Notre Dame School

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Sixth Form

Faculty Leader – English

Mrs R Pearce

The English Department’s focus is to develop the whole child, and to equip them with the language skills which will enable them to articulate their experiences of the world, preparing them for all examination subjects, and the wider world of work and interpersonal communication. Through focusing on a range of texts and genres, we encourage students to develop their opinions, and to embrace the experience of identifying a sense of self in what we read.

Our aims are:

To provide a safe and positive learning atmosphere which caters for all learning needs and to motivate students to reach their full potential.
To acknowledge the relevance of students’ own experiences and value their individual contributions.
To develop confident students who are effective communicators and reflective thinkers, equipping them with skills which allow a confident participation in adult and student life.
To develop a love of Literature, Language and Media which encourages exploration and understanding of the world and themselves.
To open the students’ eyes to the possibilities in the world around them, and to equip them with the skills necessary to explore that world in full.

Key Stage 3

In KS3 (years 7 - 9), we embed and develop the key skills that are assessed at the end of the GCSEs, using a range of contemporary and literary canon texts. In particular, we focus on those skills involved in analytical reading and writing, creative writing, transactional writing, analysis of Media texts, and oracy. These skills are honed and reviewed across the years, with personalised feedback given to support your daughter’s next steps in evolving their academic voice.

In Year 7, all students will study:

Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Experiences of the sea: thematic texts

Changing World: non-fiction texts and poetry
The Modern Novel
Storytelling (legends from around the world)

In Year 8, all students will study:

The Gothic Genre
Shakespeare: Twelfth Night
The Modern Novel
Relationship Poetry
Play Scripts: Mama Yankee, or Chaucer
Greek Myths

Year 9

This is a transition year in which we consolidate and extend the skills required at GCSE.

The Modern Novel
War Poetry
Descriptive Writing and Analysing Structure
Media Language and Representation
Relationships in Shakespeare

Key Stage 4

At GCSE, students gain 2 GCSEs in English: AQA GCSE English Language, and AQA English Literature. Some may also choose Media Studies as one of their option choices. From the start of year 10, we are studying examination texts. All lessons and resources are available on your daughter's Google Classroom, in the event of absence, to negate any gaps in knowledge, and aid revision.

GCSE Literature texts studied

Shakespeare – Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, or The Merchant of Venice

Nineteenth Century Novel – A Christmas Carol, or The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde

A modern play – An Inspector Calls, or Lord of the Flies

Poetry – 15 poems from an anthology collated by AQA (Power and Conflict) alongside unseen poetry

analysis.

A range of non-fiction texts from the 19th century to the present day are studied in preparation for the English Language exams.

Key Stage 5

Students prepare for exams and coursework which are broken down into two distinct components by the teachers. We currently offer OCR A Level English Literature, AQA A level English Language, and Eduqas A Level Media Studies.