Within the English department, we explore a rich cultural history of literature, focusing in on the range of cultures and societies both historically and from a contemporary perspective. We aim to encourage all students to understand how society shapes a text, and how social changes encourage us to respond to a text and its message. 

We constantly encourage our students to debate and investigate the role of writers, and we inspire in them a thirst of knowledge for reading and writing that will prompt them to find their ‘voice’ and have the language they need to express themselves.  

As each year progresses, the students will examine different perspectives and opinions from various writers and eras, with a focus on the themes of: conflict, relationships, and justice. The various literature and non-fiction texts that inform our knowledge rich curriculum, allows for students to be curious readers, with a desire to explore the issues that are ‘beyond’ the text, with a strong focus on how the text is relevant to their own lives: how the texts reflect their lives; how the text challenges their understanding of issues relating to gender, sexuality, religion, other cultures.   

Staff devise and plan their lessons around two important factors: challenge and a passion for learning. Lessons are designed to provide opportunities for students to build on prior learning through varied and engaging strategies. Lessons also provide sufficient opportunity for guided and independent practice: meaning that students of all abilities are provided a learning experience that will aid their individual progress. There is a rigorous and consistent approach to the structure of the units and lessons.  All units are accompanied with a student Topic Guide, which contains the key terminology, vocabulary, and contextual information students will need.  Any additional knowledge not contained on the Topic Guide is always defined and displayed in the lesson.  

The department is committed to sharing a more diverse range of writers and views across all key stages. 

At GCSE, only 1% of students are currently reading novels written by people of colour. We are now a Literature in Colour pioneer school, and we are committed to teaching GCSE Literature texts from contemporary writers. We are currently teaching Boy Don’t Cry, by Malorie Blackman, to all Year 10 students. We have also opted to teach the Belonging poetry anthology; an anthology of poetry that examines identity and culture, written by a much more diverse range of poets.   

In addition, as a Literature in Colour pioneer school, we have been sent 300 additional fiction, non-fiction and poetry books for students to read. The authors span a range of diverse cultures. These books are available for all students to access, and every English classroom has a set of books for students to read.  

We feel a student's cultural capital experience links directly to the literature they study and read, and their extended understanding of the world around them.  

Through reading a range of texts across both historical and contemporary writers, including writers from other cultures and writers who are often not represented, we hope that we will be offering students a more complex understanding of the world we live in.  

The curriculum celebrates the power of the subject of English and the vital role it plays in preparing students for the different pathways they may take. Through the curriculum, pupils develop a range of vital skills, for example, the ability to analyse sophisticated ideas, how to synthesise complex information, how to construct a convincing argument, and how to be an effective speaker and writer.