Vision Statement:

Effective communication is fundamental to a person’s well-being, their place in the world, and the future that they can build. As a combined faculty, speaking about and articulating ideas, visually and in written form, is at the heart of all three of our disciplines.

We promote a love of reading, not only of diverse literary texts, but also the analysis and evaluation of visual and media texts. We believe that when students enjoy and are stimulated by the texts they study then they can rise to and thrive among the different challenges of life beyond the classroom.

 

By the end of Key Stage 3 English:

Reading

  • Understand that characters are constructed for a purpose – characters are not real; they are devices that serve the writer’s purpose.
  • Connect concepts, such as power, gender, prejudice and hierarchy, across a range of texts.
  • Analyse texts with reference to the effects of writers’ methods and the inclusion of specific linguistic and structural choices.
  • Visual and written texts represent individuals and groups of individuals in the real world in ways that serve authorial (English) and institutional (Media) purposes.

Writing

  • Write fluently across a range of genres – descriptive and discursive.
  • Organise texts effectively, using paragraphs and sentence choices for effect.
  • Construct essays that present ideas accurately and cogently, with precise selection of textual evidence.
  • Write with a high degree of technical accuracy.
  • Make vocabulary choices that are considered, effective and appropriate to text, task and tone.

Spoken Language

  • To discuss confidently in small groups with consistent focus on the task and topic.
  • To answer confidently and fluently, using considered and appropriate vocabulary choices.
  • To prepare and present a longer spoken task to a small group with confidence and fluency.

By the end of Key Stage 4 English:

English Language GCSE

Course: AQA

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

Intended End points:

  • Read a wide range of texts, fluently and with good understanding
  • Read critically, and use knowledge gained from wide reading to inform and improve their own writing
  • Write effectively and coherently using Standard English appropriately
  • Use grammar correctly, punctuate and spell accurately
  • Acquire and apply a wide vocabulary, alongside a knowledge and understanding of grammatical terminology, and linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language.
  • Listen to and understand spoken language, and use spoken Standard English effectively.

 

English Literature GCSE

Course: AQA

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

Intend Endpoints:

  • Read a wide range of classic literature fluently and with good understanding, and make connections across their reading
  • Read in depth, critically and evaluatively, so that they are able to discuss and explain their understanding and ideas
  • Develop the habit of reading widely and often
  • Appreciate the depth and power of the English literary heritage
  • Write accurately, effectively and analytically about their reading, using Standard English
  • Acquire and use a wide vocabulary, including the grammatical terminology and other literary and linguistic terms they need to criticise and analyse what they read.

 

By the end of KS4 Media Studies:

Course: EDUQAS

https://www.eduqas.co.uk/qualifications/media-studies-gcse/#tab_overview

Intended End points:

Media Studies GCSE offers the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of key issues and the ability to debate important questions about the media. Although the specification focuses predominantly on the contemporary media, this is contextualised and enhanced through the exploration of significant products from different historical periods. Through studying both established and evolving media forms, students gain awareness of the role of the media in society and culture. The practical element of the course enables students to apply their understanding of theoretical perspectives to originating their own media artefact.

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of: • the theoretical framework of media • contexts of media and their influence on media products and processes.

Analyse media products using the theoretical framework of media, including in relation to their contexts, to make judgements and draw conclusions.

Create media products for an intended audience, by applying knowledge and understanding of the theoretical framework of media to communicate meaning.