Giving students a strong foundation of knowledge is central to English at Chaucer. We understand English is vital in helping our students improve their life chances and can empower them to challenge the world in which they live.

At Chaucer, we have sequenced learning to ensure the key knowledge students need is frequently revisited through a spiralling curriculum. Knowledge is broken down and delivered through Big and Small Questions to ensure our students have time to fully develop their understanding and confidence in the subject. This allows misconceptions to be addressed in a timely manner. By taking this approach, we aim to develop students who are able to think, write and speak with greater analytical precision.

To support our students in knowing more, and remembering more, we have developed VIP testing each week to close gaps in knowledge. These questions are carefully planned to ensure our students can retain the key information they need to be successful at GCSE and beyond.

We know that is it vital for students to be able to make good progress. To support in this, we have developed a feedback loop where students complete work, receive feedback, and improve their work; this is aided using our Purple for Progress sheets and lessons.

We also understand English is a subject that can introduce students to a world far beyond their own experiences. We have developed this through a broad range of voices, contexts, and text types. Students will encounter diverse writers to encourage empathy with the lives of others and encourage a love of reading.

We understand that language empowers our learners. We strive to help students become articulate, confident speakers who can critically analyse what they read, formulating their own views and opinions on social and moral issues. We aim to ensure students can express themselves clearly and succinctly through their extended writing and that they are confident in their ability to write for a variety of audiences and purposes, thus preparing them for the world beyond school.

In Key Stage 3, students study a wide range of texts and practise skills necessary to become better communicators.

Year 7 English

• Myths and Legends
• Ghost Boys and Identity Poetry
• The Tempest

Year 8 English

• The Dark Lady
• Romeo and Juliet
• Hound of the Baskervilles

Year 9 English

• The Woman in Black
• Blood Brothers
• Don't Get Me Started: The Art of Rhetoric . 

Topics Covered:

• Greek Myths and Narrative Writing
• Ghost Boys and Transactional Writing
• The Tempest
• A range of poetry

Key Knowledge and Skills:

• Understanding the origins of narratives in English
• The simple structure of narratives and how writers can experiment with this to make stories have different effects
• The archetypal characters found in stories and their complexities
• How to plan, write and edit work effectively
• A range of contexts from Ancient Greeks to modern American Civil Rights and how they impact the meaning of a text
• The conventions of writing to persuade and argue through letters and speeches
• How to understand Shakespearean language and the context of the time he was writing in
• Understanding the conventions of poetry and how poets use speaker, imagery and mood to convey meaning
• How to write poetry and use the form to give voices to others

Assessment:

• Progress tasks in all lessons
• Weekly VIP tests to recall key knowledge
• Key Piece assessments each half term, focusing on both reading, writing and knowledge retention

Homework:

• Knowledge Organiser with weekly quiz in lesson
• Additional homework menu with a range of tasks varying in difficulty to complete over the course of the term

Links to Careers and Preparation for Life in Modern Britain:

• Promoting inclusively and diversity of protected characteristics
• Enabling students to communicate with clarity and confidence
• Promoting resilience, confidence and healthy relationships

Topics Covered:

• The Dark Lady and London through Time
• Romeo and Juliet
• Hound of the Baskervilles
• A range of poetry

Key Knowledge and Skills:

• Being able to track and discuss how characters, themes and plot develop over the course of a narrative
• Recognising the importance of allegory and how literature can teach lessons for our real lives
• The conventions of a range of transactional texts and how to apply them successfully e.g. letters, articles and speeches
• Developing analytical skills through use of a range of texts with a focus on extended written analysis 
• How to apply understanding of context to analysis
• Understanding how writers use imagery to describe settings and characters with depth
• Strengthening understanding of Shakespearean language and ability to discuss and explore it in more detail
• What is meant by ‘tragedy’ and the conventions of that type of play
• Developing understanding of more challenging poetry, including sonnets, and how to discuss effects with clarity

Assessment:

• Progress tasks in all lessons
• Weekly VIP tests the recall key knowledge
• Key Piece assessments each half-term, focusing on both reading, writing and knowledge retention

