English

Intent

In English, an Oulton Academy student will leave ready to thrive in their community, able to speak and write fluently and articulate their ideas and emotions. Reciprocally, through their reading and listening skills, they will truly understand the ideas and emotions of others. Our students will not be hindered by communication barriers between themselves and others, creating empathetic, astute, and enfranchised community members. We regard the intellectual and emotional development of our English learners as intertwined; they cannot possibly engage or write a text without the intellectual knowledge and skills we traditionally associate with English teaching, and a more holistic development of their emotional literacy.

Our departmental intent is designed to encompass our Oulton Values, allowing students to develop self-confidence, resilience, and leadership qualities, whilst being able to display respect, motivation, and reflection across both Key Stage 3 and 4. We also strive to ensure the British Values are meaningfully discussed and explored through both fiction and non-fiction reading, writing, speaking and listening. Through our curriculum design and teaching strategies, we imbue our students with a desire for life-long learning, a voice in their communities, and an ambition to pursue a life beyond secondary school that they are proud of.

Objectives

Our curriculum is organised in such a way that provides our students with the opportunity to learn expected behaviours and be successful in their learning.

Our strategic intent is therefore very simple:

• Provides a diversity of powerful knowledge, which over time, cumulatively builds to provide the cultural literacy that enables students to function in society.
• Enables all students to enjoy learning and experience success.
• Takes into account individual needs.
• Creates a culture of high expectation and aspiration to raise standards of attainment and progress.
• Develops confident and responsible individuals who can make a positive contribution to society and live safely and independently.

Implementation

(Pre KS3) + Key Stage 3:

At Oulton Academy, we have close relationships with our primary feeder school colleagues. Through our comprehensive Year 6 into 7 transition programme ‘Stepping Up’ this means we have a wealth of information, particularly for vulnerable students. Our current year 7 cohort, 2022-2023 has 34% PP cohort.  

We know that a focus on reading, writing and oracy is paramount at this stage of education. Students are taught in ability groups for the majority of subjects. These groupings are initially based on performance at Key Stage 2 using Analyse Schools Performance - QLA – Year 7. (See attached)  

Analyse-Schools-Performance-QLA-Year-7.pdf

At Key Stage 3, the English curriculum is designed to provide a high level of challenge for all students by the inclusion of ambitious texts. This creates high expectations of our students’ analytical development and vocabulary acquisition, as well as fostering an aspirational reading culture. Both male and female role-models feature within our chosen texts for our young people to aspire to emulate, as well as characters whose actions enable students to safely explore and question their own moral standpoints. We also ensure cultural diversity in the writers and/or characters that the students engage, broadening their world view and cultural capital. Interweaved with the class readers, are opportunities for developing real-world writing skills, as well as offering space for creative and artistic expression. Through Gold Zone tasks, we build students’ writing pace and stamina, ensuring they are ready to meet the demands of Key Stage 4, and have the confidence to independently apply their skills and knowledge. 

Key Stage 4:

At Key Stage 4, the English curriculum is designed to draw upon the emotional exploration of texts at Key Stage 3, to offer astute and perceptive comments about authorial intent. Our GCSE English Literature set texts have been chosen to expose the students to as broad a world view as possible. Regardless of the paths our students choose Post-16, it is imperative that they can confidently understand and evaluate the merits of a text in a digital global world, teeming with all manner of written communication. The importance of high-quality verbal communication is maintained at Key Stage 4; through seminar style discussion and debate, we hope to foster a collegiate environment, with students respecting both their peers’ intellectual and emotional development.

Review and Evaluate

The English Department are continually striving to develop their own teaching practice, drawing upon the latest research, exam marking experience, and meeting with our wider network of schools. Our curriculum is therefore a “living document” that is reviewed and reshaped according to the needs of our students, to ensure they achieve their potential, and go on to flourish in the wider world.

Further Information

If you require more detailed information, please email the Head of Department. Mrs Mash:

smh@oa.catrust.uk