ENGLISH

English is vital for communicating with others in school and in the wider world.  It is fundamental to learning in all curriculum subjects.  Our schemes and units of work are underpinned by the four key concepts of competence, creativity, cultural understanding and critical understanding. 

Competence enables pupils to be successful and engage with the world beyond the classroom; to communicate effectively and function in a wide range of situations and contexts.  Boys starting at Beechen Cliff in Year 7 in 2007 will be prepared for Functional English examinations in their GCSE year.

Creativity is encouraged by providing purposeful opportunities for pupils to experiment, build on ideas or follow their own interests. Pupils are encouraged to read and write for enjoyment. Pupils’ work is often entered for competitions and displayed around the school.

Through the study of language and literature, pupils compare texts from different cultures and traditions.  Pupils develop cultural understanding by learning about the great traditions of English Literature and about how modern writers see the world today.  The English Department arranges trips to the theatre and touring theatre groups often visit the school during the year.

Pupils develop critical understanding when they examine uses of language and forms of media and communication.  Developing critical skills allow pupils to challenge ideas, interpretations and assumptions on the grounds of logic, evidence or argument. Discussion and debate forms an important part of our programme of study.

Pupils learn essential skills through the key processes of  speaking and listening; reading, including reading for meaning and the author’s craft; and writing including composition and technical accuracy.

English includes a study of the principles of sentence grammar and whole text cohesion.

In Year 7 pupils are placed into banded sets based on KS2 SATs information and Year Head visits to primary schools.  In Years 8 and 9 there are two top sets two middle sets and two lower sets.

In Year 10 and 11 we have 7 sets.  The expectation is that pupils will be prepared for both English and English Literature WJEC GCSE.  Boys will produce a folder of coursework in Year 10 and study for the examinations in Year 11.  Most boys will have completed Speaking and Listening coursework before the Year 11 November mock GCSE exams.  Tier entries will be decided at Christmas.

AS and A2 courses are linear.  Coursework forms a part of both AS and A2, in line with the new specifications for 2008.  We prepare students for OCR English Literature and AQA Media Studies.

Pupil’s progress is tracked using the full range of Assessment Focuses (AFs) for KS3 and Assessment Objectives (AOs) for GCSE and A Level.

Interaction is integral to our improvement planning. Effective Assessment for Learning (AfL) practice in classrooms leads to teaching that is tailored to meet the learning needs of targeted pupils.  Pupils know their own learning needs and what they need to do in order to improve.

Teachers involve pupils in the assessment process, share the criteria and show how they assess reading, writing and speaking and listening.  Pupils receive clear feedback including guidance on improving their work.

Pupils achieve well in English at Beechen Cliff School.  In 2008 over 91% of pupils achieved level 5 and above in their KS3 sets and 54% achieved above level 6.

A H Baker
Head of English

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