Head of Faculty

• Mrs J Broadbent

Teaching Staff

• Mrs Z Inman – Head of Literacy
• Mrs A Lumb
• Mrs D Griffiths-Brown
• Miss S Zottola
• Miss S Hussain
• Mr S Twine
• Miss C Riley
• Mr F Baxter Kennedy

The Castle Hall Academy English faculty uphold and display the values of the Academy and encourage the students to be self-confident learners at every possible opportunity within our subject area. We believe in providing students with an engaging, varied and enriching curriculum.

English Language explores the fascinating mechanics of the written and spoken word, examining how language is constructed, and how it is adapted and manipulated for audience, context and purpose. We study a variety of spoken and written texts, focusing on the workings of language on a word, sentence and whole text level.

English Literature is an exciting exploration of a range of genres through time, where we study in detail the presentation of character and theme in a wide variety of texts, and the ways in which they have been presented.

Reading for understanding underpins all of a student’s educational needs. We work on decoding texts from Y7 onwards to help all our students have the tools to access the different texts they have to use across the curriculum.

Reading for understanding includes:

• Direct explanation – The teacher explains to students why the various strategies help comprehension and when to apply a specific strategy.
• Modelling – The teacher models, or demonstrates, how to apply the strategy, usually by “thinking aloud” while reading the text that the students are using.
• Guided practice – The teacher guides and assists students as they learn how and when to apply the strategy.
• Application – The teacher helps students practice the strategy until they can apply it independently.

We use the system above for writing, as well as reading, to empower students to be able to write fluently and with purpose for all their curriculum needs as well as for the two English GCSE exams. Writing is worth 50% of the GCSE Language exams and as such, we have now introduced formal opportunities every term for every student to complete writing for different purposes at the highest level they are able to. We also focus on academic writing and the ability to fluently express their understanding and analysis using high level vocabulary and clearly structured answers.

As well as reading aloud, we “think aloud” with our students. To do this we are modelling our cognitive processes and our logic and reasoning, we are making the implicit explicit.

Speaking and listening is about developing the ability to:

• Listen and respond to others (adding to or arguing against).
• Speak and present (with increasing formality).
• Participate in group discussion and interaction.
• Engage in drama, role-play and performance.

These three core components enable all our students to make progress in their other subjects as they learn how to read for meaning, retrieve information analyse texts effectively and communicate with others successfully.

We aim to ensure that our Key Stage 3 English curriculum enables all students to enjoy literature and gain an awareness and appreciation of classic texts. Throughout Key Stage 3, students will be given opportunities to develop as enthusiastic critical readers and enhance their written expression.

One lesson a week is timetabled as a regular literacy/reading lesson; it is used to focus on enhancing reading for pleasure and key literacy skills, non-fiction comprehension and to appreciate the wider context of classic texts, which will support students in their GCSE studies. Our Key Stage 3 syllabus is engaging and inspiring as we study a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts. Our curriculum carefully bridges the skills acquired at KS2 and progresses to develop students in preparation for successful KS4 study. We explore how and why the English language has developed, the place of literature in the world and how language can express who and what we are.

We expect all students to be reading regularly and have a recommended reading programme to promote this throughout the year and request that parents support this at home.

Our Key Stage 4 students follow the AQA English Language and Literature course. All our students study a combined course of English Language and English Literature: this enables them to achieve two GCSE’s in English.

The Language course helps pupils to develop their communication skills in writing and speaking and to enhance reading and listening skills in preparation for entering further education or the world of work. The course is assessed by final examination which test pupils on their reading and writing skills of both fiction and non-fiction texts.

The Literature course is designed to foster a love of reading and to develop analytical and evaluative skills. The course is assessed by final examination and students are carefully prepared through effective teaching and monitoring of pupil progress. We study a range of interesting set texts, including Macbeth, Jane Eyre or A Christmas Carol, An Inspector Calls and Power & Conflict Poetry.

Studying English opens up a lot of career prospects. Potential careers include teaching, journalism, becoming a writer etc. However, there are lots of other jobs where English is incredibly useful such as going into marketing, law and advertising. The possibilities are endless! The majority of possible career paths will require you to communicate effectively with others, read and create documents and use your skills to describe/argue/persuade. English Language and English Literature graduates have a range of literate careers at which to aim – including publishing, journalism, the creative arts, arts administration and teaching. In terms of wider careers, advertising and public relations are popular options, while English graduates can also be found in the civil service and in banking, law and accountancy.