English
KS3 Curriculum Intent and Rationale:
At The Mandeville School, we have built our curriculum around the explorations of what it means to be human; what are the issues we as humans face and overcome? What are the threats to our species? Our Key Stage 3 curriculum is designed to lay the foundations for every student to be able to answer these questions and many more; championing their voice as being important in the shaping of tomorrow’s world.
By implementing a spiral curriculum, learners are encouraged to revisit key concepts building on prior knowledge and increasing their confidence as they approach new and challenging texts scheme after scheme, year after year.
Year 7 begin their studies with an exploration of the conventions of fantasy fiction, hooking them into exciting worlds with endless possibilities and filling their imaginations with exhilarating adventures. They then turn their attention to the real world issue of discrimination through their study of ‘Ghost Boys’, where they are challenged to understand racial intolerance and its far reaching impact on both individuals and society at large. Before plunging into a discovery of the most famous of fictional detectives, Sherlock Holmes where they search for the Blue Carbuncle and unpick the twists and turns of The Speckled Band, leaving students with an understanding of the detective genre and its ability to captivate its readers.
Year 8 starts by students diving into relationship issues and gender conflicts in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, their first experience of Shakespeare in The English Department at The Mandeville School. Carrying the knowledge of relationships with them, students encounter the heartbreaking tale of Subhi and his experiences in a refugee camp. This novel builds on students’ prior knowledge of discrimination and marginalisation experienced by people across the world. In their next term, we explore the Myths and Legends, seeking to understand their conventions and being captivated by the interactions of Greek Gods and Goddesses. This leads us finally into our autobiographical component for this year which centres around the tragic but inspiring story of Malala Yousafzai. Her account highlights the importance of voice and how it can change the world.
Students begin their Year 9 journey with a return to Shakespeare, but this time exploring the complexities of conflict within relationships through the iconic story of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. This unit reinforces the conventions of a Shakespearean text as well as preparing them for their KS4 study of ‘Macbeth’ the year after. Following the fractured world of ‘two star-crossed lovers’, we delve into the world of dystopian fiction seeking to understand the challenges of living in a totalitarian society, of being marginalised because we look different or being told we must behave in a particular way to fit with the community around us. Staying with the theme of a challenging world, we leap into a study of disasters which altered the way we interact with the universe. From the sinking of the Titanic to the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004, students are faced with the ongoing battle between man’s hamartia and Mother Nature’s sheer power. Prior to plunging into the manipulative character of Iago in ‘Othello’, we explore how rhetoric can be used to deliver an agenda in our ‘Speeches’ unit. Enabling students to draw on their prior knowledge of voice from our Year 8 unit on Malala.
KS4 Curriculum Intent and Rationale:
The KS4 English curriculum builds on the knowledge and skills our pupils acquire through our KS3 curriculum. We follow the AQA specification for both English Language and Literature.
Year 10 is Literature heavy to enable students’ exposure to aspects of the human condition. This allows for frequent interleaved revision during Year 11. All lessons have retrieval activities and explicit vocabulary to enhance students’ understanding of the texts. Context also is key to students' critical thinking skills.
As we expect students to have absorbed a range of skills and knowledge in KS3, KS4 is about elevating these skills in a more critical and exploratory way. Aspects of developing thesis arguments and essay structure are more explicitly taught with higher level writing skills.
A core focus is placed on crafting and accuracy as students will enter KS4 with a confidence in their ideas; KS4 crafts these.
English forms the foundation for all careers and is a key life skill. Through combining these skills with an understanding of the world, we know students will believe they can achieve in school and subsequently succeed in life.
Learning Journeys
Curriculum Maps
Year 11 Revision Materials
- A Christmas Carol Checklist
- An Inspector Calls Checklist
- Macbeth Checklist
- Language Checklist
- Power and Conflict Checklist
