English
English is the foundational subject that empowers students to fully embrace our school motto: “Students of today, Citizens of tomorrow.” We focus on developing mastery in reading, writing, and communication, ensuring every student acquires the critical voice and essential empathy needed to engage successfully and ethically with the world beyond school.
The curriculum actively builds academic confidence by giving students platforms to articulate complex ideas through debate and original writing. This process is reinforced by determination; students learn to embrace the challenging process of drafting, revising, and decoding complex texts. This resilience—the ability to persevere through tough intellectual work—is a key transferable skill for future academic and life success.
Through the exploration of diverse literature, English cultivates profound respect and kindness. By analysing characters from different cultures and historical periods, students develop deep empathy and appreciate varied human experiences and beliefs. This promotes compassionate interaction and prepares them for life in a diverse, global society.
Crucially, English instils responsibility through advanced media and rhetorical literacy. Students learn to analyse information critically, distinguish fact from bias, and use precise, ethical language in their own communications. They leave us with the analytical tools necessary to become informed, articulate, and highly capable citizens who can thoughtfully contribute to public life.
English Curriculum Rationale
“Building Voice, Vision, and Versatility through Language”
Our English curriculum from Year 5 through Year 8 is designed to foster articulate, thoughtful, and imaginative learners by immersing students in rich literature, purposeful writing opportunities, and powerful spoken language experiences. The curriculum reflects a carefully structured journey through core strands—reading, writing, and speaking/listening—balancing creativity with analytical skill, personal voice with academic rigour, and foundational skills with thematic depth.
Year 5: Finding Voice and Imagination
The curriculum begins with a personal focus in “It’s Me, Hi”, grounding students in autobiographical writing and transactional forms, while assessing baseline literacy skills. From there, they are introduced to classic and modern storytelling in “Once Upon a Time”, engaging with narrative forms and famous authors. A full novel study in Spring (The Boy at the Back of the Class) deepens empathy, comprehension, and creative expression, while “Poet’s Corner” exposes students to a range of poetic forms and techniques. The year culminates with “Telling Tales”, where students channel creative flair in writing and performance, building confidence in voice and structure.
Year 6: Deepening Understanding and Broadening Horizons
Year 6 strengthens textual analysis and expressive writing. In Autumn, students explore identity and difference through the historical mystery novel Wild Boy, enhancing narrative construction and characterisation. Spring brings “The Great Adventure”, promoting research-based transactional writing, linked to inspiring real-world texts such as Shackleton’s Journey. During SATS preparation in Spring 2 and Summer 1, the focus is on precision, structure, and stamina in both reading and writing. The final unit, “Into the Wild”, returns to creativity through animal poetry, allowing students to celebrate nature, sound, and imagery as they transition into secondary study.
Year 7: Developing Literary Confidence and Contextual Awareness
Year 7 offers students the chance to mature in voice and comprehension. “Food Glorious Food” uses real-world contexts to refine transactional writing. “Struggle for Survival” introduces 19th-century prose, bridging reading complexity and historical context. The study of The Hunger Games in Spring challenges students with moral questions and dystopian themes while promoting descriptive and narrative writing. The “Words of War” poetry unit enhances emotional insight and interpretation skills. Finally, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Summer 2 introduces the richness of drama, performance, and Elizabethan language in a fun and accessible way.
Year 8: Strengthening Analytical Thought and Personal Expression
Year 8 is designed to refine students’ independence and literary critique. Beginning with Frankenstein, students analyse adaptation, theme, and narrative style while producing creative writing that explores morality and identity. Shakespeare’s The Tempest supports interpretive reading and character exploration in Spring 1, while “Welcome to the Island” revisits persuasive writing through transactional forms. In Summer 1, the “Me, Myself and I” poetry unit encourages introspection and cultural literacy. The curriculum concludes with “The Power of Protest”, empowering students to articulate their beliefs through persuasive speech—an essential bridge to Year 9 study and civic engagement.
Why This Curriculum?
- Progression: Themes, texts, and writing styles are carefully sequenced to ensure cumulative knowledge and skill development.
- Balance: The curriculum integrates canonical and contemporary texts, fiction and nonfiction, creativity and analysis.
- Diversity & Relevance: Texts and topics reflect diverse voices and global perspectives, encouraging students to see themselves and others in literature.
