English

English at Sir John Hunt CSC follows the AQA 9-1 GCSE pathway for both English Language and English Literature. The course is a linear course with no coursework; all exams are taken at the end of the course in Year 11. The Key Stage 3 course aims to build skills for the GCSE by introducing students to more academically challenging texts and high quality journalism early in their secondary school experience. Students will analyse texts from writers including Michael Morpurgo, John Steinbeck, William Shakespeare and Markus Zusack. They will also have lots of opportunities to develop creative and non-fiction writing skills using a range of unique skills employed at SJH. In Key Stage 4, a focus on timed practice will emerge to prepare students for the time pressure of the GCSE exams. Students will further analyse texts from writers including Robert Cormier, J B Priestley, Robert Louis Stevenson and William Shakespeare. The Key Stage 4 course will continue to develop higher-level creative and non-fiction writing techniques and tools for writing to use beyond school.

Students will develop the skills they need to read, understand and analyse a wide range of different texts (fiction and non-fiction) covering the 19th, 20th and 21st century time periods as well as to write clearly, coherently and accurately using a range of vocabulary and sentence structures.

Students will study, understand and analyse Shakespeare plays, 19th century novels, modern prose/drama and poetry as well as developing the skills of comparison and academic writing.

Key Stage 5 English at Sir John Hunt CSC covers subjects across A-level, GCSE and functional skills depending on a student’s needs and ability. A level students follow the Eduqas A-Level English Language and Literature course and are taught skills and study habits that will enable them to be successful at University. In line with our Key Stage 4 students, those on the GCSE Improvement English pathway follow the AQA GCSE English Language course. We also offer the Pearson Edexcel Functional Skills Level 1/2 course, where this is appropriate.

Students will take four English exams: two for English Language and two for English Literature. This will result in the award of two GCSEs. The content of each question can be seen below:

The English department at SJH are firm believers in the importance of homework, independent study and revision. To help make it as easy as possible, nearly all homework and revision tasks are available on the appropriate English website which can be found under the "Homework" section.

SJH English department offer a range of opportunities for students. Annually, the English department invite authors and other role-models to the school to motivate and inspire students. We also run an annual BBC School Report session for students who are interested in a career within journalism to participant in a range of reporting and broadcasting experiences. The department also runs regular trips to theatres to watch dramatisations of studied plays. Additionally, other annually run events, such as the Spelling Bee and Accelerated Reader league tables, offer many opportunities for students to engage in friendly but healthy competition for worthy prizes and glory.

In Year 7, SJH runs the Accelerated Reader programme to encourage students to find and maintain a love for reading. Students can loan books from the on-site library – of which there are thousands (regularly updated and changed!) to choose from – and read them in their own time. Students are also given 25 minutes per day within a lesson (based on rotation) to read and enjoy their books. When finished, students can log in to their account online and take a quiz on the book to assess their understanding.