The study of English at Westhoughton will empower students to make well-informed criticisms of the world around them. Moreover, it will enable them to make creative, passionate, and thought-provoking responses to our world. We will enable students to become critical thinkers; they will use what they read to form opinions about the world they live in as critical thinkers impact the world in positive ways. We will enable students to explore their personal identity, developing an understanding of how each voice contributes to the current local and global narrative whilst developing the skills needed to express themselves and communicate effectively. This in turn will allow them to access a greater range of experiences in their lives.
The study of English at Westhoughton will enable students to have a clearer understanding of their world, become reflective of the language they use and hear and develop a love – or appreciation of – literature by understanding its role in shaping today’s world. To cultivate an enthusiasm to explore the world around them through a diverse selection of Literature and to develop the skills required to remain open-minded and unprejudiced throughout this process. To grow young students no matter what their background is into good people with a broad range of opportunities.
We believe that quality literacy teaching should underpin and develop a child’s love of reading, writing and discussion. This is turn, will encourage deeper thinking and the confidence to question the world around them. Our aim is to provide a diverse and inclusive curriculum to inspire all students to express their opinions with increasing clarity and precision, whilst being tolerant and accepting of the beliefs of other. Our students will leave us vocabulary and concept rich; independent and resilient – better able to succeed in the increasingly globalised world- and with a love of literature which will stay with them for life.
English at Westhoughton will empower students to develop a critical understanding of the human condition- they will be confident in the expression of their own ideas and responsive and tolerant to the expression of others. We teach English to build thoughtful, creative, confident speakers, readers and writers, who can empathise better with the vast world around them, but through English, we also empower our students to achieve well across every subject they study and to be confident, in and out of school, in every situation and context they find themselves in.
The study of English at Westhoughton will empower students to:
- make creative, passionate, and thought-provoking responses to our world as critical and reflective thinkers.
- explore their personal identity and perspective, developing an understanding of how their voice and the voices of others contribute to the current local and global narrative.
- develop a love and appreciation of literature, write like writers and engage openly in discussion.
- confidently own an educated moral viewpoint, with an understanding of equality, inclusion and tolerance.
- Move on to the next stage with a broad range of equitable opportunities available to them.
Please see parental overview of the course in KS3 and KS4 below.
Key Stage 3
| Year 7 | Autumn Term 1 | Autumn Term 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
| Topics Studied | Fictional Truths: Unlikely Heroes The students will be introduced to narrative writing at Westhoughton High School and the ‘Four-part Story’ structure. The students will develop their own narrative; focusing on setting and character descriptions throughout the half-term, using the text ‘Trash’ to inspire and influence their own writing. In their reading of ‘Trash’ they will explore the effects of poverty, adversity and corruption on people’s lives and the effect that our environment can have on our identities. |
Fictional Truths: Is the Past, Present? Students begin their study of Victorian literature. The issues studied alongside the texts are designed to stand as examples of intolerance, exploitation and superstition in Victorian society (exploitation of the poor, supernatural beliefs and discrimination of different groups of people). Students will examine the literary techniques that are typical of this period in literary history and will demonstrate their own use of these through narrative writing. |
My Voice, My Story: Me, Myself and I Students will explore a range of poetry that presents the complexities and emotions within an individual and their interactions with others. The scheme’s poetry will focus on the following themes: Identity/ Opinions/Growing Up/ Relationships/Family / Friends/Mental Health. Students are presented with opportunities for oracy to develop perspectives on tolerance, understanding and knowledge of relationships, cultures and identity. |
My Voice, My Story: Me, Myself and I Students will study a contemporary and relevant topic related to ‘self’ each week, with a focus on developing their own voice and passions through rhetorical transactional writing for the student newspaper. They will be given a weekly “big picture” according to contemporaneous issues related to teenagers, largely influenced by the personal experience and encouraging a happier lifestyle. |
