Email: lucy.dickson@prestonschool.co.uk
In the English department we aim to inspire in learners an independent love, understanding and appreciation of language in all its forms. We want them to enjoy what they read, what they write and how they communicate. We want to inspire an appreciation for English language and literature, and to cultivate its effective use in creative expression and day-to-day life. We aim to guide students to becoming critical thinkers and to develop their critical view and understanding of the world around them, as well as provide the building blocks for success in all areas of the curriculum.
We aim to enrich learning experiences, encouraging students to explore problems creatively, to be sensitive to life's diversity, and to read the world critically and thoughtfully, thus enabling our learners to achieve their full potential and to participate fully as members of society.
Access the English learning journey, including key golden threads of knowledge
Access the Year 11 revision booklet, including links to key resources
Primarily, English is about developing critical and rational thought processes and then being able to communicate these views in a variety of ways. Pupils will express their views through writing discursive essays, but also in creative writing, speaking and listening activities, drama, and non-fiction texts.
In terms of assessment, students will be regularly assessed within the classroom itself and live as the learning happens. This will take a range of forms from verbal feedback, to regular use of the Whole Class Feedback lessons. Assessments are formative and summative with an end of Study Cycle Assessment being a graded piece of work. Students are given the opportunity to reflect and revisit the criteria and improve upon their previous work consistently in lessons as well as at the end of the unit. We continue to include The Preston Way and the new six-part lesson structure from MNSP in school and within the department. Assessment for learning is embedded within our regular practice as well as metacognitive strategies to further develop students’ learning and independence.
At KS3 we teach schemes of work that pre-empt the key skills for GCSE and beyond, as well as aiming to foster a love for literature. Units are created to develop core English skills such as analysis, evaluation, the content and organisation of writing, as well as fundamental skills such as spelling, punctuation and grammar.
We study a range of texts at KS3 that build from, moving to the 19th Century and then to the modern day in order to prepare students for the demands of GCSE but also use them as a springboard for discussion of key issues in our world – the developments of science and the impact on our world, politics and identity, as well as families and relationships. Many of our texts are brand new to Preston with modern and high-quality schemes of work to go with them.
The KS4 curriculum is arranged so that pupils are regularly revisiting texts to aid their revision, but also to allow them to understand fully the political and historical impact of a text. We aim to teach Language through the Literature elements of the course and these become far more explicit in years 10 and 11. We teach ‘A Christmas Carol’, ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘An Inspector Calls’ and the ‘Love and Relationships’ section of the poetry anthology.
During Year 7, you will continue your English study through the following six Study Cycles.
At the start of your journey through secondary school, we want to get to know you—not just who you are, but how you express yourself through writing. In this 3-week baseline unit, you’ll complete a short writing task that gives you the chance to show what you can already do. It’s not a test, and there are no right or wrong answers. This is your chance to show off your creativity, your ideas, and how you put them into words. Your topic will be: The Secret at the Heart of my School. We will prepare you fully in lessons.
Whether you love writing stories, enjoy sharing your opinions, or are still finding your way, this is the first step in your writing adventure at secondary school. Let’s see where you’re starting from—and where you can go next!
This unit will introduce you to some of the earliest stories in the world, encouraging you to see how these fantastic tales of gods, people and mythical creatures have shaped the stories we love today. By studying myths from around the world, we hope that you will understand that storytelling is something that’s essential to being a human. You will also have the chance to craft your own mythical tale, bringing characters to life, mastering figurative language and hopefully surviving the fury of a powerful king.
This unit will build on your ‘Origin Stories’ from the start of the year, encouraging you to write about other characters in more fantastical settings. It will help you to develop your understanding of storytelling, how to build characters and choose your words carefully to entertain and engage your readers. You will return to Creative Writing throughout your English lessons, encountering lots of stories and genres to help shape you into an all-conquering writer.
October, October is a story about a girl named October who lives wild and free in the woods with her dad. When a sudden accident forces her to move to the city and live with her mum, October has to learn how to cope with change, understand who she is, and find her place in two very different worlds.
