English

Students are more familiar with how English works by Year 8 and so the level of challenge increases significantly. Students are expected to complete a variety of reading tasks including considering the writer’s craft, understanding how mood or atmosphere is created and tracking a character throughout a section of a text. Students also practise their writing through a range of fiction or non-fiction tasks such as filling in a narrative gap, writing reviews and writing their own poems.
To further develop students’ reading, each year of Key Stage Three entails a class reading of at least one novel. These novels, as with every unit students complete in Years 7-9, will be based on an interesting and innovative theme. From a genre study in Year 7 to controversy in Year 9, topics are challenging and engaging. In Year 8, students encounter a wide range of texts, including texts about other cultures, as well as texts about refugees, terrorism and grief. We strive to use up-to-date and current resources, in order to ensure students can relate to their learning. Progress is regularly monitored with regular assessments, focused on both reading and writing ability.
Students are placed into mixed ability groups at the beginning of year 8 and they are mixed according to their academic performance across Year 7. Effort grades and teacher recommendation from the previous year will be taken into account if several students are working at the same level but, in order to be fair to all students, the principal factor for deciding which class a student is placed into will be the levels achieved by students for both reading and writing during the previous year. The sets are not fixed for the entire year and it is possible for students to move throughout the course of year 8 as their academic performance and effort levels deserve.
We believe homework is crucial to developing understanding and preparing students for the independent learning required of them in Key Stage Four. It is therefore set regularly and students are expected to complete it to the best of their ability.
Homework in Year 8 is to complete 20 minutes of reading per day/ two hours per week. When completed, parents should sign the grid at the front of the Reading Journal to confirm that the reading has been completed. Teachers will be checking Reading Journals once a week during their literacy lesson. Parents will be notified by e-mail of a missed homework. Should this happen more than twice, parents will be advised that the student will have and after school detention to make up the work.

Click the link below to download the KS3 Suggested Reading List.

KS3 Reading List (PDF format)

As Year 9 aims to prepare students fully for GCSE, students are expected to work independently on challenging and complex tasks. These tasks closely mirror what will be expected of students during their GCSE years and help to prepare them for their 100% exam assessment at the end of Year 11. Students are asked to track how characters change through a whole text, to explore how context can influence the production and reception of a text,, to understand narrative voices and to write comparative pieces and transactional texts. Students encounter a wide range of challenging texts, including Shakespeare, war poetry and a wide range of modern fiction and non-fiction texts.
Students are placed into sets at the beginning of year 9 based on their academic performance across Year 8. Effort grades and teacher recommendation from the previous year will be taken into account if several students are working at the same level but, in order to be fair to all students, the principal factor for deciding which set a student is placed into will be the levels achieved by students for both reading and writing during the previous year.  There may however be occasions where – acting on teacher advice or to ensure a gender balance – students are placed at the discretion of the Head of English.  The sets are not fixed for the entire year and it is possible for students to move up as well as down throughout the course of year 9 as their academic performance and effort levels deserve.

We believe homework is crucial to developing understanding and preparing students for the independent learning required of them in Key Stage Four. It is therefore set regularly and students are expected to complete it to the best of their ability.

Homework in Year 9 is to complete 20 minutes of reading per day/ two hours per week. When completed, parents should sign the grid at the front of the Reading Journal to confirm that the reading has been completed. Teachers will be checking the Reading Journal once a week. Parents will be notified by e-mail of a missed homework. Should this happen more than twice, parents will be advised that the student will have and after school detention to make up the work.

Click the link below to download the KS3 Suggested Reading List.

KS3 Reading List (PDF format)

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” – Philip Pullman

Students begin their English Language GCSE and their English Literature GCSE in year ten with completion in year eleven.  During this time, students will learn the content and skills needed to achieve in both English Language and Literature.

Students will be examined on a variety of topics so it is important that they are trained to be confident and versatile learners. Uniquely delivered English lessons will prepare students for the expectations of each exam and will enable every individual to develop the independence needed to achieve.

Year 10

In Year 10, students prepare for their English Language GCSE.  They begin by studying 20th Century Reading.  In this unit, students study a range of literature extracts, around 60-100 lines long, and they are assessed on these through a range of structured questions.  This is worth 20% of their Language grade.  This leads students onto Prose Writing.  This is again worth 20% of the final Language grade and here, students are asked to write their own story based on a list of four titles provided.  The final two Language units; Non-Fiction Reading and Transactional/Persuasive Writing, both of which are worth 30% of the final grade, are studied towards the end of the year.  The Non-Fiction Reading unit asks students to study some 19th and 21st century non-fiction texts and compare them through a range of structured questions while the transactional/persuasive writing requires students to answer two compulsory questions.

In year 10 students also begin to prepare for their English Literature GCSE.  Students study 19th century a prose text (A Christmas Carol) and a Post-1914 drama text (Blood Brothers or An Inspector Calls).

Students are placed into sets at the beginning of year 10 based on their academic performance across year 9.  Effort grades from the previous year will be taken into account if several students are working at the same level but, in order to be fair to all students, the principal factor for deciding which set a student is placed into will be the levels achieved by students for both reading and writing during the previous year.  There may however be occasions where – acting on teacher advice or to ensure a gender balance – students are placed at the discretion of the Head of English.  The sets are not fixed for the entirety of the GCSE course and it is possible for students to move up as well as down throughout the course of years 10 and 11 as their academic performance and effort levels deserve.

