English
Head of Department: Mr Ruffles (mruffles@clwacademy.co.uk)
English is a very diverse subject, important in its own right and the basis for so much understanding and learning across the curriculum. On a simple level, English encompasses the skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening, However the subject also encourages students to imagine, explain, describe, analyse, review, persuade, argue, inform and advise in both writing and in speech. English helps young people to understand the world around them through the study of media in all its forms, such as advertising, film, television, newspapers and magazines.
Students are encouraged to read literature both for individual pleasure and as part of the course. Novels, short stories, poems and drama, both contemporary and classic, are read and studied. A variety of teaching and learning styles are used to encourage collaboration with others and confidence in the individual as a speaker. Students are encouraged with personal reading and the development of study and research skills through library-based programmes of study and access to IT rooms.
KS3
In Year 7 students study animal literature, autobiographical writing, drama, short stories, letter writing, writing newspaper articles and an introduction to Shakespeare: The Tempest
In Year 8 students explore travel writing, the Gothic tradition, drama, short stories, writing an epilogue, webpage writing, poems from other cultures, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night.
In Year 9 students study adventure and mystery, speeches (writing to argue and persuade), drama, conflict poetry, Henry V, Richard lll, King Lear and the Merchant of Venice.
Lots of links to PDFs available online. Check some of these out
KS3
Lamb to the Slaughter, by Roald Dahl
The Landlady, by Roald Dahl
The Adventure of the Speckled Band, by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
The Time Machine, by H. G. Wells
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe
Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Grimms’ Fairy Tales, by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm
Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens
KS4
At Key Stage 4 all students will take AQA GCSE English Language and Literature and will be assessed in speaking and listening.
The course is assessed by exam only at the end of Year 11 so students will be expected to undertake a thorough programme of revision throughout the two years.
Links to PDFs available online below. Our students study Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, An Inspector Calls, Frankenstein and Christmas Carol at GCSE.
Or they could try reading a different text for stretch and challenge.
KS4
Macbeth, by William Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare
Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare
The Tempest, by William Shakespeare
The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare
Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, by Robert Lois Stevenson
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
The Sign of the Four, by Arthur Conan Doyle
An Inspector Calls, by J. B. Priestley
Blood Brothers, by Willy Russell
DNA, by Dennis Kelly
A Taste of Honey, by Shelagh Delaney
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
Animal Farm, by George Orwell
More information can be found on the AQA website by clicking the links below.
KS5
At Key Stage 5 students can study English Language or English Literature at A Level.
For more information click on the documents below.
Please check out our GCSE English Language resources here:
Please check out our GCSE English Literature resources here: