AWA English Curriculum Principles

Intent Statement:

The intent of the English curriculum is to shape our students as writers, readers, speakers and critical thinkers equipped to survive and thrive in a fast-changing global climate. This will be achieved through rigorously planned lessons, creative teaching and structured home learning, enabling our students to become confident communicators and helping them to achieve the grades required to access a future pathway of their choice.

Implementation Key Principles:

  • Detailed planning that caters for all pupils
  • Lessons that address both individual and group needs
  • Books that demonstrate independent practice and purposeful practice
  • Assessment data (both formative and summative) that is fed back into planning
  • Content is rich, relevant and reflective of the diverse world in which we live
  • Learning is sequenced to enable young people to develop knowledge and skills
  • Literacy is explicitly delivered across the curriculum. 
  • Learning is adapted to support the specific needs of individuals
  • A sustainable approach is supported through the curriculum
  • Resilience is promoted for students by frequent (low stakes) assessment to inform teaching

In classrooms, this may look like:

  • Do Nows that recall prior learning Signature strategies used for Checking Understanding, such as Show Call, Show Me, Intentional Monitoring Structured pupil talk, where pupils are able to practise talk before writing
  • Deliberate independent practice in exercise books
  • Pupils self assessing and/or improving their own writing green/ purple pen
  • Pupils explicitly taught key vocabulary and using it in their responses
  • Carefully planned shared schema, developed by experts and tailored by teachers to meet the needs of teaching groups
  • DO NOW tasks drawing on prior learning
  • Signature strategies used for Checking Understanding, such as Show Call, Show Me, Intentional Monitoring
  • Shared literacy and reading strategies in place, such as Inside Outside Beyond and whole class reading work
  • Precise pedagogical decisions made for students with additional needs (EHCP, SEND K, PSP, Behavioural, PA) including additional adults, alternative resources or outcomes, seating arrangements, precise deployment of signature strategies
  • Teaching which alters according to student understanding demonstrated both from assessment points and within lessons

In work produced, this may look like:

  • Pupils self assessing and/or improving their own writing using green/ purple pen
  • Individual feedback that challenges and supports 'Live' marking during the lesson that addresses misconceptions/ errors in the moment
  • Weekly homework tasks (year 9-11) that consolidate learning from the week's teaching
  • Regular feedback, which addresses knowledge or skills gaps
  • Opportunities for conscious practice by students (reteach episodes, ‘fix-it’ sessions, revision)
  • Opportunities for self and peer assessment, engaging with success criteria
  • As relevant to Key Stage, opportunities to engage with exam-style content
  • Home learning will promote digital literacy in line with school strategy

For students, this experience may include:

  • Consistent learning across different classes - all pupils are taught agreed knowledge and skills within each unit
  • Regular opportunities to receive feedback on work
  • Opportunities to practise speaking and listening whilst discussing a range of engaging topics
  • Reviewing model 'exemplar' responses and unpicking what has made them good
  • Weekly homework - low stakes quiz and consolidation revision
  • Consistent staffing in lessons with teachers who know them and similar learning journeys across year groups
  • Regular opportunities to engage with feedback on progress (parents’ evenings, progress grades, reports, assessment feedback, in-class feedback, marking)
  • A clear sense of the curriculum journey leading to CEIAG – how can you pursue this field of study? What might it lead you to?
  • Where students are taught by professionals at the start of their career, they can expect additional adults in classes supporting through a range of strategies (live coaching, learning walks, observations, team teaching)

Impact Key Principles

In evaluating the impact of our curriculum, we will consider:

  • Outcomes data, such as A level and BTEC Results, GCSE results, Additional qualifications (sports leaders, community languages, Entry level qualifications) and the performance of vulnerable groups within that data
  • Destinations data at common points of transition from the school (Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5)
  • Internal and external Quality Assurance processes (Ark review processes, governor accountability processes, internal audit processes, Ofsted)
  • The development of professionals into experts in their field through their work in supporting colleagues, supporting other schools, developing curriculum resource, becoming examiners etc.

 

Curriculum Coverage:

Autumn 1 and 2

Spring 1 and 2

Summer 1 and 2

7

Year 7 Oliver Twist K.O

Oliver Twist HW quizzes

Year 7 A Midsummer Nights Dream K.O

A Midsummer Nights Dream HW quizzes

Year 7 Poetry K.O

Y7 Poetry HW quizzes

8

Year 8 Sherlock Holmes K.O

Sherlock Holmes HW quizzes

Year 8 The Tempest K.O

The Tempest HW quizzes

Year 8 Animal Farm K.O

Animal Farm HW quizzes

9

Year 9 Jane Eyre K.O

Jane Eyre HW quizzes

Small Island

Year 9 Poetry K.O

Year 9 poetry HW quizzes

10

GCSE English Language Paper 1 K.O

Romeo and Juliet York notes revision guide

GCSE English Language Paper 2 K.O

An Inspector Calls York Notes revision guide

GCSE English Language Paper 1 K.O

GCSE English Language Paper 2 K.O

Power and Conflict poetry: Collins AQA GCSE English: Power and Conflict revision guide

11

A Christmas Carol York notes revision guide

Revision of all units studied

Exams

12

Hamlet: York notes revision guide

The Handmaid’s Tale: York notes revision guide

A Streetcar Named Desire: York notes revision guide

Frankenstein: York notes revision guide

Revision of all units studied

Coursework

13

Romantic Poetry

Contemporary poetry: Pearson Edexcel Poems of the Decade revision guide

Revision of all units studied

Exams

    

       

Exam Board Information and Recommended Revision Resources

 

GCSE:

Subject

Exam Board

Specification Code

Qualification Number

Recommended Websites

Recommended Textbooks/Visits

English Language

AQA

8700

601/4292/3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch-XgnluOf4

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM2vdqz-7e4HAuzhpFuRY8w

1. Collins AQA GCSE 9-1 English Language and English Literature revision guide

2. CGP GCSE English Language AQA revision guide (9-1)

English Literature

AQA

8702

601/4447/6

https://senecalearning.com/

https://www.litcharts.com/

https://www.sparknotes.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM2vdqz-7e4HAuzhpFuRY8w

A Christmas Carol

1. York Notes for GCSE study guide (New GCSE 9-1)

2. CGP: A Christmas Carol – The text guide

3. Collins Snap revision: A Christmas Carol AQA English Literature

Romeo and Juliet

1. York Notes for GCSE (New GCSE 9-1)

2. CGP: Romeo and Juliet – the text guide

3. Collins Snap revision: Romeo and Juliet AQA English Literature (available to students through teacher/ library)

An Inspector Calls

1. York Notes for GCSE (New GCSE 9-1)

2. CGP: An Inspector Calls – the text guide

3. Collins snap revision: An Inspector Calls AQA English Literature (available to students through teacher/ library)

Poetry

1. CGP: AQA Poetry guide – Power and Conflict anthology

2. CGP: Unseen poetry exam board AQA – The poetry guide

3. Collins AQA GCSE English: Power and Conflict revision guide

 

A-Level:

Subject

Exam Board

Specification Code

Qualification Number

Recommended Websites

Recommended Textbooks/Visits

English Literature

Edexcel

9ET0

601/5046/4

 

Prose

York notes for AS and A2: Frankenstein

York notes for A Level: The Handmaid’s Tale

Poetry

Pearson Edexcel Poems of the Decade (Hodder Education)

Drama

York notes for A Level: A Streetcar named Desire

York notes advanced: Hamlet