English Curriculum

Our Subject Vision

Our aim at TLA is to develop an appreciation of and a love for language and literature amongst our students. Our curriculum has been carefully crafted to ensure our students leave us with the ability to express themselves fluently and accurately in speech and writing. As well as reading for pleasure, students will develop a critical approach to texts where they are able to appreciate the nuances and subtleties of language, developing the ability to closely analyse levels of meaning within a text. The texts on our curriculum have been chosen to broaden the horizons of our students so that they can empathise with, understand, and respect viewpoints and perspectives which differ from their own so that ultimately, our students are empowered to become open minded individuals with a strong moral compass and a sense of social justice.

Which qualifications do we offer at KS4?

Key Stage 4

GCSE English Language (AQA): All students

GCSE English Literature (AQA): All students

Where could this subject ultimately take you?

The study of English is excellent preparation for the workplace and Higher Education. It provides a skills base which will support you in a wide field of career options. In a fast-paced society, the skills developed through the study of English are widely appreciated. A high proportion of students who choose English at a Higher level, will follow careers in law, marketing and public relations, education, event management, leisure, hospitality, tourism and administration.

What enrichment and extra-curricular opportunities do we offer in English?

Temple Learning Academy is part of the Young Writers UK group so we are fortunate to be able to offer regular competitions which allow our students to compete against a national field and have their creative writing published. Eight of our students were recently selected from 12,000 entries to be published in Empowered-Teen Poets.

What will students study in English?

Year 7

Students begin with comprehension, retrieval and inference skills through the exploration of the novel Private Peaceful. Throughout this unit, we consolidate KS2 learning and begin to look in depth at how and why authors make different choices. Students then go on a journey through the literary canon where they discover how our strong literary heritage developed from the myths and legends from the middle ages through to modern prose. Students then get to continue our literary legacy themselves by taking an adventure in creative writing where they will start to build up a writing toolkit that they will develop throughout their time with us at TLA. The next stop on our learning journey is a voyage into poetry where students will explore identity and culture while honing their analytical skills. The year culminates in an exploration of dramatic form where students will study A Midsummer Night’s Dream and find out how comedy works.

Year 8

Year 8 students begin with Ghost Boys, a modern novel which explores complex themes of loss, bias and familial love. This book allows for us to explore structure and characterisation. This is developed through the next topic where students add narrative writing skills to their toolkit and explore how they can utilise structure and characterisation for their own creations. We then delve into non-fiction where students learn how to articulate and justify their opinions all while building up a non-fiction writing toolkit. The summer term sees us study two plays: the stage adaptation of Noughts and Crosses and Romeo and Juliet. Throughout this term we will look at the thematic links between the two and the contexts which inspired them.

Year 9

The Year 9 English curriculum begins with an exploration of genre where we track how Gothic Fiction has developed through time from the height of its popularity in the Victorian era to the modern day. Year 9 will then study thematically linked poetry where they will start to develop their essay writing skills to deepen their analysis skills. Year 9 will then move onto Of Mice and Men, a classic text which allows students to understand a text as a construct to deliver a message. The writing toolkit is developed next with a unit of learning which helps students begin to carefully craft their creative writing and embed layers of meaning. Next students will study a range of non-fiction texts exploring the attitudes and perspectives of writers. The year culminates with the study of Blood Brothers, an exciting tale of fate and superstition.

Throughout Key Stage 4, students will study two separate courses: GCSE Language and GCSE Literature. Students continue to develop coherence, fluency and accuracy through a range of writing tasks. Students focus on producing writing for impact, and hone skills of drafting and editing. Both creative and non-fiction writing are equally valued and students practice writing in a range of forms, for different audiences and purposes. Students read a variety of texts and excerpts. Additionally, students study, in depth, the set texts for their Literature GCSE.

Year 10

English Language: Across Year 10 and Year 11, students engage with ideas which allow them access to historical, social and cultural discourses. In Year 10 we examine the craft of the writer by exploration of a range of texts from different time periods, contexts and backgrounds with students developing their own craft of fiction and non-fiction writing.

English Literature: Throughout Years 10 and 11, the focus is on exploring, analysing and evaluating set texts. Language, form, structure, context and writer’s choices are integral to our approach. Each text is explored in context and students consider different audiences’ responses. In Year 10, we cover the prose and drama: students begin Year 10 with a focus on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, we then study ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare and ‘An Inspector Calls’ by J. B. Priestley.

Year 11

English Language: In Year 11 we continue to practice, refine and rehearse the structures the skills necessary to become an excellent reader and writer. We examine texts of different types, linked by the themes of travel, heroes & villains and social justice. Students continue to develop as writers of creative pieces using these texts as inspiration.

English Literature: Year 11 commences with the teaching of the AQA Power and Conflict Anthology followed by Unseen Poetry then each class teacher creates a bespoke plan to guide each student through the final term of revision to ensure that every child can be successful.