme based essay on the text. Literature paper 2 – Revision of An Inspector Calls and Power and Conflict: Students will practice answering all given questions in the required times. Language paper 2: Students will be able to read, analyse and compare the given texts within the required times and write in all the required forms. | Literature paper 1 – Frankenstein (sets 1&2)/A Christmas Carol (sets 3&6): Students will be able to answer questions on all the characters and all the themes within the novel. Literature paper 1 – Romeo and Juliet: Students will be able to answer questions on all the characters and all the themes within the novel. Language paper 1: Students can analyse language and structure and critically evaluate a text. Students can write effectively to describe or narrate. An Inspector Calls Revision: Students will be able to answer exam questions on all the characters and all the themes within the novel. | Power and Conflict poetry: Students can write a full comparative essay on any named poem and one other from the anthology. Unseen poetry: Students can read, interpret and compare two unseen poems. Rolling revision: You will revise all the units of work for English Language and English Literature in preparation for your final exams. |