English

What do we offer in English?

Our intent in English is to offer a curriculum that is:

• Ambitious for all – so that all students have opportunities to rise to the challenge of achieving their potential.
• Broad and balanced – so that students study a range of texts written by a variety of authors with different perspectives.
• Carefully sequenced – so that students study texts which become increasingly complex in style and substantial in content and themes.
• Diverse – so that students are exposed to new ideas, cultures and positive representations of different social groups.
• Engaging – so that lessons are enjoyable and staff can inspire a life-long love of literature and crafting language.

What is studied in Year 9?

• Creative Writing
• Rhetoric
• ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck
• Conflict Poetry
• An introduction to Media Studies
• ‘The Tempest’ by William Shakespeare
• ‘DNA’ by Dennis Kelly

Are any of these texts on the GCSE examinations?

No, this is so that we can offer a broad, balanced and more diverse curriculum.

What is studied for GCSE in Years 10 and 11?

• ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare (examined on GCSE Literature Paper 1 in May Year 11)
• ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens (examined on GCSE Literature Paper 1 in May Year 11)
• ‘An Inspector Calls’ by J. B. Priestley (examined on GCSE Literature Paper 2 in May Year 11)
• Power and Conflict Poetry (examined on GCSE Literature Paper 2 in May Year 11)
• Unseen Poetry (examined on GCSE Literature Paper 1 in May Year 11)
• Explorations in Creative Reading & Writing (examined on GCSE Language Paper 1 in June Year 11)
• Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives (examined on GCSE Language Paper 2 in May Year 11)
• Spoken Language Endorsement, or speaking and listening (NB This is a separate qualification.)

 How can students excel in English?

In lessons:

• Through always striving to do their best and embodying Westwood’s values of respect, resilience, ambition and pride.
• Politely asking for clarification at an appropriate time when they do not understand.
• Attempting challenge tasks.
• Committing to reflecting and improving their own work; mistakes should not be repeated.

Outside of lessons:

• Through completing work at home.
• Consolidating their learning by making revision notes.

To further support you with this, we have made links below to high quality revision resources:

Literature:​

Macbeth

https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/macbeth/

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqGFsWf-P-cCMpq89C0yaU5scvuYiIKuL

A Christmas Carol

https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/christmascarol/

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqGFsWf-P-cBhNFIdX59nQmTodoDmDQsh

An Inspector Calls

https://www.sparknotes.com/drama/an-inspector-calls/

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqGFsWf-P-cDvuiSH8SycEDh1Ugke9tmb

Poetry

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zs43ycw

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqGFsWf-P-cAO64lBHZTFwTz2X0DD_Cxk

Language Paper 1:​

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqGFsWf-P-cAlttmXkEvJXCxqT-ZzFqAN

Language Paper 2:​

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqGFsWf-P-cB-GSeqYup7PXId4pbldQVq​https://www.bbc.co.uk/education/examspecs/zcbchv4

Past Papers and course information can be accessed here:

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse/english-literature-8702

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse/english-language-8700

What do we offer beyond English lessons?

Shared Reading:

The English Department has organised Shared Reading during tutor time two days per week for Years 9 and 10. The following texts are being read:

• ‘Ready Player One’
• ‘Orange Boy’
• ‘Heroes’
• ‘One of us is Lying’
• ‘Long Way Down’
• ‘We Were Liars’
• ‘A Sound of Thunder’
• ‘Animal Farm’
• ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime’ (play version)
• ‘I am Malala’
• ‘Black and British’
• ‘Born a Crime’

 Challenging Wider Reading:

The following 19th century texts are recommended as challenging wider reading:

• ‘Oliver Twist’ by Charles Dickens
• ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte
• ‘David Copperfield’ by Charles Dickens
• ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily Bronte
• ‘The Sign of Four’ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• ‘Treasure Island’ by Robert Louis Stevenson
• ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley
• ‘Dracula’ by Bram Stoker

Trips:

This year we have organised trips to see:

• ‘Macbeth’
• Poetry Live
• ‘Othello’ (to be confirmed)

Learning Journey

English Learning Journey Year 9

English Learning Journey Year 10

English Learning Journey Year 11