English  

What are the options at Key Stage 4?

Students will work towards two examinations in their English  lessons:

• Sets 1 and 2: GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature or
• Sets 3 and 4: GCSE English and GCSE Media Studies or
• Entry Level Group: GCSE English and the AQA Entry Level Certificate

Which courses they study will be dependent on their aptitude and ability. Our aim is to enter students for the courses which will provide them with the greatest chance of success. All courses contain a Controlled Assessment element and there will also be external examinations.  The three main elements of the English courses are: Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening.

In English Literature GCSE, the Controlled Assessment will focus on Shakespeare and linking a Shakespeare play (Romeo and Juliet) to a text from the English Literary Heritage.  The students will sit a poetry exam at the end of Year 10 where they respond to seen and unseen poetry.  In the Year 11 exams students will complete responses to a modern play (The Crucible) and a text from another culture (To Kill a Mockingbird).

In English Language GCSE students will complete Controlled Assessments in an
extended reading of an English Literature text (To Kill a Mockingbird), a Spoken Language Study and a Producing Creative Texts module.  They will also take part in Speaking and Listening activities focusing on presenting, discussion and role playing.  In the Year 11 exam they will complete responses to non fiction texts and creative writing.

In English GCSE students will complete Controlled Assessments in the study of  literary texts, drawing on a play by  Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet), a text from the English Literary Heritage (a collection of poetry), a text from a different culture (Of Mice and Men) and creative writing..  They will also take part in Speaking and Listening activities focusing on presenting, discussion and role playing.  In the Year 11 exam they will complete responses to non fiction texts and creative writing.

In Media Studies GCSE, students will complete three Controlled Assessment assignments covering film, magazines and advertising. They will be expected to write about media language, audience, representation and genre.  The Year 11 exam has a different focus each year, 2010 was Action/Adventure Films and 2011 is Television Crime Drama.

For the Entry Level Course, examinations are taken on a termly basis and certification is awarded following each exam.

What clubs do we offer?

We run a very successful Key Stage 3 Reading Club that meet once a week and discuss current titles for young people.  We debate our current reading lists and sometimes we just enjoy reading together!  Every year we shadow the CLIP Carnegie Reading Challenge, buying the new books, reading them in 8 weeks and voting for our favourites, as well as keeping a blog going where we publish book reviews and our thoughts on each book.

Every year we visit or are visited by current authors (this year we took 30 students to a workshop by Cathy Brett) which helps to inspire the students outside of the classroom setting.

Our new project in September 2011 is Film Club, where after school students can discover films that stir the imagination and help them discover the importance of multi modal texts that feature more and more in the ‘literacy’ skills of the 21st century English student.

What makes English special at Therfield?

We are a team of ten experienced teachers (our newest member of the faculty has been teaching 4 years!) who love literature and language and spending time helping the students discover their talents in the subject.  Many students continue their studies into Key Stage 5, and we run very popular and successful courses in English Literature, English Language and Media Studies.

All pupils study English at Key Stage 3. They develop their skills in reading, writing, and speaking and listening through following a varied programme of study. All pupils are expected to read widely and have a lesson for private reading once every two weeks. Pupils study a range of texts, from Shakespeare and modern poetry, fiction and non-fiction and have opportunities to write creatively.

English is constantly changing and we embrace technology and the internet to help prepare students for the real world literacy they will need to grasp in the constantly changing world of social networking and blogging, the functional skills students will need are embedded into the curriculum and all year 9 students sit a Functional Skills exam in Year 9.

All our teaching resources, schemes of work etc for all key stages are on the Therfield VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) for students and parents to access at home, and all homework at Key Stage 3 is handed in and marked online.

It is our wish to increase the communication between teachers, parents and the students so that all partners are fully informed and able to help every student do their best and we hold many sessions with parents informing them of their students’ progress as well as giving up to date information on courses and training parents to help support their son or daughter in revising for their GCSEs.