Borrowing from the Bard: Shakespeare’s Others Students are introduced to a range of Shakespeare’s plays and minor/lesser- known characters to study the use of literary devices by Shakespeare and through subsequent ages. This will allow students to develop their conceptual understanding of the key connotations of aspects of language with opportunities to practise these in their own creative writing style. |
Bookends: Free for All Students read a modern novel as a class for the simple fact that it’s enjoyable. The scheme will be structured around explicit reading and vocabulary strategies; core critical skills of comprehension and inference; space for discussion; and reading-inspired writing tasks. Books such as Refugee Boy, Brother in the Land and The Bone Sparrow amongst others. |
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| Year 8 | Autumn Term 1 | Autumn Term 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
| Topics Studied | Fictional Truths: Morality and Mortality The study of a broad range of Victorian Gothic Literature and contemporary texts that connect to the ‘Fictional Truths’. Students discuss and deliberate the influence that our surroundings have on our mental stability, the importance of the words we use, how we communicate with others, how places of safety are subjective and generally contemplating the fragility of the human condition. The study of the Victorian Gothic will expose to the students the treatment of those who chose not to conform to social norms and students will consider this premise for their own creative writing. | Fictional Truths: Morality and Mortality Building to Autumn 1’s learning, students will use their prior knowledge of the Victorian period, and the Gothic genre to continue to examine and analyse The Woman in Black alongside the study of articles, these articles will relate to some of the social questions raised in The Woman in Black, including social injustice, the patriarchal society and single parenthood in a time of prejudice and discrimination.
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My Voice, My Story: The Voice of Experience Students will study a range of poems centred around the themes of struggle and conflict, with a focus on developing reading skills of inference, language and structural analysis and the ability to use these skills to develop a personal response as well as commenting on the intentions of the writer. Students will explore poetry depicting struggle and conflict, in order to build on their Year 7 scheme on poetry for individual expression of identity. | My Voice, My Story: The Voice of Experience Students will explore significant moments in history and the current climate in order to investigate how humans have dealt with traumatic and enduring experiences as well consider contemporary issues in society. They will consider the impact these events and issues have had on society and humanity collectively. | Borrowing from the Bard: Violence and Rebellion Students will study the core text ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by William Shakespeare with a focus on its historical connections between other moments in time, largely through common themes and concepts. Students will be encouraged to make links between the play’s presentation of violence and rebellion within a patriarchy and the modern concept of equality, as well as show a deeper understanding of the concept of conflict in the form of revenge, non-conformity and discrimination. | Bookends: Free for All Students read a modern novel as a class for the simple fact that it’s enjoyable. The scheme will be structured around explicit reading and vocabulary strategies; core critical skills of comprehension and inference; space for discussion; and reading-inspired writing tasks. |
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| Year 9 | Autumn Term 1 | Autumn Term 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
| Topics Studied | Fictional Truths: Disturbing World Studying social and political issues through the exposure to real-world texts, alongside the study of a broad range of dystopian fiction. Issues studied are designed to stand as examples of intolerance, exploitation and oppression in today’s world (gender inequality, exploitation of the poor, racial discrimination). | Fictional Truths: Disturbing World Building to Autumn 1’s learning, students interpret and analyse the literary conventions of dystopian fiction, using the literary conventions to develop their own dystopian narrative. | My Voice, My Story: Voice of an Other Students will study a selection of contemporary poetry grouped by theme. Each week will have a thematic focus linked to ‘identity’ and ‘culture’, encouraging students to look at how various demographics express themselves via the medium of poetry. | My Voice, My Story: Voice of an Other Students will explore what literature and culture is and question how and why a text or writer is considered as ‘cultural capital’ and the implications that this has in terms of power, acceptance, dominance and stereotyping within a society and how these ideas permeate all aspects of society and the wider world. Students will explore a wide and varied range of minority writers to see that all cultures have a voice. | Borrowing from the Bard: Gender and Power through the Ages Students will study the core text ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare with a focus on its historical connections between other moments in time, largely through common themes and concepts. | Bookends: Free for All Students and teachers will use this time to read a modern novel as a class for the simple fact that it’s enjoyable. |
