Speaking and Listening

Students are taught to present information and points of view clearly to a range of audiences. They are given opportunities to listen and respond to others and to take on different roles in group activities. They use different drama approaches – e.g. hot seating – to explore texts, ideas and issues and different dramatic techniques – e.g. gesture and movement – to convey action, character, atmosphere and tension.

Reading

Students are taught to read for meaning. For example, they select and compare information from different texts and consider how audiences/readers respond to texts. They also learn about the writer’s craft, including how writers present ideas and issues to have an impact on the reader.

A wide range of texts are studied, including:

• stories, poetry and drama from different historical times, including the Romantic era
• texts from the English literary heritage, e.g. those by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Shakespeare
• texts from different cultures and traditions
• literary non-fiction texts, e.g. travel writing

There is reliable and valid evidence to suggest that confident and regular reading is the gateway to academic success – not just in English, but in every subject. With this in mind, we regularly set reading challenges to students and expect them to put a huge amount of effort into reading widely and deeply. We involve parents in reading challenges and we like them to take an active role in the reading habits of our students. This can be done in various ways, such as reading with children, making comments in reading records and supporting the reading initiatives of the school.

Writing

Students are taught to write clearly and coherently, including an appropriate level of detail. They are given opportunities to write imaginatively, producing responses that interest and engage the reader. They use paragraphs and persuasive techniques, e.g. rhetorical questions – correctly. They plan, draft, edit, proofread and evaluate their writing to ensure that it has the maximum effect. They write fluently and legibly. Technical accuracy is also important. Students are taught to use standard English, grammar and a wide range of punctuation accurately. They also increase their knowledge of how to spell correctly. Parents' Guide to the Curriculum in Years 7 to 9 – Page 4 There are many opportunities for students to develop their creative writing skills outside of the classroom. Many of our Year 7 to 9 writers regularly have their work published in the school’s magazine or on the school's website.