Homework:

• Knowledge Organiser with weekly quiz in lesson
• Additional homework menu with a range of tasks varying in difficulty to complete over the course of the term

Links to Careers and Preparation for Life in Modern Britain:

• Spiritual development: students develop the ability to reflect on their own beliefs
• Preparing students for future success in education, employment and training though further development of their literacy skills
• Students giving their opinions on issues facing Modern Britain

Topics Covered:

• The Woman in Black
• Blood Brothers and Essay Skills
• Don’t Get Me Started: The Art of Rhetoric
• A range of poetry

Key Knowledge and Skills:

• Understanding the conventions of different genres
• Developing depth in creative writing through character and setting descriptions
• Understanding the context of 1970s and 1980s Britain and the impact it had on literature
• Recognising literature as a form of protest and a tool to bring change in society
• How to discuss key dramatic techniques used in plays and the impact they can have on an audience
• How to discuss character, theme, plot development across a whole text with greater independence
• Essay writing skills and how to develop an argument in written responses
• The origins of rhetoric and its significance in the world we live in
• Understanding the Five Canons of Rhetoric and the importance of using them to structure engaging speeches that have an impact on the audience
• How to analyse iconic speeches and how to tackle major issues facing Modern Britain and the wider world

Assessment:

• Progress tasks in all lessons
• Key Piece assessments each half term, focusing on both reading, writing and knowledge retention
• Weekly VIP tests to recall key knowledge

Homework:

• Knowledge Organiser with weekly quiz in lesson
• Additional homework menu with a range of tasks varying in difficulty to complete over the course of the term

Links to Careers and Preparation for Life in Modern Britain:

• Preparing students for future success in education, employment and training through refinement of their literacy skills
• Promoting inclusively and diversity
• Cultural development: understanding the wider range of cultural influences that shape individuals

We follow the AQA GCSE specification.

Component 1 – Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing

• This component has a Reading section based on one fiction text and a Writing section in which students write their own fictional text.

Component 2 – Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives

• This component has a Reading section based on two non-fiction texts and a Writing section in which students write their own non-fiction text, based on their own viewpoint.

Component 3 – Spoken Language

• This component is an oracy-based unit, in which students choose a topic to speak about and answer questions on.

We follow the AQA GCSE specification.

Component 1 – Shakespeare and the 19^th- century novel

• Section A Shakespeare (we study ‘Macbeth’) – students answer one question, using an extract printed on the exam and their own knowledge of the play.
• Section B 19^th century novel (we study ‘A Christmas Carol’ in Year 11 and 'Jekyll and Hyde' in Year 10) – students answer one question, using an extract printed on the exam and their own knowledge of the novel.

Component 2 – Modern texts and poetry

• Section A Modern text (we study ‘An Inspector Calls’) – students answer one question from a choice of two, using their own knowledge of the play.
• Section B Anthology poetry (we study ‘Power and Conflict’ group of poems) – students answer one question, using a poem printed on the exam and their own knowledge of another linked poem.
• Section C 19^th Unseen poetry – students answer one question on one unseen poem and one question comparing it to a second unseen poem.

Language:

• How to read and analyse a range of fiction and non-fiction texts from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries with increasing confidence
• How to structure narratives and descriptions to ensure they are coherent and engaging
• How to structure a range of non-fiction texts e.g. letters, speeches, articles, blogs, essays
• Selecting key information from texts and how to compare and summarise the viewpoints of writers
• The ability to speak with confidence and clarity to an audience
• The significance of planning, writing and editing work to ensure it is coherent.

Literature

• The ability to explore different forms of literature and form arguments in response to questions
• To understand how plot, character and themes develop and how to discuss this in responses
• Looking at alternate ways of looking at language
• Considering how the context of a text impacts the meaning
• How writers’ intentions can impact the message of a text
• How to build a thesis and explore this through essay writing skills
• Comparison on poems by themes, imagery, structure, form
• How to approach unseen poetry and analyse the writers’ methods and intentions with accuracy