This is the first novel you will be studying in KS3. You will build your understanding of the plot and characters and explore the reasons why Katya Balen chose to write October, October. The novel links closely to the PSHE curriculum, and you will be encouraged to reflect on emotions, relationships, and identity, helping you to develop empathy and a deeper understanding of others. You will also build on the descriptive and narrative writing skills you developed in your Myths and Legends unit, and begin to strengthen your analytical writing by exploring the writer’s language and techniques.
This unit explores our relationship with the natural world and how we can connect emotionally with nature through poetry. We will explore a large variety of poems, each of which link to different human emotions, e.g. love, joy, tranquillity and anger. The poems range from the Romantic period through to the modern day. You will also get the chance to write your own poems.
Welcome to our exciting new unit on Saving the Planet and Writing Persuasively! In this unit, we’ll explore the critical issues facing our environment and learn how we can make a difference. You’ll discover the importance of sustainability, conservation, and the impact of human activities on our planet.
But that’s not all! You’ll also develop your persuasive writing skills, learning how to craft compelling arguments that can inspire others to take action. We’ll examine different techniques and strategies for persuasive writing, including the use of evidence, emotional appeals, and rhetorical devices. By the end of this unit, you’ll be equipped to write a powerful speech you will perform to the class.
Get ready to become an environmental advocate and a persuasive writer. Together, we can make a difference!
Coming Soon…
During Year 8, you will continue your English study through the following six Study Cycles.
During this unit, you will read the modern novel ‘My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece’ by Annabel Pitcher. You will understand the plot of the novel, get to know the characters and begin to dissect the major themes. This novel addresses some key modern issues such as grief, friendship, addiction, prejudice and families.
Crime has been central topic in the media landscape for centuries. To prepare you to engage wit this landscape, you will explore the relationship between crime and its reporting in society, as well as engaging with the moral questions that underpin this reporting around the effectiveness and appropriateness of punishment and the relationship between the criminal and the society that produces them. In selecting sources that give a historical view of how the justice system has changed over time, you will be equipped to reflect on the changes that have taken place in society and the distance still to travel in securing ‘justice’.
The poetry written during the First World War is an important part of history because it changed the way we think about war and poetry. These poems show the pain, fear, and sadness of the soldiers who fought, and they also helped people see that war wasn’t as heroic or glorious as it was often made to seem. Famous poets like Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, and Rupert Brooke wrote about the terrible things they experienced, making readers think about what war really means.
In this unit, we will dive into the mysterious and eerie world of Gothic literature. Often filled with dark, atmospheric settings, mysterious characters, and chilling events, Gothic writing has fascinated readers for centuries. From haunted castles to supernatural beings, these stories explore themes of fear, the unknown, and the supernatural. Through a variety of texts and activities, you will learn how Gothic writers use suspense, setting, and vivid descriptions to create tension and thrill. Get ready to explore the darker side of storytelling and uncover the secrets that make Gothic fiction so gripping! You will also do a bit of Gothic writing yourself!
The Tempest is one of Shakespeare’s most magical and enchanting plays. It tells the story of Prospero, a powerful magician and the rightful Duke of Milan, who has been stranded on a mysterious island with his daughter, Miranda. Using his magical abilities, Prospero conjures a storm (the tempest) to bring his enemies to the island, setting the stage for a tale of revenge, forgiveness, and transformation.
In this exciting unit, you’ll dive into the world of Futuristic Fiction—stories that ask big “what if…?” questions about the future. You’ll explore how writers imagine future worlds, often inspired by what’s happening in our world today. A big part of this unit focuses on dystopian fiction, a popular type of science fiction that looks at darker versions of the future and challenges us to think critically about society.
You’ll read a mix of young adult and adult fiction, and use these stories to inspire your own writing. We’ll build on what you learned in Year 7, especially around creating strong characters, and take it further by exploring what motivates them and how they deal with challenges. You’ll also learn how to create mood and atmosphere in your writing, and how to build believable and engaging worlds from scratch.
