English Curriculum Vision – Unleashing Voices, Exploring Worlds 

Our Vision 

Our English curriculum is designed to empower students to understand, explore, and articulate the world they live in. By engaging with diverse texts and perspectives, students develop the skills needed to become articulate, critical thinkers and outstanding global citizens. At the heart of our curriculum are Big Questions—provocations that drive enquiry, spark meaningful discussion and develop cultural capital. Every lesson is a step towards unlocking each student’s potential. 

Reading for Pleasure 

We promote a love of reading across all year groups, embedding it as a central part of our school culture. In Key Stage 3, we actively support this by following the Accelerated Reader project. This structured and research-driven programme encourages students to read widely and independently, track their progress, and engage with texts appropriate to their reading level. By embedding Accelerated Reader into our KS3 provision, we ensure that students build strong reading habits, fluency, and a lifelong appreciation of literature. 

Curriculum Intent 

A central ‘Big Question’ frames each unit, encouraging deep thinking, ethical reflection, and personal engagement. 
Progressive challenge is embedded throughout our curriculum, ensuring that texts, tasks, and expectations grow in complexity from KS3 to KS4. In Year 7, we place an early focus on writing and language by beginning with AO2 (language analysis) and AO5/AO6 (creative writing and technical accuracy), allowing students to build on the strong foundations established in Primary and accelerating their skill development. Oracy is also a central strand of our curriculum, with Speaking and Listening assessed each term to foster confidence and fluent expression. Our approach to assessment is purposeful and strategic—formative tasks are targeted, diagnostic, and aligned with GCSE Assessment Objectives, enabling our expert staff to deliver responsive teaching that drives progress and maximises student potential. 

How Do We Assess? 

Formative Assessment Framework 

We regularly assess and revisit the full range of GCSE English Language and Literature Assessment Objectives through tasks designed to reinforce specific skills and inform next steps in teaching. 
 
📌 Year 7 opens with a clear focus on AO2 and AO5/AO6, ensuring all students are equipped with both the analytical and expressive tools they need to thrive in Secondary English. 
 
🔍 Each in-class assessment provides real-time data, giving both students and teachers immediate insights into progress and areas for development. This data is used to: 
- Monitor progress against GCSE assessment objectives (AOs) 
- Align intervention with specific skill gaps 
- Promote student ownership; encouraging every learner to be the driver of their own potential. 

 
Assessment Objectives and Examples of Formative Assessment: 

AO1: Retrieve and interpret information and ideas – Retrieval questions, evidence synthesis tasks 
AO2: Analyse language and structure – Close analysis paragraphs, exploring the writer’s function and reader impact 
AO3: Compare perspectives – Dual-text comparison, comparative paragraphs 
AO4: Evaluate critically – Evaluative writing, writer’s function and reader impact 
AO5: Communicate clearly and imaginatively – Creative writing, viewpoint writing, etc. 
AO6: Technical accuracy – Grammar drills, redrafting and editing exercises 

Speaking and Listening 

Each term features a Speaking and Listening assessment, including speeches, debates, role plays or interviews. Tasks are linked to the unit’s Big Question and promote oracy, persuasion and collaborative dialogue. 

Wider Assessment Support 

- KS3 Progression Grids are used to assess reading and writing with clarity, aligning performance with GCSE-style expectations. Students will also complete a Summative Assessment towards the end of each calendar year. 
- Mock exams and calendared assessments in KS4 provide further tracking and tailored support. 
- Weekly AO-specific revision sessions and weekend masterclasses in Year 11 prepare students intensively for final exams. 

Curriculum Overview and Big Questions 

Summarized overview of KS3 by year and term is to be included here. 

Year 7	Big Question
Autumn A	Who am I? Focus: AO2, AO5, AO6
Autumn B	How can myths help us celebrate and preserve Jersey’s cultural heritage?
Spring A & B	What does The Hunger Games teach us about power and control?
Summer A	What is gothic? How do we identify the features of a gothic text?
Summer B	What is the importance of truth and its impact on relationships? (Twelfth Night)

 

Year 8	Big Question
Autumn A & B	Why should we be socially responsible? (A Christmas Carol)
Spring A	How do we handle diversity?
Spring B	What influences the choices we make and what are the consequences? (Macbeth – introductory study)
Summer A & B	How does Lord of the Flies explore power and leadership?  or  How does Animal Farm show that power can corrupt?

 

Year 9	Big Question
Autumn A	How do we celebrate each other and live in an integrated society?
Autumn B	Can true love overcome prejudice and barriers imposed by society? (Romeo and Juliet)
Spring A & B	How does the Gothic reflect 19th-century society? (Jekyll & Hyde/Woman in Black)
KS4 Transition after Easter
Summer A & B	What barriers prevent people from achieving their dreams? (Of Mice and Men)

 

Year 10	Texts
Autumn A & B	English Language Paper 1: 19th Century Fiction.
Spring A	An Inspector Calls
Spring B	Poetry Anthology
Summer A & B	Macbeth

 

Year 11	Big Question
Autumn A & B	English Literature Paper 1& 2 Revision  ENGLISH LITERATURE GCSE NOVEMBER.
Spring A & B	English Language Paper 1 & 2
Summer A & B	GCSE SEASON

Support and Enrichment Pathways 

Underpinning all of our endeavours in the classroom, and quality homework set, are data-led interventions based on formative assessments, mocks, and progress reviews ensure no learner is left behind. We host Weekly AO Revision Sessions (Y10 & Y11) focusing on Reading and Writing AOs specifically. This ensures students are having directed, quality intervention to help hone skills as well as boost confidence. This is further supplemented by bespoke weekend revision sessions on the run up to the English Literature exams in November of Year 11.  Following the English Literature GCSE, Year 11 students focus intensively on English Language, building upon the analytical and expressive skills refined throughout KS3 and during the Literature course.  

Bespoke Access Pathway 

As part of our inclusive and responsive curriculum vision, we offer a bespoke Access Pathway for a small cohort of KS4 students. This tailored route is designed to support learners who benefit from a more individualised approach, enabling them to develop their potential in a unique and focused environment. Students on this pathway follow a dedicated two-year course in English Language GCSE, allowing them to consolidate core literacy skills, build confidence, and access expert support tailored to their specific needs. This approach ensures that all students—regardless of their starting point—are given the tools and opportunity to succeed. 

Final Word 

Our curriculum nurtures not just strong readers and writers, but thoughtful, articulate citizens who are ready to engage with a complex world. With Big Questions as our compass and GCSE skills as our map, we journey together towards mastery, confidence, and global citizenship.