English

Curriculum aim

Students follow a five-year plan being introduced to literature from our literary heritage, (Shakespeare, Dickens, Shelley); developing creative and discursive writing techniques; and studying non-fiction from across the centuries from Year 7 onwards. Drama and Spoken Language are also major elements of the English curriculum.

Key Stage 3 curriculum overview

At Vale of York we are aiming to not only build the foundations of the GCSE with a skills focus, we are also striving to create a clear and fundamental love for English and the lessons we can learn from it. Be this morality from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice or holding on to the memories of those who gave their lives for us in the great wars through WW1 poetry, we are aiming to nurture creativity with plenty of opportunities for writing various forms, including short stories and poetry.

It is important for us that English challenges the way we interact with the world and the KS3 curriculum is designed to develop our young people to think for themselves so that when they are answering questions for the all-important exams, they are answering them as individuals and not as a collective.

GCSE English Language and Literature

Both GCSE courses are 100% examination. AQA GCSE English Language comprises of two examinations:

Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing

Paper 2: Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives covering reading of both fiction and non-fiction texts across the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries and discursive and creative writing.

AQA GCSE English Literature also comprises of two examinations:

Paper 1: Shakespeare and Dickens

Paper 2: ‘An Inspector Calls’ and Poetry.

Below are a few useful links that we would suggest for you and your children to become familiar with.

Students require either English Language or English Literature at grade 5 or above to enter any further education course. For those with a love of the subject, potential pathways include: