English Curriculum Intent
Students at BCA will experience a rich, varied and ambitious English curriculum. We aim to ensure that our students are the very best readers, writers and communicators that they can be so that they enjoy access to all aspects of society beyond their school life.
During their time studying the English curriculum, students will engage with a wide range of fiction texts from 18th century fiction to modern fiction. Students will be challenged to think beyond their own life experiences and consider a wide range of contextual influences and cultures. Students will study some of the greatest authors including: Charles Dickens, Mary Shelley, Margaret Atwood and Malorie Blackman. Reading has the power to open many doors for our students and will give them access to society far beyond their school life. Students will study a range of forms such as: poetry, plays novels and short stories and through their study of a range of characters and scenarios, develop the important skill of empathy alongside their language analysis.
Students also engage with a wide range of non-fiction texts which are thematically linked. Through their study of non-fiction, students will consider how the powerful features of rhetoric transcend time and explore a wide range of key historical moments where the power of language was paramount. Through their study of non-fiction texts, students will engage with many different ways of thinking and consider how both society, and its language has changed over time. To enhance their understanding of non-fiction writing and its contexts, students will explore different cultural influences and psychoanalytical theories in order to broaden the horizons of their thought processes.
Vocabulary is at the heart of all of our lessons, and students will engage with a wide range of ambitious vocabulary that will enable them to articulate themselves clearly in a range of situations both in the classroom and beyond. Oracy is a key component of our lessons and we encourage students to speak confidently and clearly. We are passionate about our students having the greatest opportunities and life experiences and the ability to communicate in a wide range of settings is key to this.
Students are given many opportunities to hone the craft of writing through the English curriculum. They will work on the technical aspects of writing through the rigorous teaching of spelling, punctuation and grammar but they will also develop their own identities as writers. Students will be given time to develop their creativity and explore different ways of articulating themselves through prose, poetry and non-fiction writing. Students will become competent at writing across a range of different forms and expressing themselves in both a formal and informal capacity; skills that will be invaluable as we prepare our students to thrive in this ever changing world.
By the end of Key Stage 3, our students will have a sound understanding of a range of linguistic devices, how to apply them in their own writing and comment on their impact in what they have read. Through their exposure and engagement with a wide range of genres across the literary timeline, they will be ready to take on the challenges of the GCSE courses in English Language and English Literature.
English Curriculum Mapping
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10 Literature
Year 11 Literature
Year 11 Language
