English at Chadwick High School 

Curriculum Intent

English is vital for communicating with others in school, the wider world and is fundamental to learning in all curriculum subjects. In English, students develop skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening that they will need to participate in society and employment.

Many of our students arrive with poor literacy or having experienced much failure in English, believing they ‘can’t read’ or ‘can’t spell’. Some arrive with a love of reading or writing but feel they are behind because poor attendance has meant there are gaps in their literacy or subject knowledge. Our intent is to develop their confidence, resilience and independence by assessing their skills and knowledge and providing learning to plug any gaps and teach them strategies to approach any areas they find challenging.

The main aims of the English Curriculum at Chadwick High School are to:

· allow students to become competent and accurate users of the English language, who can communicate clearly and effectively in a range of different situations;

· nurture students’ creative skills in order that they can use language to produce new meanings and effects;

· enhance students’ cultural understanding so that they have an appreciation of British and World Literature;

· develop students’ critical capacities so that they can analyse and evaluate a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts and become confident media consumers and communicators;

· support all Key Stage 4 students to achieve an English qualification for their next steps, whatever they aspire to achieve.

Literacy

At Key Stages 3 and 4, literacy skills such as reading, writing and oracy are integrated across the English curriculum through a range of activities. Students engage with diverse texts, from fiction to non-fiction, to develop reading comprehension and analytical skills. Vocabulary is expanded through both explicit teaching of new words and through context-based learning within texts. Writing skills are developed through regular practice in different genres, encouraging students to express ideas clearly and coherently, while focusing on grammar, punctuation, and style. Oracy is promoted through group discussions and presentations, fostering effective communication and critical thinking. Together, these elements support students’ overall literacy development, preparing them for both academic and real-world communication.

British Values

All students are exposed to texts from our literary heritage allowing them t0 appreciate British writers who have contributed to the great works of our heritage. A range of texts and topics are studied as part of the English curriculum, which lend themselves to promoting our fundamental British values. In non-fiction units and reading lessons we make regular use of news resources to discuss current events and their impact on British values.

Democracy: embedding student understanding around the importance of living in a democracy is developed within many of our non-fiction schemes of learning that centre around the world and how it works. In many schemes we consider the importance of the free press and analyse a range of newspapers. ‘Our Day Out’ in Key Stage 3 explores the importance of democracy by showing how all individuals, regardless of their background, should have equal opportunities and a voice in shaping their future. Through the children’s experiences, the play emphasises the need for greater equality of opportunity and participation for all in a truly democratic society.

Individual Liberty: war poetry studied in Key Stages 3 and 4 enables students to reflect upon important sacrifices made in British history to preserve individual liberty and freedom. The loss of individual liberty is explored in ‘Animal Farm’ in Key Stage 3, highlighting how oppressive regimes can deprive people of personal freedoms, showing students the consequences of allowing power to concentrate in the hands of a few and restricting personal freedoms for the masses.

Rule of Law: many of our units allow students to consider Rule of Law. When we study war poetry, we consider policies put in place by the governments at the time. We also explore and discuss issues such as capital punishment in Key Stage 4. Also, through our literature studies of texts such as ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘An Inspector Calls’, students can see how and where the Welfare State emerged from, which enables students to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England.

Mutual Respect and Tolerance: across the key stages, we read a range of texts from different cultures and study texts that represent a multicultural Britain. These texts include key literary heritage texts by Shakespeare and Dickens and also texts from other cultures such as ‘Of Mice and Men’ and poetry from different cultures, enabling students to acquire an appreciation for and respect for their own and other cultures and a sense of social responsibility. Here, students discuss the social and moral implications of racial, class and gender prejudices and the overall fairness of societies.

Freedom of Speech: conflict poetry studied in Key Stages 3 and 4 can help students to understand the importance of freedom of speech. Poets like Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, and Rupert Brooke used their poetry to critique the glorification of war, share the harsh realities of battle, and challenge societal expectations. This aligns with the value of freedom of speech, as these poets used their voices to influence public opinion about war and question authority. Poetry from across the world in Key Stage 3 serves as a powerful tool for freedom of speech, where students explore how individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds express their personal, political, and social views, reflecting the fundamental right to express ideas and beliefs openly.

Supporting Need

We have smaller class sizes and teaching assistant support in all English lessons, which allows a personalised and trauma-based approach as students develop established relationships with staff so they can express themselves more freely and develop their skills, confidence and resilience in a supportive and highly differentiated learning environment.

All English classrooms have ICT facilities allowing students the option to word process their work in lessons and examinations, easing the process of planning, structuring and redrafting work, particularly for students with SEN needs. We also have reading pens and coloured overlays for use in lessons and examinations for students who struggle with the demands of reading longer texts.

All students across all key stages also have access to IXL, an engaging personalised learning platform linked to English National Curriculum skills for every key stage. It provides a wide range of interactive lessons and practice exercises designed to help students improve their skills and plug any missed gaps in their learning. It covers areas such as phonics, grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension, writing, and language conventions and can be accessed in school and at home, supporting our students to develop the communication skills needed for success in school and beyond.

Curriculum Development

This year marks the first year of our Functional Skills Level 1 curriculum, and we are excited to continue developing it in the future, with plans to introduce Functional Skills Level 2. A key focus will be to place greater emphasis on oracy across both Key Stages 3 and 4, given the equal weighting of speaking and listening in the Functional Skills qualifications. To support this, we aim to design oracy units that will help prepare students more effectively for the speaking and listening assessments. The focus on oracy across all key stages will not only support students in their exams but also equip them with vital communication skills they will use throughout their lives. Additionally, we plan to incorporate more opportunities for students to explore career pathways through reading, writing, and oracy activities within English lessons. This approach ensures that our students are not only prepared for their assessments but also for the real-world skills they will need in their future careers.

GCSE English Language supports applications to both academic and vocational pathways. Most A Level and Level 3 courses or apprenticeships require a grade 4 in GCSE English Language. Most Level 2 courses or apprenticeships require a grade 3 GCSE or Functional Skills Level 2 and many Level 1 courses accept a grade 1 or 2 in GCSE English Language or Functional Skills Level 1.

Careers relevant to this subject

There are many careers for lovers of English: Digital Copywriter, Editorial Assistant, Journalist, English Teacher, University Lecturer, Speech and Language Therapist, Lawyer, Barrister.