We are a committed, highly talented team of teachers who share a wide range of experience and expertise. It is our aim to create a positive, lively and engaging environment which places our students at the centre of learning. We have high expectations of both ourselves and our students, working supportively with them to develop their skills as independent learners. We aim to nurture their enthusiasm for English Language and Literature whilst developing communication skills in preparation for their adult life.

Miss B. Carlson – Subject Leader

Mrs F. Else – Assistant Subject Leader - Key Stage 3 Development (currently on maternity leave)

Mrs A. Nickless – Key Stage 4 Co-ordinator

Miss P. Doust - Acting Assistant Subject Leader – Key Stage 3. Media Studies.

Miss L. Mallett – Acting Assistant Subject Leader – Key Stage 4. ITT Subject mentor.

Mrs A. Taylor -    Development of APP

Mrs A. Dorman

Mrs C. Almond - (currently on maternity leave)

Miss S. Kendall  

Mr J. Stoney -  Teacher leading Media Studies.

The Department is based in the Blake Cluster, named after poet and artist, William Blake, whose originality, creativity and humanitarian vision reflect many of the values we encourage in our students.  The rooms are equipped with inter-active whiteboards and we have access to a variety of media and ICT facilities, including a portable newsroom and 3D screening in the lecture theatre. We make excellent use of the cluster’s ‘break out area’ which allows groups of students to work in an independent, informal atmosphere. We have one classroom adjacent to the Learning Resource Centre. We use our teaching spaces flexibly to allow for a wide range of learning styles.

We strive to make the delivery of the curriculum engaging and as relevant to life outside school as we can.  We teach our students to understand that texts in the modern world are multi-modal and that reading and producing them requires a wide range of language skills. Thus we try to include as much writing and speaking for real audiences as we can. A wide range of enrichment activities including, theatre / museum visits, local /national competitions, workshops and visiting speakers, promote this awareness. We are developing close links with other subject areas to reinforce the transfer of skills across the curriculum. We also have strong links with York University.

The Key Stage Three curriculum develops skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. The progression through the key stage enables students to understand that these aspects of English are closely linked and makes them more effective communicators. Each year of the key stage develops the students’ understanding of narrative; poetry; non- fiction; drama; media and knowledge about language. Literacy skills are taught and revised throughout the schemes. The schemes of work challenge the students to enquire about how language is used effectively in a wide range of situations; affording them the opportunity to express themselves creatively and confidently. Each scheme of work offers a range of texts and enables students to become informed, critical readers in the widest sense.  

Homework is set on a weekly basis and is designed to enrich the curriculum experience through a variety of activities e.g. Research, interviewing, creating storyboards etc.

Students build on their experience in Key Stage2 by engaging with a wide variety of texts and activities. They have one library lesson per two weeks to extend their personal reading and learn research skills. The scheme includes

·         Autobiography

·         What is the Media? /‘The Bugalicious Restaurant Opening Event and Review’

·         The World of Stories

·         Poetry – Presentation and Performance

·         Drama - Scripting and Performing

·         Powers of Persuasion!

·         The Spoken Word - Is it formal?

Students develop their expertise in applying skills which they learned in Year 7. They are expected to respond in a more sophisticated way to a range of texts and develop their ability to analyse how effectively language is being used in a range of contexts.

The scheme includes

·         ‘Poetry Please!’

·         Shakespeare – The Characters!

·         The Titanic News Bulletin

·         ‘Joseph Rowntree’ – The most Haunted School in Britain Web Page

·         The Gothic

·         The Novel

·         Changing Language

The skills learned so far in the key stage are practised for the end of Key Stage Assessment Level. The scheme is intended to form the basis of transition into GCSE and the focus is on students developing their ability to respond to a range of texts in an analytical way and to produce their own texts for specified audiences and purposes. The scheme includes

·         Media and the Moving Image

·         ‘Re-Creating Texts’

·         The ‘War’ Project

·         Shakespeare

·         The Persuaders!

·         Narrative Voices

Most students follow GCSE Language and Literature courses – resulting in two certificates. Students studying for Diplomas also take an examination in Functional Skills English. A small number of students  complete the Entry Level Cetrificate course alongside GCSE English.

For English Language students will learn about:

English Literature

Students study a novel and a drama text. They also compare a variety of poems from the AQA Anthology. 

This is a new Specification for September 2010. Students are grouped according to ability and the majority of them will take AQA GCSE Language and Literature (Specification A).

 Students will be entered for the examination at the end of Year 10. For GCSE English Language they will study:

For GCSE English Literature students will study

Some students may take GCSE English only which provides them with one award. They will be entered for the examination in Year 11. They will study

As part of their assessment in each course, students will participate in a range of Speaking and Listening tasks which include presentation, group discussion and role play.

Homework is set weekly across this Key Stage and averages 2hrs work.

Controlled assessments in some units allow students to complete tasks which they have prepared in class. These will be written up in a timed situation and students are allowed to use brief notes to support their work. It is important that students view these assessments as test modules which must be completed to gain a grade.

Theatre visits, poetry events and workshops by examiners are arranged to enrich the delivery of the course.

Progress is closely monitored, allowing for intervention when necessary. Students are provided with an extensive revision programme in preparation for their final exams.

Further information about the course can be found on the AQA website.

Key Stage 5  

This subject is well respected by Universities and links well with a wide range of subject options. It places a great deal of emphasis on independent study and students enjoy the challenge of extending their subject knowledge and developing their own responses at a sophisticated level.

We offer AQA English Language B and AQA English Literature B. Some students take both courses; finding the combination mutually supportive and engaging.

 AQA ENGLISH LITERATURE AS LEVEL

The first module explores the concept of ‘Aspects of Narrative’. Four texts are studied to explore the different ways writers create stories. The second module, ‘The Tragic Genre’, is coursework based. Students study a Shakespearean tragedy and a modern tragedy to focus on the dramatic genre.

Students study four texts linked under the theme of ‘The Gothic’. They produce a coursework portfolio in comparing texts and responding to critical readings.

Students study a variety of texts and learn about the frameworks which make up language. They study the use of language in a variety of social contexts, for example Language and Occupation; Language and Gender; Language and Technology. They produce a coursework portfolio of original writing for two different audiences.

Students study ‘Language Development’ which explores both how children acquire language and how language changes over time. They also investigate an area of their own interest for their coursework and produce a media text based on their research.