Head of Faculty
Mrs D. Suthar (dsuthar@levenshulmehigh.co.uk)
We inspire a high level of curiosity within the subject which encourages pupils to feel enriched and driven to learn about the world around them through a broad and balanced curriculum – central to this is a love of reading. The ability to analyse and evaluate, as well as appreciate quality literature, is at the heart of what we do. We also actively promote writing in its many forms, focusing on the fine details of its mechanics as well as the process as a creative outlet. Moreover, the faculty develops skills to be adaptable and persuasive communicators in our ever-changing world. Our curriculum model supports pupil progress by developing and embedding key skills, content and the wider context over five years. Pupils should make progress by revisiting prior learning as well as accessing more challenging texts and more complex themes as they get older. Therefore, we empower our students to find their own individual voices and connect with others around them, thus ensuring a sense of identity, belonging and acceptance.
Curriculum Overview
- Year 7 – 4 periods per week following the English Curriculum
- Year 8 – 4 periods per week following the English Curriculum
- Year 9 – 4 periods per week following the English Curriculum
GCSE Courses
- GCSE English Language (AQA)
- GCSE English Literature (AQA)
Topics Covered
Throughout year 7, 8 and 9, the pupils follow a curriculum which is deliberately designed to allow students to develop an understanding of English through time covering a range of fiction and non-fiction literature. Our curriculum exceeds expectations of the National Curriculum through the vast range of topics covered, which allow students across age and ability range to develop their skills in reading writing and communication.
Year 7
Pupils build on the knowledge and skills from KS2. The theme is ‘identity’ and the topics include: Poetry, Literary Canon, Events that Shaped the World, Novel/Play and Etymology.
Year 8
Pupils build on their knowledge and understanding from year 7. The theme is ‘developing a viewpoint’ and topics covered include: Literary Monsters, Travel/Exploration Writing, Modern Play, Protest Writing and Essay Writing Skills through Debate.
Year 9
Pupils continue to develop their knowledge and understanding of the skills and concepts learnt in year 8. The theme is ‘the wider world’ and the topics covered include: Shakespeare, Novel/Play, Poetry Anthology (Power and Conflict), News Literacy and Spoken Language.
Options offered at the end of Year 9
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GCSE English Literature
Exam Board: AQA
No. of Exams: 2
Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th Century Novel 40%
Paper 2: Modern Texts and Poetry 60%Units studied in Year 10
Pupils will cover preparation for both English Language and English Literature exams. This will involve exploring a variety of modern and 19th century texts as well as the set texts for Literature (Macbeth, Jekyll and Hyde/Jane Eyre). We will also cover writing to describe and narrate as well as learning analytical and evaluative skills for reading.Units studied in Year 11
Pupils will continue to prepare for both English Language and English Literature exams. This will involve reading a modern novel or play, exploring, analysing and comparing 15 poems from the AQA Anthology, and unseen poetry. We will also cover writing for a viewpoint as well as summary and comparison skills for reading.
