English

Exploring literature, mastering language, finding voice.

English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. Through reading in particular, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development. Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. Adapted from National Curriculum, DFE, 2013.

We seek to expose students to a range of high-quality literary texts, both fiction and non-fiction. Knowledge is delivered through key threshold concepts, navigating culture as they progress. At Holderness Academy, we inspire our students to become active readers, skilled writers, and confident speakers.

Active Readers

The ‘What, How, why?’ framework and reciprocal reading skills are woven throughout Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 to ensure students move beyond comprehension and are able to deepen their knowledge of literary concepts and how language shapes meaning. Key Stage 3 students progress from being ‘Explainers’ to ‘Explorers’ to ‘Conceptualisers’.

Skilled Writers

Our curriculum provides as many opportunities as possible for students to develop their extended writing. Staff make effective use of visualisers to model writing and the process. 'Crafting brilliant sentences’ is explicitly taught to develop grammatical nuances required for writing and deconstructed essay writing is a prominent threshold concept. Deliberate practice is methodically embedded within the curriculum with opportunities for students to work collaboratively on different aspects of writing and stages of the writing process.

Confident Speakers

Frequent opportunities for oracy are embedded within the English curriculum. Utilising ‘oracy benchmarks’ and talking roles during class discussion. Students learn how to take part in exploratory talk and use talk to present ideas. All students will leave Holderness Academy with a concise understanding of rhetoric and standard English, so they are able to communicate effectively in society.

Key Stage 3 Curriculum

Key Stage 4 Curriculum