Year 11

In Year 11 students complete their English Literature GCSE preparations by studying a Shakespeare play and a range of poetry from an anthology provided by the exam board.  After Christmas in year 11, students return to the topics studied in year 10 in order to revise and prepare themselves for the end of year exams.

Students are expected to take responsibility for their own learning and strive to achieve the best of their potential.  Homework is regularly and consistently set in order to enable students to become confident and independent thinkers.

Follow us on Twitter for exam tips and revision websites:@WollastonEng

GCSE English/English Language revision books are now available on ParentPay for Year 11 students and are highly recommended as a revision tool. Please ask an English teacher for further details.

What is A Level English Language?

A level English Language is the chance to explore something we all know so well from a different perspective. During the course, among other things, you will look closely at lexis, grammar, the structure of conversation and phonology. You will have the opportunity to answer a variety of questions such as: Do men speak differently to women? How does new technology change our language? How do some people gain our respect through what they say? This is a course of close analysis, broad questions and fascinating discoveries.

What does the course involve?

A Level English Language helps you to use, understand and analyse spoken and written language for particular audiences and contexts as well as explore attitudes towards different varieties of language.
You will develop your ability to express yourself in speech and writing, producing texts for different audiences, purposes and in different genres. You will be expected to write in a formal, evaluative
essay style.

What themes are studied? How is it assessed?

The themes studied include:

Language, the Individual and Society (Examination 40%): Close analysis of two texts one older and one contemporary. Study how children learn to speak and how they learn to read and write.

Language diversity and Change (Examination 40%): Essays that explore language diversity and change as well as attitudes towards language. A directed writing task on a given subject.

Language in Action (Non-examination 20%): an investigation into any aspect of language, and a piece of original writing with a commentary.

Extra information

We recommend that you enjoy some background reading alongside the course:

• Regularly read and familiarise yourself with a range of broadsheet newspapers.
• Listen to a range of radio stations.
• Wicked Words by Terry Deary
• The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language by David Crystal

What next?
English Language A Level is a key asset if you are interested in any career that involves written and spoken communication and a comprehensive grasp of the English language. Career options include work in publishing, advertising, law, journalism, media and teaching.

For more information about the course or your suitability for it, talk to your English teacher..

Follow us on Twitter for exam tips and revision websites: @WollastonEng

What is A-Level English Literature?

English Literature is a traditional, highly regarded, academic course. Studying English Literature will help you think about the world around you in a new and different way. You will be encouraged to open your eyes to alternative ways of thinking and engage with writers whose viewpoints and ideas may be alternative, anti-establishment or even ‘dangerous.’

What does the course involve?

Students will develop a range of skills that will build on those learnt at Key Stage 4. You will be asked to engage in high-level debates, challenging the assumptions of critics, your classmates and also your own pre-conceived ideas. It is compulsory that students read a range of challenging texts and learn how to infer subtle meanings from complex ideas. Students will also learn how to structure effective essays and analyse and evaluate language in depth.

What themes are studied?

For the first unit, students will read a range of texts made up of poetry and drama. Texts are studied across time periods with a focus the genre of tragedy. The texts studied are: selected poems by John Keats, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and Othello by William Shakespeare.

After this, students study ‘Elements of Political Writing’ helps to make up the second component of their course. Texts by authors such as William Blake, Tony Harrison and Khaled Hosseini are explored in relation to their particular genre along with various unseen texts. Students will also be expected to read independently in preparation for their non-exam assessment which is the third unit of the A Level.

How is it assessed?

We follow AQA Literature Specification ‘B’. The course is made up of 80% examined assessment and 20% non examined assessment. Students take two exams – Unit One is a closed book exam and lasts 2 hours and 30 minutes and Unit Two is open book and lasts 3 hours. Students have to answer passage based questions, essay questions and have to link their study of multiple texts together to compare their presentation of the given gen-re. The non-exam assessment element of the course comprises of two essays which relate to critical theories such as Feminist Theory, Marxist Theory and Post-colonialism.

Extra information

It is compulsory that students read widely for the duration of the course. It is compulsory that students read the set Year 12 texts before the course starts and that they read the Year 13 texts before they begin Year 13. It is also necessary to read independently in preparation for the non-exam assessment.

What next?

As it is a rigorous, academic subject English Literature is valued by virtually all employers and high-end universities. Obvious career paths are ‘arty’ and creative jobs such as journalism and research posts although many science and maths based jobs and courses also value English as it balances someone with a scientific/mathematic passion and shows that you have a full, well-rounded world view. Studying English Literature could set you apart from others!

For more information about the course, your suitability for it, and possible career paths

Follow us on Twitter for exam tips and revision websites: @WollastonEng

‘He who controls the Media controls the mind of the public’ – Noam Chomsky.

Media is a subject that is ever changing due to its reliance on events in the world around us. If chosen as an option, students will need to remain up to date not only with current news and trends , but with the forms in which they are communicated to us. They will be encouraged to be artistic and innovative as they explore and take inspiration from the often controversial world of the Media.

Students will explore a variety of media platforms, including print, e-media (websites, blog, etc.) and broadcast. Students will analyse the construction and production of those texts, considering what messages and representations are being communicated to the audience. They will study a range of critical theories and concepts, that they can apply to texts, discussing why particular decisions have been made by our media institutions. They are also required tp produce their own media texts, giving students the opportunity to be creative and imaginative in their approach to the subject. The nature of the text produced depends on guidelines from the relevant exam board.

The coursework weighting is higher than many other A Levels, meaning that students will have to be wholly dedicated to their subject and able to manage their time effectively.