During Year 9, you will continue your English study through the following six Study Cycles.
You will be reading the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, familiarising yourself with plot, character, setting and context. The novel follows a group of school boys who find themselves marooned on a desert island after a plane crash. They are forced to govern themselves without adult supervision. The novel explores the dark side of humanity as their behaviour turns towards savagery.
This topic builds on your non-fiction writing about the environment and crime from Year 7 and 8. You will learn about what rhetoric is and why it is important for creating change in society. You will recap the methods writers use to shape meaning and impact an audience by analysing famous speeches and then try them out in your own speech writing.
Small Island is a challenging contemporary drama based on the experiences of the Windrush Generation and adapted from the novel by Andrea Levy. The arrival of the Empire Windrush is widely regarded as a foundational moment in the creation of modern, multicultural Britain and the text itself offers opportunities to discuss ideas such as prejudice, dreams, resilience and family as well as encouraging students to reflect on the impact of the British Empire and the challenges of life in post-war Britain. The text also represents a step forward in terms of dramatic conventions for our students with its imaginative use of lighting, monologues, non-chronological storytelling and characters who represent particular viewpoints, continuing to build student understanding that a text can be political in nature and offer a viewpoint on the world around us as well as functioning as a call for change.
You will explore how literature reflects the human experience, especially as you navigate your teenage years. The unit includes poems from different times and perspectives, mostly using the first person to explore themes like loss, heartbreak, memory, place, and war. We hope you will enjoy the challenge and variety of the unit, as well as the freedom in the assessment where you get to compare two poems of your choice.
Othello is a dramatic tragedy written by William Shakespeare that explores powerful themes like jealousy, trust, love, and betrayal. The story follows Othello, a respected general in the Venetian army, who secretly marries Desdemona, a noblewoman. However, Othello’s trusted officer, Iago, becomes jealous and plots to ruin him by planting doubts about Desdemona’s loyalty. As Iago’s lies grow, Othello’s trust begins to break down, leading to heartbreaking consequences. This play helps us think about how easily trust can be broken and how dangerous jealousy can be.
In this unit, you’ll explore short stories based on games, learning how writers use subtle techniques to reveal character, build settings, and shape perspective. You’ll develop your reading and writing skills by spotting hidden meanings and using these methods in your own story. The unit ends with you planning and writing a short story, with a chance to have your work published in an anthology shared with parents and staff to celebrate your progress.
During Year 10, you will begin your study of the AQA English Language and English Literature GCSE courses, through the below study cycles.
Students begin their GCSE by exploring the world of fiction and its possibilities, mastering the skills needed to succeed in GCSE English Language and the wider course. Students then begin their study of the poetry anthology.
Students study their first whole Literature text, reading and engaging with a 19th Century Novel. Students complete an essay analysing an extract and linking it to the wider novel as a whole.
Students will return to the Poetry Anthology for a further cluster of poetry. Students will use their work on the course so far to inspire their Creative Writing.
Students explore further poems in their anthology, connecting these with their study of a Shakespeare play as part of the GCSE English Literature course. They then study Romeo and Juliet.
Students finish their study of Shakespeare and their final cluster of poems. Students begin consolidating their knowledge from the year as a preparation for their Year 10 Mocks.
Students conclude and consolidate their study of Year 10 content before their Year 10 mock exams. Students will finish the year with the study of Unseen Poetry, building on their engagement with an anthology throughout the year.
During this year your study of English Language and Literature at Key Stage 4 concludes, with your GCSE Examinations. You will prepare for these with the final four Study Cycles:
Students will study an engaging range of non-fiction texts to prepare them for the Year 11 exams before consolidating their understanding of the poetry anthology ahead of their November mocks.
Students will sit their first round of Year 11 exams before preparing for English Literature Paper 2 Section C.
Students will spend this term revisiting An Inspector Calls and other topics from Year 10 to help prepare them for the second round of Year 11 mocks.
The final term will consist of revision from your earlier Study Cycles.
