English

At Key Stage 3, we introduce pupils to exciting, important and thought-provoking literature with the aim to instil a love and appreciation of English early on in their secondary school careers. Our pupils consistently achieve impressive results at GCSE and A level, and we believe this is largely due to their preparation at KS3 where we balance the cultivation of a love for stories with a diligent focus on honing the mechanics of writing. From first to third form, pupils cover: 

• a range of novels including
  • Treasure Island
  • The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
  • Lord of the Flies
  • The Woman in Black
• nature poetry and war poetry
• Dickensian fiction
• modern short prose with a focus on vengeance stories and ghost stories
• Greek myths--a unit which has enriched later readings of literature as pupils are equipped to recognise allusions to classical characters, places and events.

Each year, pupils also study a Shakespeare play, and our close proximity to Stratford often enables us to view at least one dramatic performance in the winter or spring.

Finally, pupils conclude their KS3 curriculum with a unit on Spoken Language and Rhetoric. Not only do they benefit from studying and practising rhetoric techniques in speeches, debates and class discussion, but their work culminates in the IGCSE Spoken Language Endorsement, which is an impressive additional certificate to sit alongside their English Language and Literature GCSEs undertaken in KS4.