English
“I'm busy writing a script at the moment. ”
Andrew
The English curriculum at Collingwood includes the explicit teaching of speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. These skills are vital, as they ultimately allow pupils to engage in and participate fully as members of society, ensuring that they have access to the academic, vocational and training opportunities that will benefit both their present and future adult lives.
In addition, the curriculum contributes to the personal and social development of pupils, as they become more adept at identifying their own thoughts, feelings and behaviours, as well as those of others, through the study of a wide range of English literature texts. We hope to instil in pupils a love of reading that becomes habitual beyond the school gates and, indeed, their time at Collingwood.
In keeping with the National Curriculum for English, we strive to ensure that pupils are able to:
- read easily, fluently and with good understanding;
- develop the habit of reading widely and often;
- acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language;
- appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage;
- write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences;
- use discussion on order to learn, elaborating on and explaining their understanding and ideas;
- interact with others, making formal presentations and participating in debate and role play activities.
In English, pupils work towards targets set by their teachers, culminating, if appropriate, in nationally recognised qualifications, including: Functional Skills (Pearson); English Language GCSE (AQA); Extended Project Qualification(s) (AQA).
Literacy and Reading
We promote reading through English lessons and the use of the library in these lessons at least once a week. The school has also implemented the Accelerated Reader programme, as a means of tracking reading performance and ensuring that pupils are selecting books at a level that is beneficial to their progress. Pupils enjoy quizzing on books they have read and are rewarded for the amount of time they dedicate to this. More about Accelerated Reader and instructions for quizzing at home are on our Collingwood Connect website.
In terms of curriculum content, the school has implemented the Twinkl phonics and reading programme. This is a nationally approved approach to the teaching of reading that will benefit all our pupils, at all stages of their development.
English Curriculum Overview
English Curriculum Topics
English in Primary
In Primary we follow a programme of work specifically designed for KS1 and KS2 children from Hamilton Trust. This provides our pupils with a broad range of texts and the ability to develop a wide range of skills in line with national curriculum aims.
Pupils learn:
Primary English |
Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
Summer 1 |
Summer 2 |
Giraffes |
Families Settings: Families & Friends
Traditional Tales: Tales of Songs & Harvest Lists & Instructions: Fun & Games |
Imperatives, Polite Requests & List: Instructions & Commands Seasonal Poems: Winter & Christmas Poetry |
Stories on a theme: School Days Good to be me |
Non-Fiction Texts & Dinosaurs Labels, captions & non-fiction writing |
Stories on a theme: Colours & Feelings Adventure Stories |
Reports: People who help us Instructions & explanations: Summer of sports |
Zebras |
Fantasy – Just Imagine |
Instructions – Cooking |
Poetry – Humorous Poems |
Stories on a Theme – Stories about the wild |
Persuasive writing – Bedtime arguments |
Poetic language – Birds |
Elephants |
Information texts – dinosaurs |
Poetic Language – Animals & weather |
Myths & Legends – Roman Myths |
Reports – Harry Potter & Hogwarts |
Stories on a Quest |
Poems on a theme – Happy Poems |
English in Year 7
Our programme of study in the secondary phase is theme-based, beginning with a unit of work exploring ‘Myths, Magic and Monsters’. This includes the study of non-fiction texts relating to the Loch Ness monster and extracts from pre-1914 fiction, namely Dracula and Frankenstein.
In the Spring term, pupils study texts under the overarching theme of ‘Culture and Identity’, including the poetry of Grace Nichols and the exploration of cultural viewpoints and gender specific bias in sports.
In the Summer term, pupils study the fantasy genre, based on their reading of Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Pupils then go on to study an extract from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as an introduction to Shakespearean comedy.
English in Year 8
Pupils start the academic year studying texts linked to the theme of ‘Exploration and Survival’, including extracts from Lord of the Flies to inform debate about aspects of successful leadership.
In the Spring term, pupils study texts under the overarching theme of ‘Transformations’. They start by reading Holes, a rags-to-riches story, and then look at transforming a text from one text type to another: a transition from book to stage or song to story, for example. In this way pupils become more adept at identifying genre features and replicating different forms.
In the Summer term, pupils study texts related to the theme of ‘Conflict and Oppression’. They study poetry by Maya Angelou in this unit and extracts from The Diary of Anne Frank.
English in Year 9
Pupils start the academic year by studying texts related to the theme of ‘Journeys’, including non-fiction travel writing and the novel Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
In the Spring term, pupils study a selection of short stories under the theme of ‘Crime Scene Investigations’. These include favourites by Roald Dahl (The Landlady, Lamb to the Slaughter) and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (The Hound of the Baskervilles).
In the Summer term, pupils study texts related to the theme of ‘Heroes and Villains’, looking at extracts from His Dark Materials and/or Matilda.
English in Year 10
Pupils start the academic year studying texts related to the theme of ‘Punishment and Redemption’, including Macbeth and A Christmas Carol.
In the Spring term, pupils move on to a unit entitled ‘Power and Conflict’, in which they study some modern poetry related to the theme. Pupils then go on to study aspects of power and conflict in Animal Farm.
Pupils conclude the year by studying a unit entitled ‘Afraid of no Ghosts’. In this unit pupils experience both modern day and nineteenth century non-fiction texts and are taught how to make explicit comparisons between the two. The fictional texts (short stories) go on to reinforce the importance of deliberate word choices and use of structural features by authors, to achieve particular effects.
English in Year 11
Pupils start the year by studying a unit entitled ‘Keeping it Real’. This unit focuses on non-fiction in preparation for Functional Skills and English Language GCSE (Paper 2). During this time, pupils also rehearse and perform speaking and listening tasks, depending on the qualifications they are entered for (Functional Skills and/or GCSE English Language).
Pupils then go on to study a unit entitled ‘Conscious Constructs’, in which a number of fictional extracts are used to develop pupils’ awareness of an author’s craft. Pupils then employ what they have learnt to their own writing, shaping their work to achieve particular effects.
Following the examination period, curriculum time is used to enhance pupils’ practical skills and produce text types that will serve them well in the future. This includes the writing of letters of application, CVs and personal statements.
Sixth Form Curriculum
Each student follows a personalised curriculum, suited to their level of learning, which builds on their strengths and interests. The learning plans are based upon targets set in their Education and Health Care Plans.
Students have access to a range of accredited courses through WJEC, ASDAN, AQA, BTEC, NOCN, NCFE and more.
Students are grouped according to the Collingwood ‘pathways’. At the core of each pathway are literacy and numeracy, non-qualification activities and therapeutic interventions. Each pathway also incorporates an additional strand to enable students to progress to the next stage of their life journey.
Yellow Pathway
Life Skills
Independent Living
Employability and Enterprise
Social Skills development
Green Pathway
Employability and Enterprise
Entry level qualifications
Social Skills development
Purple Pathway
Employability and Enterprise
Academic qualifications at Level 1, 2 or GCSE