- Preparation for KS4: By Year 8, students are equipped with the analytical tools, creative confidence, and structured writing skills to succeed as they move on to Year 9 at Freman College.
English Progression in Key Skills and Knowledge
This document outlines the progression in key English skills and knowledge from Year 5 to Year 8, aligned with the National Curriculum. It reflects development across Reading, Writing, and Speaking & Listening, as students engage with a range of texts and tasks to build fluency, comprehension, creativity, and critical thinking.
| Year 5 | Year 6 | Year 7 | Year 8 | |
| Reading: Text Types and Forms | Fiction extracts, narrative forms, poetry anthology, modern novel (The Boy at the Back of the Class) | Adventure novel (Wild Boy), SATs preparation, animal poetry | 19th century prose, dystopian fiction (The Hunger Games), conflict poetry, Shakespearean comedy | Gothic novel (Frankenstein), Shakespearean drama (The Tempest), identity poetry, protest texts |
| Reading: Skills Development | Inference, prediction, summarising, comparing texts and authors | Justifying views, skimming and scanning, text retrieval, SATs focus: comprehension, vocabulary in context | Contextual understanding, critical evaluation, authorial intent, poetic devices | Analysing language and structure, literary heritage, thematic comparisons, deeper critical response |
| Writing: Creative | Autobiographical writing, imaginative narrative, poetic writing, storytelling | Character and setting development, narrative voice, descriptive detail, SATs-focused narrative tasks | First-person and third-person narrative, dystopian writing, symbolic language | Extended narrative, gothic atmosphere, empathy writing, monologue and performance-based scripts |
| Writing: Transactional | Letters, diary entries, recounts using personal tone | Reports, diary recounts (exploration texts), persuasive writing | Formal and informal writing styles, reviews, leaflets | Speeches, opinion articles, rhetorical devices, viewpoint writing |
| Speaking and Listening | Retelling, group discussion, basic performance and presentation skills | Poetry performance, character hot-seating, structured discussion | Drama interpretation (Shakespeare), collaborative speaking tasks, reading aloud with expression | Formal speech delivery, protest speeches, interpretation of dramatic roles |
| Grammar and Vocabulary | Expanded noun phrases, cohesive devices, varied sentence openers | Complex sentence structures, punctuation for effect, formal/informal tone | Use of figurative language, varied punctuation, ambitious vocabulary for audience/purpose | Sophisticated sentence structures, precise diction, rhetorical techniques |
| Ralph Sadleir English Curriculum Overview | ||||||
| Year | Autumn | Spring | Summer | |||
| A | B | A | B | A | B | |
| 5 | It’s Me, Hi
Writing: Transactional Style Models *Baseline autobiographical piece* |
Once Upon a Time
Reading: Narrative Forms and Famous Writers Fiction Extract Anthology |
The Boy at the Back of the Class
Reading: Novel Study Writing: Creative The Boy at the Back of the Class – Onjali Q Rauf |
Poet’s Corner
Reading: Poetry Poetry Anthology |
Telling Tales
Writing/Speaking and listening: Creative Style Models |
|
| 6 | Wild Boy
Reading: Novel Study Writing: Creative Wild Boy – Rob Lloyd Jones |
The Great Adventure
Writing: Transactional Shackleton’s Journey |
SATS Workshop
Reading: SATS Writing: SATS Past Papers/Style Models |
Into the Wild
Writing/Speaking and Listening:: Poetry Animal Poetry Anthology |
||
| 7 | Food Glorious Food
Writing: Transactional Style Models |
Struggle for Survival
Reading: 19th Century Prose 19th Century Prose Anthology |
Dystopian Fiction
Reading: Novel Study Writing: Creative The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins |
The Words of War
Reading: Poetry/Prose Conflict Anthology |
The Magic of Shakespeare
Writing/Speaking and Listening: Drama A Midsummer Night’s Dream |
|
| 8 | Man or Monster?
Reading: Novel Study Writing: Creative Frankenstein – Mary Shelley (adapted by Philip Pullman) |
Journeys of Discovery
Reading: Drama The Tempest – William Shakespeare |
Welcome to the Island
Writing: Transactional Style models |
Me, Myself and I
Reading: Poetry Identity and Culture Poetry Anthology |
The Power of Protest
Writing/Speaking and listening Anthology |
|
