Catholicism in English
Thought for the Term
“You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbour.” Leviticus 19:15
English Focus: Fantasy stories and Protagonists
This term, we have been exploring heroes and villains as part of our study of novels. We set about identifying our favourite protagonists and discussing their core beliefs and how they align to Catholicism. Coraline shows bravery when she faces the other mother, just as Jesus showed bravery when he died for our sins; Harry Potter shows compassion when he decides to teach others how to defend themselves just as Jesus teaches us to love our neighbours, and Stanley shows solidarity by standing up for Zero the outcast, just as Jesus stood up for the outcasts of the world.
We then looked to designing our own Catholic-themed protagonist, and developed ideas such as; Justice Jesus, who ensure all court rooms achieve true justice with his hammer of equality; Magical Mary, who uses the power of the heart to reveal sins for reconciliation; Tamia the brave, who can heal the deaf, blind and sick with her immense faith and Sister Agatha, who uses her humility to manifest a golden heart into anyone.
We encourage you to consider your favourite protagonists, and search for the catholic values in them too!
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English
Intent:
Our English department believes in fostering a love of literature through innovative, engaging teaching. We demand a high standard of work and behaviour from all our pupils, but believe in reward they will achieve outstanding results which will enable them to fulfill their potential both in higher education and their careers.
Our lessons are designed to encourage our learners through discussion, the teaching of engaging texts which stimulate interest and the developing of pupil’s vocabulary and ability to express themselves in a variety of forms and for a variety of purposes. We explore poetry, contemporary and classic literature and also link to our sister subjects of Media and Film Studies through a wide-ranging curriculum at KS3 which celebrates diversity and increases a pupil’s knowledge and appreciation of the fact that every life matters. We encourage pupil’s creativity and independence, allowing them to become more resilient learners in preparation for the rigour of KS4.
Within English we use a variety of Assessment for Learning strategies to empower our pupils and ensure accelerated progress is made. Two of the most effective are half time targets and 'feeding forwards'.
Half time targets allow pupils to stop mid-way through a task and reflect on what they need to do in order to improve. This can either be self or peer assessed, and involves pupils using the lesson's WILFs to produce a target that is then re-assessed when the task is finished. Reflecting on a task at the mid-point means that our pupils in English are constantly reflecting on what they need to do in order to progress.
Feeding forward allows pupils to re-draft prior work and rectify any caveats that may have arisen. Pupils re-write one paragraph from previous work, implementing feedback from their teacher to improve it. This means as teachers we know that our feedback will be taken on board, and that the pupils will show this in their work instantly, accelerating progress and meaning similar errors will not occur again.
Implementation:
Our curriculum is designed to not only foster a love of reading and allow pupils to make cross-curricular links to improve their cultural capital but to also build the skills needed to be successful at not only GCSE and further education but also the wider world. English is a key tool in pupils being able to fulfil their aspirations and we encourage pupils to explore a diverse range of literature from across the last 500 years, giving them a wider insight into the human condition. The key skills of reading, writing and speaking and listening are woven through both KS3 and KS4, making links with other subjects and allowing pupils to make outstanding progress within our subject.
English Language
|
Year |
4+ |
5+ |
7+ |
|
2018-19 (APS 4.96) |
83% |
61% |
17.1% |
|
2019-20 (CAGS) (APS 5.38) |
91% |
67% |
26% |
|
2020-21 (TAGS) (APS 5.21) |
92% |
84% |
41% |
|
2021-22 (APS 5.78) |
91.7% |
79.6% |
29.6% |
|
2022-23 |
84.9% |
69.8% |
21.1% |
|
2023-24 |
88.1% |
69.0% |
21.7% |
English Literature
(All exams were sat early entry the year before listed)
|
Year |
4+ |
5+ |
7+ |
|
2018-19 (APS 4.96) |
84% |
60% |
15.1% |
|
2019-20 (APS 5.38) |
79% |
61% |
27% |
|
2020-21 (CAGS) (APS 5.21) |
86% |
69% |
25% |
|
2021-22 (TAGS) (APS 5.78) |
96.1% |
87.3% |
44.1% |
|
2022-23 |
92.9% |
80.2% |
25.9% |
|
2023-24 (APS 5.73) |
93.2% |
77.6% |
26.9% |
The department has a proven record of pupils going on to further education to study English Literature and Language both at A Level and Degree. Nothing makes us prouder than when ex pupils get in touch to tell us how the teaching, support and enjoyment they received within the English department has set them on a clear path for their future aspirations. '
Key Stage 3 (Year 7-9)
Our KS3 curriculum is designed to provide optimum creativity for both pupil and teacher – books taught are from a list that has been curated from our own love of literature rather than just two of three texts or those that are not being taught at KS4 (like some schools). Pupils develop an ability to read and write a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts, building a repertoire of skills to ready them for the rigour of KS4. These include whole novels (rather than extracts), Shakespeare, 19th century Literature, Poetry, Articles, Pamphlets and other non-fiction texts as well as looking at more diverse approaches to English through multi-media and film. Our selection of texts champion the diversity that we have both within school and pupils’ wider social circles and improve their understanding of their place within the world and the experience of those from diverse backgrounds.
We encourage pupils to develop a more ambitious and sophisticated vocabulary and punctuation and use assessments which foreshadow the line of questioning they will encounter in KS4. The final KS3 assessment ascertains their ability in creative writing and comparing Power and Conflict Poetry, readying them for the more strenuous work of KS4.
Key Stage 4 (Year 10 & 11)
Literature
The English Literature course in Yr 10 consists to two papers – Shakespeare & 19th C and Modern Text & Poetry.
Paper 1 has 2 sections and is worth 40% of the pupil’s overall grade.
Paper 2 has 3 sections and is work 60% of the pupil’s overall grade.
Language
The English Language course in Yr 11 consists of two papers – Explorations in Creative Writing and Writing from Perspective.
Both papers consist of a Section A (answering four questions on sources provided) and a Section B (writing either creatively or about a particular perspective). These exams test pupil’s ability to infer, analyse structure and language, compare sources as well as their ability to write to different forms and audiences using a wide-ranging vocabulary and high level of spelling and grammatical accuracy.
Both these papers are weighted 50% in terms of the final GCSE grade.
This GCSE is taught through topic-based learning which covers a range of subjects that are pertinent to the experiences of society today such as Racism and Equality, Ethics of Science and Knife Crime. Pupils are encouraged to look at fictional and non-fiction sources which explore, question and celebrate the experience of diverse people and how their lives have made an impact on the world that we know. This apporach builds cross curricular learning and strengthens pupils understanding of how the curriculum at St. Edmund's fits together to improve them as both a pupil and person.
Pupils go onto study a modern text in the spring term. The continue practising their English Language skills, while increasing their cultural capital.
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All texts within the KS3 and KS4 curriculum overview with skills document under the 'Resources' section below are highlighted in blue to celebrate diversity and show pupils the importance of building a knowledge and understanding that every life matters.
