Introduction
English provides many opportunities to enrich the lives of our students. We teach students to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and feelings to others. We develop their reading and listening skills so others can communicate with them.
Reading in particular enhances every students’ cultural, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual development. Literature, especially, contributes to this development.
Reading also enables students to acquire new knowledge and to build on what they already know, developing as learners, curious to explore the world. We make it a priority that students become life-long readers and writers.
Students experience learning opportunities at Blackburn Central High School that challenge them to develop their language abilities to the highest possible level, enabling them to participate as valued and valuable members of society.
What do students study in English?
Key Stage 3 Curriculum Overview
The English department at BCHS are thrilled to be working with the Education Endowment Fund to bring the fantastic Ark Curriculum to our school and our year seven students. We are excited to work with the MyMastery team and deliver a collaborative and innovative curriculum to our students.
Students are encouraged and nurtured to grow into confident, articulate students through the writing mastery course; developing their grammatical and linguistic skillset and this is supported through the study of literary heritage, which provides students with a variety of experiences through rich texts, both traditional and modern. We are keen to support reading for pleasure, which is incorporated into the MyMastery curriculum and supports our department and school.
Autumn: Lively forms of transactional writing - letters, articles and reviews. Introduction to Shakespeare - writers craft, mood and atmosphere.
Spring: Novels and creative writing.
Summer: Allegories, gothic settings and time. Poetry and Unseen - inference and deductions. How to analyse a poem.
Autumn: Literature - A Christmas Carol, Love and Relationships poetry anthology and Unseen poetry framework. Language - creative prose, reading paper 1.
Spring: Literature - Blood Brothers, Love and Relationships poetry anthology and Unseen poetry framework. Language - transactional writing, reading paper 2.
Summer: Literature - Macbeth, Love and Relationships poetry anthology and Unseen poetry framework. Language - transactional writing, spoken language.
Key Stage 4 Curriculum Overview
Autumn: Literature - A Christmas Carol, Love and Relationships poetry anthology and Unseen poetry framework. Language - creative prose, reading paper 1.
Spring: Literature - Blood Brothers, Love and Relationships poetry anthology and Unseen poetry framework. Language - transactional writing, reading paper 2.
Summer: Literature - Macbeth, Love and Relationships poetry anthology and Unseen poetry framework. Language - transactional writing, spoken language.
Autumn: Literature - A Christmas Carol, Love and Relationships poetry anthology and Unseen poetry framework. Language - creative prose, reading paper 1.
Spring: Literature - Blood Brothers, Love and Relationships poetry anthology and Unseen poetry framework. Language - transactional writing, reading paper 2.
Summer: Macbeth, GCSE revision.