To develop a clear language for learning which allows students to express themselves in oral and written modes.

The English Faculty strives to be at the heart of a vibrant curriculum at DACA.

English has a pre-eminent place in education and society, meaning that all English teachers have a shared responsibility to ensure that all pupils are equipped for the demands of adulthood and the world of work. Our ethos, therefore, is for all pupils to be able to speak, read and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions in a cogent and articulate manner. However, we also recognise the importance of English as a means of developing the whole-child, in which pupils are enriched and inspired emotionally and spiritually. The school’s vision and educational aims for English provision, therefore, are to provide pupils with a curriculum which is engaging, inspiring and challenging for all, regardless of starting point or ability. This aspiration is in keeping with the school’s own vision of encouraging all pupils to strive for excellence in a culture which challenges and stretches them in all aspects of their lives.

Our intent is to continue to use ambitious and challenging texts to form the bedrock of a pupil’s experience in this subject discipline and to foster a love for studying English. Through the teaching of such texts, we have a privileged opportunity to celebrate this country’s literary heritage, to encourage a deep engagement with literary context and to nurture a love of reading that will hopefully last a lifetime. All teachers in the faculty have a shared vision in which all English lessons are enjoyable, inspiring, captivating and are grounded in shared real-life experiences.

What we teach and when we teach it

English Team

Teaching staff within the English Faculty offer a wide range of specialist areas, ranging from entry level literacy through to GCSE English Literature, Language, Film Studies, Media, up to A –Level English Literature, combined Literature and Language and A Level Media.

Mrs Claire Holden Director of Learning of English
Mrs Katy Puzon Assistant Director of Learning of English
Miss Rabia Ahmed English Tutor
Mrs Kirsty Clarke Teacher of English
Miss Mia Coyne Literacy Co-Ordinator
Miss Maleeya Kauser Teacher of English
Miss Hayley Kelly Teacher of English
Miss Renay Miller Teacher of English
Miss Alisha Rose Teacher of English
Mrs Nichola Smith Teacher of English
Miss Ashlyn Tarney Teacher of English
Mr Syed Uddin Teacher of English

Intent

We aim to engender a love of learning, self-belief and aspiration through several intentions that are unpacked further. Those intentions are removing barriers to learning; developing knowledge and skills for learning in a range of subjects; developing personal attributes and to enrich students’ experiences and broaden their horizons.

Through our curriculum provision we intend to develop:

• To provide an environment where pupils are passionate about learning.
• To promote and nurture students' intellectual curiosity
• To develop a clear language for learning which allows students to express themselves in oral and written modes.
• To acquire and apply a wide vocabulary, alongside a knowledge and understanding of grammatical terminology, and linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
• To encourage the research and investigation of ideas.
• To develop thinking skills and approaches to problem solving.
• To ensure tolerance of others and respect for ideas and opinions.
• To read fluently, and with good understanding to help recognise and appreciate the richness and variety of language and literature through time, within other cultures.
• Read and evaluate texts critically and make comparisons between texts
• Learn how to value and judge constructively their own work and the work of others.
• Write effectively and coherently using standard English appropriately, use grammar correctly and punctuate and spell accurately.
• To develop social and oracy skills through participation in group projects, debate and through shared experiences.
• To develop the potential for further study by thinking critically and having the ability to synthesise information/ideas.
• To promote independent learning, in particular to encourage all students (especially Years 10 & 11) to access after school support to develop autonomy.

Implementation

From Year 7 students will be building on the skills, knowledge and understanding developed in their primary schools and in reading they will tackle a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, poems and plays that include works by 19th, 20th and 21st century writers. For example, students will read and study plays by Shakespeare, exploring themes and characters and how the issues in his plays are pertinent to modern society. Additionally, articulating a personal evaluation of a text that is supported by careful selection of evidence, and considering alternative viewpoints allows students to develop more objective insights to character and situation.

We believe that the curriculum time given to English in our schools allows the development of high standards of language and literacy so that students communicate their ideas, views and emotions with increasing fluency and confidence, whether in writing or speech.

Spoken language underpins the development of students’ reading and writing in the early years of secondary school and opportunities are created for discussion and debate, collaborative and individual presentations and speeches, performing play scripts and reading poetry and stories aloud. We promote reading as a way of acquiring knowledge and as a way of exploring the world in ways that develop students culturally, emotionally, socially and intellectually. In particular, we encourage the habit and enjoyment of reading, whether that be to explore situations vicariously through literature, to appreciate and learn about our literary heritage or to gain information from a variety of sources.

Confidence, control and skills in writing are developed through frequent opportunities to write imaginatively and through transactional writing where purpose, audience and format are significant considerations alongside content. Across all writing activities opportunities will be created to enhance and extend students’ vocabulary as well as their written accuracy and develop their ability to construct and manipulate sentences for effect. Students will be able to build on the knowledge and skills gained in key stage 2 so that, for example, their understanding of grammar, and ability to employ subject-specific terminology confidently is further developed.

The English curriculum in our schools is rigorous, with appropriate challenge and consolidation to allow students of all abilities to flourish, whilst offering opportunities for increased breadth and depth for more-able students and support and intervention for students who are less fluent. The skills, knowledge and understanding developed through the early years in our schools provide a solid preparation for success in KS4 examination courses and post-16 A-level courses.

Impact

We will assess if we are having the positive impact we aim for through regular monitoring (for example book scrutinies and learning walks) to ensure we are leading to positive progress for all. The curriculum will be evident across all lessons and students will be able articulate their learning confidently. This will also be reflected in student voice surveys, with students indicating that they are engaged and enjoying their English lessons.

As a department we use a range of strategies to assess the progress our students are making. We place high value on challenging students with extended writing and provide teacher feedback through Strengths and Targets from teachers, using re-teach activities to address gaps in learning.