English - KS5

The English department at Salesian seeks to inspire to educate the whole child by developing their understanding of who they are, how they interact and communicate with others and ultimately to grow each student in our care so they can go out to the world as empathic and considered individuals ready to make a positive impact on society.

This notion of existing as a community is central to the intention of the English curriculum through the study of a diverse range of literature and non-fiction texts that span different time periods, backgrounds and experiences. We aim, through appropriately challenging texts studied at all key stages, to ensure that students continually develop their appreciation of a range of literature. Through the English curriculum, we also aim to develop the key skills of critical thinking, evaluation and problem solving when unpicking language in a text and reading for nuance. We also ensure students gain experience in experimenting with a range of different forms of writing as well as planning in opportunities for students to develop their oral literacy through discussion and debate in the classroom.

At Key Stage 5 students are encouraged to develop more advanced, academic approaches to study, with varied and innovated approaches to teaching. All classes are shared between two teachers. Independent learning is encouraged and 20% of the marks for each A-Level comes from coursework where students are responsible for setting their own tasks.

In English Language – which is a very different subject to the GCSE course – students gain confidence in understanding the technical features of how language is used in the real world, including the features of spoken language; how we learn language in infancy; the history of English and why it has changed; the way the media uses language to influence us; and to write in a sophisticated register for varied audiences.

In English Literature, students study – and enjoy discussing – a variety of drama, poetry and prose texts ranging from Shakespeare to the 21st Century. Students will build on the confidence they have gained at GCSE to analyse the relationship between texts, their relevance to different audiences over time, and develop an increasingly sophisticated academic register in which to express their ideas.