English

Head of Department: Mrs E Baxter-Smallwood

Context

The English department consists of eight specialist teachers, all of whom have a passion for bringing English to life for the students at Longdendale. The department has a shared vision of creating an engaging curriculum which ensures all students achieve to the best of their ability in English.

Curriculum

At Longdendale, our English curriculum is built around the principle of delivering powerful knowledge that enables students to think deeply, communicate effectively, and engage critically with the world around them. All students work towards achieving GCSEs in both English Language and English Literature with the Edexcel exam board.

The curriculum is carefully sequenced to ensure that students revisit and build upon key concepts and skills year after year. These recurring ideas - our golden threads - run throughout the curriculum, allowing students to develop mastery knowledge and application in areas such as analysis, interpretation, and composition. As students progress through the curriculum, they encounter increasingly complex texts and tasks, refining their understanding and applying their skills with greater sophistication.

Our curriculum also places a strong emphasis on using English as a tool for exploring challenging and thought-provoking issues, including the Holocaust, British Values, cultural identity, and the power of language to shape society. Each unit is anchored by a core literary text, which acts as a springboard for rich discussion, analytical writing, and creative expression

For curriculum guides for English, please visit our Curriculum by Year Group pages.

Learning Journey

Assessment

In English, students are assessed three times in each half term, with a half-termly Masters of Recall Test to assess knowledge and two Mastery Application Tasks to assess how students independently apply their knowledge.

Homework

Students in Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 will be expected to complete a reading log for their English homework. Students in Year 10 and Year 11 will be expected to complete revision-based activities relating to the GCSE papers.

Enrichment Opportunities

Students are offered various enrichment opportunities in English. Annually, we run a trip to London, where students get the opportunity to see a West End theatre production, a Shakespeare play at the Globe Theatre and a Shakespeare theatre workshop. As well as this, students experience other London attractions, such as the London Eye, a Thames river cruise and exploring Covent Garden.

Wherever possible, we try to offer a variety of enrichment opportunities, including theatre trips, aspirational college experiences and enrichment days in school such as our Murder Mystery day.

We aim to promote and celebrate literary events across the school, including inviting poets in to perform for National Poetry Day, celebrating literary events such as Banned Books Week or World Book Day as well as commemorating national events such as Black History Month, Holocaust Memorial Day and International Women's Day.