English Department Curriculum Statement

Intent

The English Department seeks to empower learners to be able to not only develop the fundamental
skills of reading and writing, but to be outstanding communicators, have an impressive knowledge of
a wide range of literary concepts and be able to articulate their personal opinions. The English
Department at Lordswood Boys’ works to daily to give students a voice. To inspire them to have a
range of opinions about literature through time, across different cultures and teach them clear and
coherent communication so that their voices will be heard for years to come.

Implementation

In every year group students will study a curriculum that is knowledge rich and skills focused. They
will encounter prose fiction, poetry and drama that will give students a developed understanding of
the literary canon. This will include the study of Shakespeare within every year of study, recognising
the central importance of Shakespeare as the cornerstone of our literary cultural capital. Students
will also explore a range of non-fiction texts from the last 200 years, developing their analysis and
evaluative skills to demonstrate in depth understanding of how writers construct texts. Students’
knowledge is sequenced in a five year learning journey and each year builds on skills from the year
before. Students’ understanding of Othello in Year 8 is fundamental to their studies and knowledge
of Romeo and Juliet in Year 9 and the spoken language presentations they complete in Year 8 is a
vital skill they will take forward throughout each topic and stands them in great stead for their GCSE
assessed spoken language presentations at the end of Year 10.
Equally important is the development of writing skills that accompany students’ appreciation of the
writing of others. We aim to expose students to a wide and ever-changing variety of writing styles so
that students can find their own. We drive technical accuracy, feeding into the whole school literacy
approach that underpins teaching of ambitious vocabulary with weekly spelling tests and definitions
homework but we also encourage students’ own writing flair. Through opportunities to practice
oracy, write speeches, poems, soliloquys and other transactional writing skills students will develop a
high level of communication and feel confident not only when approaching writing components of
the GCSE, but also when articulating themselves in the future.

Schemes of work are planned sequentially and ensure that students knowledge and skills progress.
Topics and skills are interleaved throughout the year ensuring that students are regularly embedding
information into their long term memory. This includes disciplinary literacy as well as Tier 2
vocabulary, we are passionate about closing the vocabulary gap for disadvantaged students and our
curriculum intent focusses on students learning and remembering these words. Schemes of work are
complimented by differentiated lessons and 100% sheets. These homework sheets for students
ensure that they are regularly tested on vocabulary, key quotations and contextual knowledge that
will boost their understanding of the schemes. These will also guarantee that knowledge is drawn
from previous topics and applied to their current learning as topics will be recapped and recall tasks
are evident in every lesson across the department.

Students are assessed regularly, both formatively and summative assessments. In KS4, Students
complete GCSE style assessment questions regularly and books are marked with GSCE feedback
targets every two weeks. This ensures that both students and staff are working in partnership to
understand where students can best make progress. KS3 books are also marked on a two week cycle
and their targets will be drawn from general vocabulary, or from wider curriculum objectives, and
serves to make students confident when confronted with new concepts, equipping them with the
self-belief to use their newly discovered knowledge across their learning. Learning is modelled by
staff, increasingly using staff visualizers to enable students to understand the metacognition
approach to learning and highlighting to students how to be keenly aware of the purpose of their
learning and how it fits into the overall programme of study. The efficacy of the delivery of this will
be evaluated by learning walks, book scrutinies and student voice. Both staff and student voice are
collated each term and the curriculum is ever evolving based on student dialogue, staff
understanding of engagement and how best to address student misconceptions as well as the drive
towards our fundamental goal of ‘giving all students a voice.’

Impact

Outcomes within the English department are among the best in the school, and stand out against
national comparison in terms of both attainment and progress. In 2021, 92% of students achieved a
4+ in English. Students have increasingly high levels of literacy and the gap between Chronological
Age and Students’ Reading Ages is closing weekly.
Utilising a range of formative and summative assessment strategies will be central to evidencing the
progress that students have made. Key Assessment Points will identify incremental command of
knowledge and skills, while continuous assessment of classroom performance will help to evaluate
the quality of the curriculum. Students have weekly and half termly knowledge tests and are tested
on skills each half term at an assessment point.
Enrichment groups have been established to cultivate a wider interest in the subject. Staff have
developed Slam Poetry groups, debate clubs and more to maximise student engagement. Students
have also recently enjoyed studying anime in Friday enrichment, sharing staff passions and being
able to articulate views on ever more popular literary canon from other cultures. We also use visits
to theatre trips and other areas of regional and national interest to contextualise and bring alive
learning for students.

The Impact of COVID-19

The onset and continuation of the global COVID-19 pandemic presented some unique challenges and
significant opportunities to revisit our methodologies. During lockdown, remote learning strategies
were quickly implemented to address the initial learning needs of the students. On returning to
work, staff underwent significant CPD in the use of these technologies, developing their skills in
using pre-recorded and live material for lessons. Upon the full time return of students to school, a
programme of frequent assessment was conducted to ascertain levels of performance. The English
department restructured its curriculum plan in specific year groups to ensure that material was
covered that could best be delivered without face-to-face teaching. This included the teaching of, for
example, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in Year 11 rather than ‘Macbeth’, with curriculum restructuring allowing
the students to make the most progress possible. On their return, students were quickly assessed on
their learning with a range of tests, and this highlighted further need for intervention with a priority
on reading. All KS3 pupils now have a weekly library lesson as part of their curriculum where trained
Literacy Managers support students with accessing books for their reading ages and inspiring
aspirational reading choices too. We will seek strategies to enrich the students’ experiences through
a varied and engaging curriculum and positive opportunities for students to discuss their experiences
and feelings. With creative and imaginative use of language at the heart of everything in the subject,
the English department will seek to enrich the students’ views of the world after a period of
significant upheaval.