English Home Curriculum Intent Statement

• Big Imagination – a study of genre from Western to Sci-Fi and Romance to Horror;
• The Power of Language – an exploration of rhetoric both in Spoken Language and written articles;
• Poetry Please – a study of poetic form culminating in an anthology of original writing;
• From Prose to Playscript: Frankenstein – a study of Pullman’s adaptation of the famous Gothic story;
• Alice in Wonderland – a study of the sublime and surreal Victorian novel;
• Fantasy Class Reader – an exploration of the fantasy genre through a class text such as Coraline, Skulduggery Pleasant, Gregor the Overlander and many more.

• Spooky Stories – this unit focuses on developing your narrative writing skills, culminating in your spookiest story!
• Shakespearean Comedy – a study of the bard’s comedic treasures!
• Globetrotting – join us on a journey around the world through literary travel writing;
• Dystopian Class Reader – an exploration of the dystopian genre through a class text such as Gone, Uglies, The Hunger Games and many more;
• Exploring Identity - a study of poetry from different cultures and places;
• War of the Worlds – a study of the Victorian dystopian novel.

• Romeo and Juliet – a study of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy;
• Gothic Class Reader – an exploration of the Gothic genre through a class text such as The Graveyard Book, Dolly, The Woman in Black and many more;
• Identity and Duality - a study of The Great Gatsby or The Picture of Dorian Gray, looking at how identity can be multifaceted in Literature. 
• Revolution Poetry – a close study of our Romantic Poets, considering how revolution and love inspired their writing;
• Read All About It – an exploration of Victorian non-fiction, taking us to the Whitechapel sensationalist newspaper articles of Jack the Ripper to descriptions of gin palaces and baby farmers;
• Big Imitation – a study of a range of fiction, both prose and poetry, to learn about writers’ styles and how to imitate these in our own writing.

In Years 10 and 11, we study for two GCSEs: AQA English Language and AQA English Literature.

English Language:

During our study of English Language, we study and analyse a range of fiction from 19th century to modern day, considering closely the use of language and structure. We also look at writers’ techniques and use these language devices in our own original writing, culminating in either narrative or descriptive pieces. Additionally, we study a range of non-fiction from 19th century to modern day, looking closely at writer’s viewpoints and perspectives which we also get to explore in our own opinion based writing. Students also produce their own presentation or speech for their Spoken Language endorsement which they present towards the end of Year 10.

Examination website for GCSE English Language

English Literature:

As expected, we study a range of texts for English Literature. These include our 19th century text, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a gothic tale of duality in Victorian England.

In terms of our modern text, we look at the timeless An Inspector Calls, a play demanding social responsibility through the guise of a ‘whodunit’. Of course, we haven’t forgotten the Bard! We study Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, considering the rise and fall of our tragic hero and his ‘fiend-like queen’.

Finally, we study a range of poems based around the Power and Conflict cluster in the anthology as well as a selection of Unseen Poetry to effectively prepare for the exam.

Examination website for GCSE English Literature

We offer A2 English Literature at A-Level and it is a varied course focused on genre study. Students will begin by studying Tragedy, looking at classical Shakespearean tragedy through Othello and moving on to modern tragedy with Miller’s Death of a Salesman. We also look at the wonderfully romantic Keats, studying four of his poems and analysing his discussion of tragic heroes and heroines.

Furthermore, we also study Elements of Crime Writing, analysing the gangs on the seafront in Brighton Rock as well as the complex, postmodern text Atonement. Finally, we explore a range of poems from Wilde’s damning approach to prison reform, to Browning and Crabbe’s take on the psychopathic and immoral nature implicit in human nature. All our analysis of crime writing also serves us well for our Unseen Crime unit, exploring crime writing from a range of forms and contexts.

Additionally, students are assessed for two pieces of essay writing submitted as coursework. These demand students to analyse texts through the lens of a theory, in our case, Marxism and Feminism. We currently study a body of Plath, Sexton and Rossetti’s work for the feminism piece as well as the modern text Fight Club for our Marxism perspective.

We also offer Year 12 GCSE English Language which follows the AQA specification. Students will study a range of fiction and nonfiction texts from 19th century to the 21st century. They will also improve their written skills, focusing on creative writing and persuasive writing.

Examination website for A2 English Literature