English

Throughout the English curriculum we develop our students to have a deep appreciation and understanding of a wide range of literature. We read, discuss and craft responses to a wide range of texts so that students are able to engage academically with the written word. Our students study a curriculum designed in partnership with schools across Education South West Trust and this means that we can share best approaches and resources to help students in our care.

Read about how we support Reading and Literacy at St Cuthbert Mayne

Key Stage 3:

Students study a wide range of texts looking at developing their reading, writing and oracy (speaking and listening) skills. Each year is split into three ‘cycles’ and each cycle usually takes one full term (about 10-14 weeks). During each cycle students will have a focus on improving key skills for their assessments which are tasks such as writing an essay, writing a short story or writing non-fiction such as a speech. Most classes will have one English teacher who will also take classes for a library lesson once a fortnight in which students will have an opportunity to read independently and complete SparX Reader (which is also set in Years 7-9 as our Home Learning). Occasionally, it is necessary for classes to have more than one teacher. All our classes are taught by subject specialists who teach across different year groups and fully understand the requirements and expectations for students achieving highly in English.

Year 7:

In the first year we focus on helping students to understand how writers have messages and considering how they craft their texts to communicate these. Students begin studying fables and stories exploring how these are used to teach moral lessons and then apply this knowledge to the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell after reading it in full and writing an academic response to the story. Students then move on to studying the modern classic: The Woman in Black by Susan Hill exploring how she uses gothic conventions and demonstrating these ideas in their own writing. Finally, students study The Tempest by Shakespeare considering how power is presented in the play and particularly exploring how rhetoric is used to convince and persuade.

Year 8:

As students progress, we increasingly focus on the methods and ways that writer’s craft texts. We begin looking at Poetry using the verse novel ‘Long Way Down’ as an introduction which we read in full. Students then study a wide range of poetry and write responses to them. In Cycle 2, students look at monologues and different perspectives and voices. They use these ideas to craft their own writing response making a monologue. Finally, students study and eventually write an academic response to the Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet considering how love is presented.

Year 9:

In the last year of KS3, students focus more on the importance of context in texts but also weave together many of the ideas covered throughout Years 7 and 8. Students read a variety of short stories from the fantastic modern anthology ‘Iridescent Adolescent’ which contains a diverse range of literary stories. They use these ideas to then craft their own short story in response. After this, students study an anthology of different voices and perspectives including a range of poetry and non-fiction in order to read an extract and write an academic response. Finally, students study the play ‘Journey’s End’ by R.C. Sheriff which explores the context of WW1 and prepares students for their study of GCSEs by providing them with the academic and contextual rigour needed.

Key Stage 4:

Students in KS4 begin their GCSEs. We are currently transitioning exam boards to be in line with our partners Education South West to further support our students.

		English Language	English Literature
2024-2025	Current Y11	Edexcel	Edexcel
2025-2026	Current Y10	Edexcel	AQA
2026-2027	Current Y9	AQA	AQA

We teach two separate GCSEs in English: Language and Literature. These are both crucial but require slightly different skills. In Language, students study a range of fiction and non-fiction texts in order to write responses to these and craft their own writing as well. The exams are based upon unseen extracts so students are prepared to be able to read and respond to a wide variety of different texts. In Literature, students study a range of texts and write essay responses to these: An Inspector Calls, A Christmas Carol, Macbeth and Conflict Poetry.

Year 10 classes have one English teacher who will get to know them really well and will take this same class through to year 11 but this teacher splits their lessons into Language and Literature separately so that students are clear on what GCSE they are studying and so that both skills are taught alongside each other. Language is given three lessons each fortnight and Literature is given five (because there is more content to cover in Literature).

Year 11 classes currently have different teachers for Language and Literature but this is due to this arrangement being in place previously and so the year 10 model will continue moving forward. Year 11s are provided with Period 0 and Period 6 once a week in English to boost their achievement and ensure success alongside holiday revision sessions, directed revision tasks, home learning and of course lots of support from class teachers.

Year 10 Language:

Students study a wide range of non-fiction extracts in preparation for Paper 2. Students also work on crafting their own non-fiction responses such as writing articles, letters and speeches. In Cycle 2, students read a range of fiction extracts in preparation for Paper 1. Students also craft their own short story responses. In Cycle 3, students return to Paper 2 skills in preparation for their mocks and develop speeches to deliver as part of the course.

Year 10 Literature:

Students begin studying An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley and read the whole text and respond to essay questions. Following this, students study A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens reading the whole text and writing essay responses. Finally, students study the Shakespeare play Macbeth and write essay responses.

Year 11 Language:

Students return to Paper 1 skills and read a range of fiction extracts. They develop and craft their story writing and experiment with different styles. Students then return to Paper 2 skills reading a range of non-fiction extracts and writing their responses. Finally, lessons involve revision and exam practice in preparation for their exams.

Year 11 Literature:

Students study Conflict poetry and Unseen Poetry alongside revising An Inspector Calls in preparation for their mocks. Following this, students will have covered the core reading and so go through a sequence for each component building up essay writing skills. Finally, lessons involve revision and exam practice in preparation for their exams.

Key Stage 5:

At our 6th form we offer a combined English Language and Literature (AQA) course which develops our students’ academic and analytical ability. Through the literature elements of the course, we study classic novels such as Frankenstein and explore themes and ideas about identity and culture. With the Language elements we study a wide range of different text types including an anthology based upon Paris considering how people speak and write using language to communicate for a huge variety of purposes. Students are assessed upon two Papers. Paper 1 is considering the representation of place, imagined worlds and poetic voices. Paper 2 is exploring conflict which requires writing about society, a critical commentary on their own writing and a response to drama. Some text choices are subject to alteration as we consider the interests and needs of each group but in the past we have studied:

Paris Anthology (compulsory)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Othello by William Shakespeare
Selected poems from Carol Ann Duffy
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

Students prepare for two exams: Paper 1 Telling Stories (40%) and Paper 2 Exploring Conflict (40%) and a Non Exam Assessment (coursework) Making connections (20%). We provide a lot of choice and flexibility within our course and pride ourselves on tailoring the content and delivery to suit the needs of our classes. As a small sixth form, we have small class sizes in which we can really focus in on supporting students to be successful.

If you have any further questions about English or just want to get in touch then please contact Mr Sykes

Teaching Team

Mr M. Sykes
Head of English

Mrs N. Kirby
Second in Department

Ms R. Davis
Lead Practitioner

Mr A. Shaikh
Senior Lead Practitioner

Mrs R. Lucas

Mrs M. Newhouse

Mrs M. O’Shaughnessy-Relf

Miss R. Wybrow

Mr K. Loddey
English Learning Coach

Curriculum Summary

Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Year 12
Year 13