We strive to develop students’ literacy skills through high quality reading, literacy marking, guided reading, key terms introduced and used every lesson, writing frames, modelling, choral response, choral repetition, interleaving, to name just some of the tools that we use.  We provide support for those who need it through carefully scaffolded tasks, as well as providing stretch and challenge for the most able with a ‘dare to know’ task included at every stage of the lesson.  Where possible and practicable, we also offer students a variety of tasks to complete during the application stage of the lesson based on Bloom’s Taxonomy. 

The Christian Ethos is embedded into the English SoW as time for reflection is vital for students when we encourage them to ponder the texts that we are reading and the emotional impact that they have on them and how they personally respond to them. 

At St Augustine Academy, we also aim to develop our learners into effective communicators, respectful listeners and supportive critical friends by giving them the tools to develop their reading, writing and speaking and listening skills. 

The English curriculum at SAA has been carefully structured to take students on a learning journey of literature through time. 

Each year at KS3 has an over-arching theme tying the learning units together: Year 7 Identity; Year 8 Survival; Year 9 Relationships.  These over-arching themes can then be explored and developed through our study of our chosen texts.  In Year 7, the curriculum is largely chronological, to enable us to demonstrate to students the development of English Literature over time, from Greek myths to modern day novels and poetry, while exploring Shakespeare and Romanticism along the way.  We have carefully chosen the units we study to constantly build on students’ prior knowledge and learning and links and interleaving are always possible to help highlight the relevance and importance of what is taught.   

Throughout students’ time at SAA, there are horizontal and vertical links between years to help link the curriculum together.  For example, in Year 7 students are introduced to Shakespeare’s three genres; in Year 8 they explore a tragedy through the study of some key extracts; in Year 9 they study a comedy in more depth, leading up to the study of ‘The Merchant of Venice’ for GCSE – a Shakespearean comedy that has tragic elements.  The choice of GCSE texts is also deliberate: ‘The Merchant of Venice’, for instance, picks up on learning from Year 7 with the modern novel (‘Once’) that focuses on the Holocaust, as well as Year 9 topics on inequality and injustice in society.  ‘A Christmas Carol’ links to Year 8 learning on the Gothic genre, as another example. 

We have carefully followed and gone beyond the demands of the National Curriculum through our choice of topics and texts.  Learning is scaffolded and developed over time so that knowledge and skills are introduced, developed, built on and solidified as the learning journey continues.   

We have aimed to teach the initial content of GCSE by the end of Year 10 so that we can spend Year 11 studying our chosen texts in greater depth, allowing students the opportunity to explore them more conceptually by focusing in on the ‘big ideas’.  This really allows them to perfect their analytical skills, as well as allowing them the full time needed to develop as writers and communicators themselves. 

As an 11-16 school, it is imperative that we provide students with as many possibilities as possible to enable them to embark on whatever path they choose to follow after GCSEs.  This is why we have designed a bespoke curriculum that not only gives students the skills they need to be successful in examinations but also helps them develop life skills that will always be relevant and necessary in the world of work. 

As part of our ‘why are we learning this’ slides, we make explicit links, wherever possible, to real life examples and careers, as we endeavour to enable students to see the relevance of their learning in English. 

Ultimately, our aim within the English Department at St Augustine Academy is to open as many doors as possible for students so that the greatest number can go on to future courses that will enable them to pursue their dreams and ambitions. 

If students have a solid foundation in English, this prepares them for further study in any subject and opens up a whole raft of future possible careers.  English encourages students to be critical, questioning, empathetic, creative, analytical, effective communicators, and so much more, all transferable skills that can be utilised in careers ranging from teacher, doctor, counsellor, journalist, lawyer, public relations, acting, human resources and so many more.   

With a strong foundation in English, the world really can be your oyster. 

An-Inspector-Calls-Knowledge-Organiser-1.pdfA-Christmas-Carol-Knowledge-Organiser-2.pdfAQA-English-Language-Paper-1-Knowledge-Organiser.pdfAQA-English-Language-Paper-2-Knowledge-Organiser.pdfBayonet-Charge-Knowledge-Organiser.pdfChecking-Out-Me-History-Knowledge-Organiser.pdfExposure-Knowledge-Organiser.pdfKamikaze-Knowledge-Organiser-1.pdfLondon-Knowledge-Organiser.pdfMy-Last-Duchess-Knowledge-Organiser.pdfOzymandias-Knowledge-Organiser.pdfPoppies-Knowledge-Organiser.pdfRemains-Knowledge-Organiser-1.pdfStorm-on-the-Island-Knowledge-Organiser.pdfThe-Merchant-of-Venice-Knowledge-Organiser.pdfThe-Emigree-Knowledge-Organiser.pdfThe-Prelude-Knowledge-Organiser.pdfTissue-Knowledge-Organiser.pdfUnseen-Poetry-KO.pptxWar-Photographer-Knowledge-Organiser.pdfYear-8-Key-Terms-Term-1.pdfYear-8-Gothic-KO.pdfYear-7-Key-Terms-Term-1.pdfYear-7-Greek-Mythology-KO-final.pdf