English

KS3

The Dean Trust English curriculum builds on the National Curriculum. Curriculum intent within the English subject area is founded upon providing pupils with opportunities to gain powerful knowledge and the cultural capital they need to become confident and culturally aware citizens. The English curriculum is designed to develop young people who can value and appreciate the power and beauty of literature and equip them with a broad range of knowledge and skills that will allow them to be active participants in society beyond the school walls. Exploring a varied range of seminal world literature and exposing pupils to challenging literary heritage texts helps them to understand how art can shape our understanding of the world we live in and affect social and political change. The study and discussion of high-quality journalism makes our pupils aware that writing can be used to interrogate society as well as communicate their ideas and feelings. By writing and speaking for a range of purposes, pupils are able to grasp the idea of conventions and varying degrees of formality and find their own mode of expression: providing them with the skills and confidence to articulate their own thoughts and ideas. The curriculum is sequenced to build pupils’ understanding of thought-provoking concepts and increasingly complex ideas, beginning with the reading of texts that explore ideas and issues around individual experiences followed by different types of human relationships through to imagined worlds. As pupils mature, the curriculum design ensures that they develop a heightened political awareness and become increasingly discerning in their appreciation of literature.

KS4

The Dean Trust English curriculum builds on the National Curriculum. Curriculum intent within the English subject area is founded upon providing pupils with opportunities to gain powerful knowledge and the cultural capital they need to become confident and culturally aware citizens. The English curriculum is designed to develop young people who can value and appreciate the power and beauty of literature and equip them with a broad range of knowledge and skills that will allow them to be active participants in society beyond the school walls. Exploring a varied range of seminal world literature and exposing pupils to challenging literary heritage texts helps them to understand how art can shape our understanding of the world we live in and affect social and political change. The study and discussion of high-quality journalism makes our pupils aware that writing can be used to interrogate society as well as communicate their ideas and feelings. By writing and speaking for a range of purposes, pupils are able to grasp the idea of conventions and varying degrees of formality and find their own mode of expression: providing them with the skills and confidence to articulate their own thoughts and ideas. The curriculum is sequenced to build pupils’ understanding of thought-provoking concepts and increasingly complex ideas, beginning with the reading of texts that explore ideas and issues around individual experiences followed by different types of human relationships through to imagined worlds. As pupils mature, the curriculum design ensures that they develop a heightened political awareness and become increasingly discerning in their appreciation of literature.