Mission Statement

The English curriculum at TGAS is primarily designed to help our students become confident readers, writers and speakers. We believe it is essential for all young people to be given the opportunity to develop their empathy and creativity in order to succeed in the wider world and use the subject of English to contribute to students’ personal development. Furthermore, as a department, we are deeply committed to sharing Literature with students which has inherent cultural capital and is aspirational, diverse and engaging for students.

Our philosophy is that ‘English Opens Doors’: to other worlds and perspectives; within our classrooms as we learn to communicate coherently and articulately; and to opportunities in the future. English can offer a gateway to an infinite number of perspectives, and we aim to help students learn about the wider world they live in and the voices of those who inhabit it, gaining emotional intelligence as they do so. We want students to understand the power of language and its historical and contemporary impact on society – from non-fiction to media, to prose, poetry and drama. By the time students reach year 11, we hope that students are passionate, critical readers who are aware of the power of their own voice and able to express themselves articulately and creatively in writing and in speech.

Key Stage 3

In year 7, 8 and 9 students are taught the fundamental knowledge and skills that will lay the foundations for their future study.

Alongside Language and Literature schemes, in years 7 and 8, students will have fortnightly reading lessons designed to encourage reading for pleasure and build their confidence and skill with reading. In year 7, term 2, reading lessons focus on spoken word poetry in order to help build student confidence with reading aloud, and we continue to provide opportunities for speaking and listening throughout KS3 in the form of discussions and presentations. We also incorporate a media/non-fiction scheme into each year to promote students’ critical thinking and engagement with the media around them.

Year 7 Units of Study

Year 7 Learning Journey – Autumn

Year 7 Learning Journey – Spring

• Modern novel – ‘When the Sky Falls’ by Phil Earle.
• Narrative writing – writing adventure narratives, inspired by stories from around the world.
• Poetry anthology – poetry from a range of cultures and backgrounds on the theme of identity.
• Media – Non-fiction focus on the topic of whether the modern-day media industry encourages bad behaviour from young people.
• Shakespeare study – ‘Much Ado About Nothing’.
• Descriptive writing – on villainous characters, inspired by Shakespeare’s creations.

Year 8 Units of Study

Year 8 Learning Journey – Autumn

Year 8 Learning Journey – Spring

• 19^th Century short stories – ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘Scandal in Bohemia’ from Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘Sherlock Holmes’ collection.
• Media – focussing on visual media, students will explore the world of review writing through film.
• Extracts – focussed on the genre of Dystopian literature.
• Descriptive writing – writing inspired by dystopian literature.
• Modern drama – ‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller.
• Narrative writing – on the theme of magic, inspired by ideas from ‘The Crucible’.

Year 9 Units of Study

Year 9 Learning Journey – Autumn

Year 9 Learning Journey – Spring

• Modern novel – ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck.
• Descriptive writing – Using a collection of extracts entitled ‘Oppression and Hope’, designed to be read alongside ‘Of Mice and Men’ to promote criticality.
• Shakespeare study – ‘Romeo and Juliet’.
• Media – focussing on written media, students will consider their own relationship to the media they engage with and write persuasively about it.
• Speaking and Listening – introduction to the Gothic, leading to a group presentation on the tropes of the genre.
• Poetry and ancient texts – focussed on perspectives and viewpoints in poems inspired by Greek Mythology.

Key Stage 4

In Key Stage 4, students commence their GCSE English Language and Literature courses. Here, they consolidate, refine and develop the skills in reading, writing and speaking that they have begun establishing in Key Stage 3. Our purpose at GCSE level is for students to become more independent, more judicious, and more critical in their responses.

In year 10, students are introduced to the core texts of the Literature syllabus, and practise the skills required for Language Paper 1. In year 11, students devote most of their time to interleaved revision, closely tailored to their needs by their teacher. They also complete their study of the Language syllabus, focussing on Language Paper 2, and their Spoken Language endorsement.

We follow the AQA specification at GCSE for English Language and English Literature. A comprehensive overview of the GCSE course curriculum can be accessed here:

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

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

At this level, students should begin to develop their independent study skills. The core GCSE texts and revision notes are available to purchase from ParentPay. We would also highly recommend exploring the TGAS Moodle, which all students have access to. Here, students can find bespoke revision videos created by subject experts from our school and other schools across the Trust. For KS4 students who wish to read outside of the GCSE specification, a list of recommended reads can be found at the back of the extract booklets students are issued within their core English lessons. Teachers also warmly welcome requests for recommendations, and can provide books from their classroom libraries.

Year 10 Units of Study

Year 10 Learning Journey – Autumn

Year 10 Learning Journey – Spring

• 19^th Century Novel – deepening analysis of “Jekyll and Hyde”
• Language Paper 1 – a collection of fiction extracts designed to show a variety of narrative styles, on which students will base their practise skills related to Language Paper 1
• Shakespeare study – “Macbeth”
• Poetry study – Unseen poetry skills followed by the AQA “Power and Conflict” poetry

Year 11 Units of Study

Year 11 Learning Journey – Autumn

Year 11 Learning Journey – Spring

• Modern Drama – “An Inspector Calls” by J.B. Priestley
• Language Paper 2 – a collection of non-fiction extracts designed to show a variety of writers’ viewpoints and perspectives, on which students will base their practise skills related to Language Paper 1
• Spoken Language Endorsement – students prepare a speech on a topic of their own interest and research, which they then deliver to an audience
• Interleaved revision – revision of previous content, tailored by the teacher to deepen and expand prior knowledge

A-Level

We offer students the opportunity to complete an A-Level in English Literature. For more information, please view the ‘6^th Form’ area of the website.

Extra-Curricular Opportunities

The English department aims to provide a variety of extra-curricular opportunities to students. Currently, we run weekly clubs in debating, creative writing and an ‘art and literature’ group, who collaborate on creative projects throughout the department.

In conjunction with these clubs, the department facilitates entrance to public speaking and creative writing competitions. In 2023, students recently had work published in the ‘Twisted Tales’ anthology published by Young Writers, and have entered the ‘Power of Poetry’ national competition. In public speaking, TGAS competed in the Soroptimist Public Speaking competition for the first time this year, placing third.

We also endeavour to offer students access to live performances in order to gain a deeper understanding of texts that we study. For example, in 2023 so far GCSE students have been offered the opportunity to go and see An Inspector Calls and Poetry Live!, and KS3 students have been to see Of Mice and Men. We already have Macbeth on the calendar for the 2023/2024 academic year, and we hope to add to our roster as more theatre shows are advertised.