Students at Beckfoot Upper Heaton will be excellent readers and orators, with the integrity to appreciate other viewpoints and the kindness to use their own linguistic skills to do good in the world.
Students will encounter a wide-variety of high quality literature and literary non-fiction, involving the best that has been thought or said. Students will be well-versed in a range of fictional forms such as poetry, plays, novels and short stories; non-fictional forms will include letters, speeches, diaries, essays and articles.
This enriching and and challenging experience of the world of English is sequenced and arranged thematically by key moral and philosophical concepts, ensuring that students encounter a wide range of perspectives, cultures and historical contexts. Students will understand how to craft their writing to match the conventions of a wide variety of forms, as they make judicious choices regarding voice, language, structure and grammar.
Enrichment
Throughout your study of English at Beckfoot Upper Heaton, there will be a wide range of enrichment opportunities available to you to enrich your subject knowledge outside of the classroom.
These include drama club and debating club, providing students with the opportunity to showcase their oracy skills in both formal and creative manners
Assessment
Internal assessments will take place throughout each year to monitor pupil progress and further inform teaching and learning. All formal assessments will be marked using GCSE mark schemes, and all progress will be reported to parents and carers.
KS4 Specification
Careers
Each topic has a ‘careers spotlight’, where students will explore a profession linked to that particular unit of work. Careers can include:
- Marketing
- Communications
- Public Relations
- Law
- Teaching
- Journalism
- Writing
Curriculum Overview
| Year | Cycle 1 | Cycle 2 | Cycle 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 7 | Greek Mythology: Students will encounter a range of myths and early literary concepts that will establish a foundational understanding of literature through time, students will also learn how to craft their own mythological descriptions. | The Tempest – William Shakespeare: Students will explore The Tempest to develop their understanding of Shakespearean plays as well as as the English literary canon. In the second half of cycle 1, students will also study the history of rhetoric including the art of persuasion from great historical orators. | Narrative poetry through time: starting with Norse mythology – Beowulf, and building to a modern day understanding of themes and issues in 21st century poems. Students will then cover narrative writing skills. |
| Year 8 | Poetry linked to social justice and voices of rebellion: Students will be exposed to a range of poetry from a range of contexts and poets across multiple eras, as they understand concepts like enjambment and volta. | Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare: Students will be introduced to Shakespearean tragedy as they explore the concept of Greek tragedy and make links to related literature and non-fiction such as sonnets and modern day crime issues. | Animal Farm by George Orwell: Students will appreciate the writer’s craft in a political context and learn concepts such as allegory and diatribe. |
| Year 9 | ‘The Gothic’: Students will study ‘the Gothic’ through a range of texts centred around this concept. Students will encounter language and contexts from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Students will also study identity poetry through a range of 20th and 21st century texts. | Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Students will explore the modern context of Nigeria as a way into the text before analysing important themes and techniques used to structure a 20th century novel. | An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley: Students will study a challenging text linked to the idea of ‘society and inequality’. They will learn to appreciate how writers’ construct play to convey a political message and link context including socialist and capitalist ideology and gender inequality. |
| Year 10 | Macbeth by Shakespeare: Building on their understanding of Shakespearean tragedy, students will read the text in full then track key themes and concepts throughout. Key passages will be explored in sophisticated detail until a holistic understanding of the text is achieved to answer the relevant question on Literature Paper 1. | 19th Century Novel A Christmas Carol: Building on their understanding of 19th century literature, students will read the text in full then track key themes and concepts throughout. Key passages will be explored in sophisticated detail until a holistic understanding of the text is achieved to answer the relevant question on literature paper 1. | Students will master the interpretation of a range of 20th and 21st century fiction with a focus on sophisticated interpretations. Evaluation of language and structure with a focus on applying these devices with sophistication and originality in students’ own work. |
| Year 11 | Modern Text – An Inspector Calls: Students will develop their understanding of modern drama, students will read the text in full then track key themes and concepts throughout. Key passages will be explored in sophisticated detail until a holistic understanding of the text is achieved to answer the relevant question on literature paper 2. English Language Paper 2 revision | Anthology poetry – Power and Conflict: Poems not completed in Year 10 will be covered and others revised. Revision of all GCSE English Language and Literature knowledge with a focus on creating conceptualised, nuanced, responses to texts and manipulation of linguistic and structural choices in students’ own work. | Revision and preparation for exams. |