English

In English, our aim is an exploration of the human condition and justice: communicate powerfully: read critically, write passionately and speak purposefully. We strive to take students on a journey of awe and wonder into the very heart of human communication.

Golden Threads in English: Justice and Equality, Empathy and Emotions, Altruism and Selflessness – these concepts allow for a more complex exploration of moral dilemmas in storytelling and philosophical discussions, acknowledging the spectrum of human behaviour beyond the simplistic ‘good vs evil’ framework to ensure students are compassionate, critically-thinking, and ethically aware members of society as reflected in the College’s mission statement: Via, Veritas, Vita.

All students will be given opportunities to develop their: linguistic skill; knowledge of a variety of texts as examples of how writers use language and methods, enabling them to think critically, write and speak with confidence, precision and passion.

Literacy and Numeracy in English

Students will revise and develop their literacy skills through a clearly defined sequence of starter activities in lessons and in their Bedrock homework assignments. Spellings will be set twice a month. There is also the discrete teaching of subject specific and key vocabulary to ensure that students are able to access texts in a full and comprehensive manner. The focused learning will complement the assessments and focuses of each unit and will develop and hone a student’s written accuracy.

Numeracy skills are taught through logical reasoning and critical thinking: Analyzing plot structures, character motivations, and arguments in Literature helps develop critical thinking and logical reasoning skills. These skills are directly transferable to solving Maths problems, which often require a sequence of logical steps and analytical thinking. Both disciplines rely on the recognition and exploration of patterns. In Literature, this is evident in narrative structures, rhyme schemes, and linguistic devices. Recognizing these patterns helps build the underlying cognitive ability to identify and work with numerical and geometric patterns in Maths.

English - Curriculum Journey