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Key Stage 4
| Year 10 | Autumn Term 1 | Autumn Term 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
| Topics Studied with AQA English Language and AQA English Literature |
AQA English Language Paper 1, fiction reading and writing. Student ‘write like a reader, read like a writer’ – using exploration of writer’s craft to inspire own creative writing. | AQA English Literature, A Christmas Carol focus Study of the text. One lesson per week focuses on Language skills using Dickens’ craft to inspire own characterisation/ setting descriptions. | AQA English Language Paper 2, non-fiction reading and writing. Analysis of non-fiction and comparison of non-fiction extracts. One lesson per week focuses on Literature, using extracts to enhance understanding of Victorian England within A Christmas Carol. | AQA Modern Text – Animal Farm Study of the text. One Language skills lesson per week, based on PPE (Pre-Public Exam) feedback. | AQA Modern Text – Animal Farm Completion of analysis of text and essay writing focus. Revision of Language and Literature skills and questions. | AQA Poetry Anthology:Conflict poetry cluster alongside preparation for Summer Term PPEs for Literature and Language. Poems studied will be: Bayonet Charge, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Kamikaze, War Photographer, The Emigree, Checking Out Me History. |
| Skills and Key Knowledge Taught |
Identifying explicit and implicit information (AO1)
Language Analysis (AO2) Structure Analysis (AO2) Critical Evaluation (AO4) Descriptive and Narrative Writing (AO5-6) Forms: opening of story, short story, titles given, suggested by image, opening lines given. |
Inference and personal, critical response to text (AO1)
Analysis of language, structure and form (AO2) Contextual links (AO3) |
Identifying and synthesising explicit and implicit information (AO1)
Language Analysis (AO2) Comparison of writer’s attitudes and perspectives (AO3) Transactional Writing (AO5-6) Forms: article, speech, letter, essay. |
Inference and personal, critical response to text (AO1)
Analysis of language, structure and form (AO2) Contextual links (AO3) |
Inference and personal, critical response to text (AO1)
Analysis of language, structure and form (AO2) Contextual links (AO3) |
Accumulation of all skills within Language and Literature from throughout the year. |
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| Year 11 | Autumn Term 1 | Autumn Term 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
| Topics Studied with AQA English Language and AQA English Literature |
Poetry Anthology – Power and Conflict (complete study from Year 10, Summer 2) Outstanding poetry analysis and comparison of: My Last Duchess Ozymandias, Poppies, Remains, Tissue, The Prelude, London, Storm on the Island and Exposure | Literature Paper 1: Section A: Macbeth Students revise key holistic features within the novella. Evaluative ability to synthesise interpretation. One English Language Paper ‘skills lesson’ per week, covering both reading and writing. | Literature Paper 1 Revision- Animal Farm and A Christmas Carol Revision/feedback on English Language PPEs with class-dependent foci. Completion of Spoken Language Endorsement (separate grading). | Class-specific revision and interventions Revision foci will differ between groups and students to ensure their assessment data is used to direct teaching and independent learning. | Class-specific revision and interventions Revision foci will differ between groups and students to ensure their assessment data is used to direct teaching and independent learning. | Exams undertaken. |
| Skills and Key Knowledge Taught |
Inference and personal, critical response to texts discussing similarities/differences (AO1)
Analysis of language, structure and form (AO2) Contextual links (AO3) Descriptive and Narrative Writing (AO5&6) |
Inference and personal, critical response to texts (AO1)
Analysis of language, structure and form (AO2) Contextual links (AO3) Language lessons have an analysis and effect of language (AO2) focus. |
Accumulation of all skills within Language and Literature from throughout the year. Spoken Language Endorsement criteria. | Accumulation of all skills within Language and Literature from throughout the year. | Accumulation of all skills within Language and Literature from throughout the year. | |
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