English

Intent

The English curriculum lays the foundation for learning, fostering essential skills in processing information, critical thinking, and communication—both written and spoken—crucial for success. Recognising that students come from diverse academic, social, and emotional backgrounds, our flexible curriculum serves as a first step towards re-engagement and achievement, whether students are reintegrating into school or preparing for GCSEs.

Reading offers lifelong benefits, including emotional and social growth. As student's progress, they engage with increasingly challenging fiction and non-fiction texts, exploring universal themes like power, inequality, and empathy. Our chosen texts provoke reflection on what it means to be human, fostering moral, spiritual, and cultural understanding. Through literature, students gain insight into how individuals respond to adversity, take responsibility, and grow. We emphasise reading for both enjoyment and knowledge, encouraging students to explore the world through books.

The curriculum is sequenced to build on prior learning, ensuring that student's progress in both their reading and writing skills. Writing is approached as a process of exploration, critical thinking, and revision. Students learn to write with confidence, clarity, and creativity, making purposeful choices to enhance their work’s impact. Regular assessment ensures that students’ understanding and skills are continuously developed.

The study of spoken language helps students build lifelong communication skills, offering varied opportunities to grow in confidence. We encourage risk-taking in speaking, reading, and writing through challenging texts and tasks, fostering resilience and ultimately, success.

Link to long term overview: