Welcome to the English Department
At SNHS, the English department aims to encourage children to be perceptive and critical readers, writers and thinkers. We teach through an engaging, varied and collaborative curriculum. We believe that studying English is central to the development of thoughtful, articulate young people who are aware of themselves as part of a wider community, and a pluralistic world. English not only underpins students’ studies across the entire school curriculum, but is vital in ensuring students are equipped with necessary skills in comprehension, reading and writing.
Across Key Stage Three, our schemes of work have been planned to deliver the National Curriculum in a way that is stimulating and thought provoking. Students are offered every opportunity to demonstrate creativity and originality whether that be in reading, writing or through spoken language. Every year, students study a range of poetry, a novel, a play and 20th/21st Century writing that incorporate many relevant social, cultural and philosophical topics. We strive to ensure our students acquire the necessary skills and harness a love for English that they can build upon in later years.
At Key Stage Four, we examine with AQA. Students will acquire two GCSEs by the end of their studies: English Language and English Literature. Currently, students study the following texts for Literature: Macbeth, An Inspector Calls, A Christmas Carol, Unseen Poetry and a variety of poems from the AQA Power and Conflict poetry cluster.
Through clubs such as Creative Writing Club, Debate Club, Carnegie Reading and the student-led School Newspaper, the English team passionately contributes to the wider curriculum at SNHS. Whether students are interested in creative writing, journalism or voicing their opinion, there are exciting opportunities for all.
Mr Rob Howell
Director of English
Subject Information
Key Stage 3
A high-quality English curriculum should inspire in students a passion for reading, writing and speaking that will empower them to understand the world around them, building on what they have learned at primary school. At Salendine Nook High School our teaching is designed to be clear, stimulating and accessible for every student. Throughout Key Stage 3, students can expect to be challenged and engage with texts covering a wide range of themes and issues – philosophical and societal. The English department’s aim is to develop every student’s ability to use and interpret English successfully, effectively and imaginatively.
Students are assessed rigorously throughout and are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning and development. In addition, we expect students to become confident readers of high quality literature and to read for pleasure as well as for knowledge.
Our English curriculum will:
- Be exciting with great literature at its heart
- Focus on sustained progress not rapid progress (Didau)
- Capitalise on what students already know, building on prior learning and enabling revisiting of concepts
- Be designed around how students learn, applying the principles of up-to-date pedagogical research
- Deliver grammar discretely to reach a basic competency (Christadoulou)
- Embed a ‘grammar for writing’ approach (Myhill)
- Fulfill the requirements of the new NC
- Prepare students for progression to KS4
Year 7:
- ‘Wonder’ Transition Unit
- Being British (then and now): Anthology containing a range of fiction and non-fiction.
- Relationships (family). Choice of novel study including: ‘Ways to Live Forever’, ‘The Graveyard Book’, ‘A Monster Calls’ or ‘The Lie Tree’.
- Introduction to Shakespeare with accompanying Shakespeare extracts based on familial relationships
- Gothic fiction: Frankenstein the play, extracts from the Frankenstein novel. Anthology containing a range of extracts.
Year 8:
- Dystopian Fiction: ‘Fahrenheit 451’ or ‘The Hunger Games’. A range of dystopian extracts and non-fiction extracts (articles and podcasts) relating to modern issues.
- Romance in Literature: Love poems/letters from a range of authors over time
- Shakespeare text: Othello
- Crime/ Struggles in Society: Blood Brothers. Anthology containing a range of fiction and non-fiction.
Latest News
CAKE!!! – Year 7 English Extended Learning Task
12th August 2019These are some of the projects produced by our Year 7 students as part of their ELT (extended learning task) Projects whilst we have been studying A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The ELT allows...
English Revision Resources!!
16th May 2019Here is a range of revision resources I have collected for you all. I hope you find them useful!! Miss Emily Newing Teacher of English Macbeth Exam Practice Pack AQA Poetry Anthology Revision...
We have a published Poet!!
7th May 2019Congratulations to Jonathon Spencer who has had his Poem, The Civilian, picked for publication. The Poetry Escape competition was open to Secondary School students of all ages across the country...
UPDATED 2019 Y11 EASTER REVISION TIMETABLE
12th March 2019Please click the image below to see the full timetable. It is vital students attend these to maximise their potential for the coming GCSE examinations. If you have any questions at all, please...