Key Information and Documents

VISION:

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We intend to deliver excellent outcomes in terms of academic success, improved cultural capital and increased aspiration in order to counter social disadvantage through the study of English in line with the school’s social mission.

 

THROUGH OUR ENGLISH CURRICULUM WE INTEND TO:

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• Ensure that all students become confident and courteous communicators, therefore limiting any barriers to their future, enabling them to thrive in the real world and ensuring equal opportunities for all. This will be achieved through exposure to high-quality literature, both fiction and non-fiction, through opportunities to express themselves in a variety of written formats and by being to speak confidently and effectively on a range of topics.

• Deliver excellent outcomes through developing genuine enthusiasm, understanding and appreciation of the English language, specifically through the acquisition and application of ambitious new vocabulary

• Build resilience and deepen students’ knowledge by engaging with the highest quality of literature, by a diverse range of authors, that will inspire, challenge and motivate them

• Use the study of a diverse range of literature to explore and develop students’ ability to empathise, to demonstrate kindness and to celebrate our differences

• Actively promote diversity and inclusion by modelling compassionate and courteous communication and through the development of their moral, intellectual and creative development

• Encourage all students to let their imagination, personality and ambition shine through in their writing

• Actively encourage resilience, creative development and independence in students by using a range of exciting stimuli, including books, film clips, visitors, real-life experiences and home learning to teach students about the nuances of the English language

• To foster ambition in all BBEC students, by improving their cultural capital through experiences such as texts in performance, writing workshops, guest speakers and visits

• Develop social and cultural awareness by exploring current affairs (local, global and national) through non-fictions texts and contemporary poetry.

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KEY STRENGTHS OF THE ENGLISH CURRICULUM:

• Full National Curriculum coverage.

• Students experience a wide range of appropriately challenging and diverse literary texts including novels, poetry and plays which build incrementally across KS3, providing students with the resilience they need to face the challenges of KS4 and beyond with success and confidence.

• Opportunities for students to explore different cultures through a wide range of fiction.

• Numerous opportunities for students to develop their writing skills, in a range of formats.

• Explicit reading lessons for all students in Year 7.

• Modelling is embedded in all schemes of learning.

• The acquisition of new vocabulary is also embedded in all schemes of learning, with specific guidance on making links to prior learning, therefore deepening student understanding and providing opportunities to apply this vocabulary in a range of contexts.

• Students in Years 7-9 are given the opportunity to experience media as a subject, in a variety of forms.

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ARCK VALUES IN ENGLISH:

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AMBITION in English means….

• Acquiring and applying, with accuracy, ambitious academic vocabulary.

• Reading from a wide range of fiction, non-fiction and critical theory.

• Making connections across texts and appreciating the impact of cultural contexts.

• Asking probing questions of teachers and peers in order to extend and challenge thinking.

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RESILIENCE in English means….

• Embracing reading challenging and complex literature.

• Maintaining focus in extended writing.

• Making considered responses to teacher and peer feedback.

• Having the confidence to share personal opinions and interpretations of texts.

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COURTESY and KINDNESS in English means…..

• Reading a wide variety of viewpoints, summarising and responding to those perspectives with a mature, independent voice.

• Respecting the viewpoints of those from within and outside our identified culture.

• Showing consideration and kindness during debate and class discussions.