English
Curriculum intent
At Hayes School, our commitment is to provide moments of joy, support pupils to thrive beyond our gates, and nurture community and character through a curriculum that is conceptual, inclusive and responsive. Our values — kindness, endeavour, inclusivity and responsibility — shape every aspect of this curriculum. They ensure that every pupil, particularly the most disadvantaged and vulnerable, is known, supported and challenged to achieve highly and to flourish in school and beyond.
Purpose
We believe that our English curriculum is at the heart of creating thoughtful, engaged and worldly learners. Stories, in all their forms, are the fabric of life and allow students to comprehend the complex experiences that make up human emotion, imagination and understanding. Through our passion, we take students on a journey in discovering their own creativity and finding confidence in their own interpretations. Being able to use language effectively is vital in enabling individuals to succeed in all fields; their own rhetoric is what enables them to present a truly authentic self.
Specification Information
GCSE English Language and Literature AQA
A Level English Literature and English Language and Literature Edexcel
Academic End Points |
|
| Year 7 | In Year 7, students explore a range of fiction and non-fiction texts while developing their reading, writing and analytical skills. They begin with a dystopian fiction unit, reading extracts from texts such as 1984 and The Hunger Games to improve comprehension and creative writing. Students then study The Giver by Lois Lowry, exploring genre, character, narrative structure and the writer’s methods. In a letter-writing unit, they learn how to write effectively for different audiences and purposes, using persuasive techniques in their own writing. Later in the year, students study extracts from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, building confidence in understanding Shakespearean language and ideas. They also explore key historical context, Shakespeare’s themes of love, and an introduction to sonnets, preparing them for future English studies. |
| Year 8 | In Year 8, students study a range of stories, myths and legends from different cultures and time periods, exploring how writers craft engaging narratives for different audiences. They develop their reading and comprehension skills while learning about story structure and creating their own original narratives. Students then study The Whale Rider by Whiti Ihimaera, analysing literary techniques, narrative structure and character development in greater depth. In the rhetoric unit, students build on their persuasive writing skills by studying speeches and learning how rhetorical devices can influence and persuade audiences. They also develop their speaking and listening skills by considering the impact of pace, tone and delivery. At the end of the year, students study a complete Shakespeare play, exploring Shakespeare’s language, context, dramatic techniques and the ways tension is created across a whole text. |
| Year 9 | In Year 9, students develop their confidence in analysing poetry, exploring the theme of relationships and learning how poets use form, structure, rhythm and rhyme to convey emotions and ideas. They build their analytical writing skills by examining how language and poetic techniques create meaning and impact. In the Gothic Literature unit, students study The Woman in Black alongside extracts from texts such as Frankenstein and Great Expectations, exploring key features of the Gothic genre and developing their own creative writing. Students also study Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge, analysing character, tension and dramatic techniques while being introduced to the concept of tragedy and its key features. In the final unit, students explore the short-story collection Telling Tales, focusing on how writers make choices to influence and engage their audiences. Throughout the year, students continue to strengthen both their analytical and creative writing skills, preparing them for GCSE English Language and Literature. |
| Year 10 | In year 10, students will build upon their skills of analysing unseen fiction and non-fiction texts, with an increasingly developed understanding of the writer’s craft and perspectives; implicit and explicit meaning; form, genre and structure; comparison of texts; and reader response. Students will have developed their own craft as writers, their technical accuracy and understanding of writing for a specific audience and purpose. Students embark upon their study of a modern text, a full Shakespeare play and part of their poetry anthology. These literature texts will further build their skills in analysing the writer’s craft, and students will be more confident and ambitious in their exploration of how context shapes the production and reception of a text. Students will begin to formulate their own personal arguments in response to texts and tasks. |
| Year 11 | Throughout Year 11, students will review and develop their language skills as above, improving both the sophistication and maturity with which they both respond to unseen texts and produce texts themselves. Students will also practice and refine their exam strategy. Students will study a 19th Century text and through this will develop their understanding and application of context in interpreting a text. Within this unit, along with the completion of study of the poetry anthology, students will become more confident in expressing their personal response to texts with an assured academic voice. By the end of Year 11, students will be confident in responding to a range of texts, the methods writers use to craft these texts, forging links between texts and will have become empathetic, critical and empowered readers. |
| Literature and Language | Literature | |
| Year 12 | In Year 12, students explore the development of tragedy from Ancient Greek theatre to Arthur Miller’s modern American dramas, building on their previous study of Shakespeare and tragic texts. They also study spoken language, learning how writers use speech patterns and dialogue to create realistic characters and voices in drama. Students develop more advanced language analysis skills, examining how grammatical, lexical and stylistic choices shape meaning and influence audiences across a range of text types. They learn to apply literary and linguistic approaches to both familiar and unseen texts, building confidence in identifying and analysing writers’ methods. Students then study Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, exploring themes such as moral responsibility, guilt and the consequences of personal choices within a post-war context. Throughout the unit, they develop their ability to analyse extracts in detail, using subject terminology and contextual understanding to explain the impact of Miller’s dramatic techniques on audiences. | In Year 12, students develop advanced literary analysis skills through the study of poetry, prose and drama. They learn to compare studied and unseen modern poems, analysing how poets use structure, language, rhythm, rhyme and other techniques to convey meaning and explore themes. Students also study Wuthering Heights and A Thousand Splendid Suns, developing their ability to compare texts through themes, methods and contextual influences in extended academic essays. Through their study of A Streetcar Named Desire, students build a deeper understanding of dramatic texts, exploring characterisation, context and different interpretations of the play. They further refine their skills in analysing writers’ methods across a range of literary forms, including novels, plays and poetry. Throughout the course, students develop increasingly perceptive and sophisticated arguments, using subject terminology confidently and expressing complex ideas in a clear academic style. |
| Year 13 | In Year 13, students will continue their study of both fiction and non-fiction. They will develop their comparative skills when analysing Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, alongside Larkin’s The Whitsun Weddings, allowing them to build upon their close analytical skills. Students will also study a range of non-fiction within a Voices in Speech and Writing anthology, exploring close-level analysis of both linguistic and literary methods. This all culminates in the creation of a coursework portfolio, consisting of a creative fiction piece, a creative non-fiction piece and an accompanying commentary. This coursework will apply not only the skills that they have developed over their two year study but also give them a chance to showcase their creative writing skills in a mature and developed way, giving them a broad set of skills to take them on to further study. | In Year 13, students develop advanced literary analysis skills through the study of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and an independent coursework project based on The Handmaid’s Tale and a second comparative text. They explore how writers use language, structure, genre and dramatic techniques to present complex themes such as power, identity, gender, revenge, madness and morality. Students deepen their understanding of literary traditions, including tragedy, dystopian fiction and speculative fiction, while considering the influence of historical, social and cultural contexts on texts and their audiences. They engage with a range of critical interpretations and literary theories, learning to evaluate different viewpoints and develop their own informed arguments. Through close textual analysis and comparative study, students refine their ability to write sophisticated academic essays supported by evidence, context and critical perspectives. Throughout the year, they build the independence, analytical confidence and evaluative skills required for success in A Level Literature and further study. |
