Philosophy and Vision
The English Department at Wellfield School passionately believe in the importance of reading to support learning. Students are encouraged to read widely both in the classroom and for pleasure. We celebrate our passion during the year with many events, such as Shakespeare Day; World Book Day; trips to the theatre and annual visits from a published author. The ability to read and communicate ideas underpins the whole curriculum and therefore we strive for rigorous standards of literacy from all our students.
Curriculum overview
All students study AQA GCSE English Language and English Literature courses. Both specifications are wholly assessed through external examinations.
The English Language course: will enable students, of all abilities, to develop the skills they need to read, understand and analyse a wide range of different texts covering the 19th, 20th and 21st century time periods, as well as to write accurately using a range of vocabulary and sentence structures. The qualification is assessed through two exams:
Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing
Paper 2: Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives
The English Literature course: encourages students to develop knowledge and skills in reading a range of texts, from Shakespeare to more modern drama and poetry. The qualification is assessed through two exams:
Paper 1: Shakespeare (‘Romeo and Juliet’) and the 19th century novel (‘A Christmas Carol.’)
Paper 2: Modern texts (‘An Inspector Calls,’) and poetry (Power and Conflict anthology)
Students’ communication skills through speaking and listening are also developed and assessed as a separate endorsement.
KS4 Curriculum (Y10-11) – links to GCSE specifications
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse/english-language-8700
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse/english-literature-8702
KS3 Curriculum (Y7-9)
KS3 Supported Reading Lists – Term 2
In Year 7, students will be introduced to the English Mastery curriculum. This consists of literary heritage lessons, a grammar lesson and a strong emphasis on the use of vocabulary. Texts studied include ‘Oliver Twist,’ and ‘A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream.’
In Year 8, students will study a range of poetry, prose and drama, including: ‘Animal Farm,’ ‘Macbeth,’ and a war novel. Students will complete one literacy-based skills lesson a week, to reinforce expectations for technical accuracy.
Assessment
From Year 7-11, students are assessed against the GCSE AQA assessment objectives. Assessments take place at the end of each unit of work. Students are assessed in both reading and writing skills, as well on their analysis of literary texts.
