Welcome to English

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Welcome to English at Kirk Hallam!

We are a team of enthusiastic and dedicated teachers who teach across Key Stages 3, 4 and 5.

As a department, we are committed to helping all students make maximum progress through creative approaches to teaching and learning. We aim to engage students in a wide range of texts and give all students the opportunity to learn outside of the classroom.

Our promise is that all students will leave us with the essential written and oral literacy skills required to thrive outside of the school environment.

The English curriculum at KHCA comprises of three main areas of study: English Language, English Literature and Media Studies. We offer English Language and English Literature GCSEs as well as English Language, English Literature and Media Studies at A Level.

Please scroll down to take a look at our curriculum!

The Curriculum

In Key Stage 3 students prepare for their GCSEs whilst fostering a love of the subject. We study texts such as Trash and A Monster Calls as well as developing our creative writing and analytical skills.

In Ket Stage 4 we study Macbeth, An Inspector Calls, A Christmas Carol, Power and Conflict poetry as well as English Language skills.

Students should expect to be assessed against the AQA assessment objectives at both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4.

Key Stage 3

A reading age test is completed in Year 7 to ascertain the Reading age of all students.

Literacy: All Key Stage 3 classes have one library lesson a week and students are able to borrow books from our library. All classrooms are stocked with a plethora of reading materials for students to devour!

Key Stage 4

We follow the AQA exam board for both English Literature and English Language.

English Literature

This qualification consists of two written exams. The first paper focuses on a Shakespeare text and a nineteenth century novel. Our current Year 11s are studying 'Macbeth' and 'A Christmas Carol'.

Paper two focuses on modern drama and poetry. Alongside the GCSE AQA 'Power and Conflict' anthology, our current Year 11s are studying 'An Inspector Calls'.

English Language

This qualification consists of two written exams. The first paper focuses on unseen fiction texts and creative writing (fiction). Paper two focuses on unseen non-fiction extracts and informative and persuasive writing.

Extra-curricular Activities

KHCA's English department currently run a number of after-school interventions for KS3 and KS4 students. These take place on a Wednesday and include targeted intervention for Year 11 students as well as handwriting and creative writing clubs for KS3 students.