Curriculum
The world is built on words. Whether our students are sending messages, composing emails, reading Dickens, or crafting professional communications in their future careers, we want them to leave the English Department with a deep appreciation of the power of language. We want them to become confident readers – curious, reflective readers who are willing to explore new ideas, embrace challenging texts, and approach poetry, fiction and non-fiction with confidence and enjoyment. Equally, we want them to become skilled writers. We want our students to develop the technical accuracy and analytical precision needed to communicate clearly, construct compelling arguments, and write perceptive essays that get to the heart of a text.
Beyond this, we want them to understand how language can be used creatively and purposefully: to inspire, persuade, challenge and move an audience. We want them to be powerful writers who can express complex ideas with clarity, professionalism and imagination, equipped for both academic success and the demands of the modern workplace. Most importantly, we want our students to recognise the lifelong value of literacy and the opportunities it creates. Through a rigorous, ambitious and supportive curriculum, we encourage students to develop a genuine love of reading, a confidence in their own voice, and an appreciation of the transformative power of words. We believe that every student should study both English Language and English Literature at GCSE.
Our Key Stage 3 curriculum is therefore carefully designed to build the knowledge, skills and cultural understanding required for success, laying strong foundations from the moment each student walks through our doors in Year 7 and preparing them to thrive both inside and beyond the classroom.
Aspects of English are covered within the L4L curriculum.
Year 7 L4L Themes:
- Citizen Me
- Journey to the Centre of the Earth
- In Days of Old
- Fairy Tales
- Journeys
- iRobot
- Growing
- Silent Movies
- Off With Your Head
- Water
The English curriculum immerses pupils in a carefully sequenced four-year journey, with each year building upon the knowledge, skills and cultural understanding developed previously. Through a broad and engaging range of texts, pupils are encouraged to think critically, challenge assumptions and develop their confidence as readers, writers and communicators.
In Year 8, pupils explore the following themes:
- Autumn – Challenging Stereotypes: An exploration of prejudice, identity and representation, tracing the influence of stereotypes from Shakespeare’s theatre to contemporary society.
- Spring – Victims of Circumstance: A study of justice, responsibility and social inequality through Victorian Britain, guided by the mysteries and moral complexities of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
- Summer – The World at War: An investigation into conflict, examining both poetry and media representations to understand how war has shaped human experiences and perspectives across time.
Together, these units broaden students’ cultural awareness, strengthen their analytical skills and deepen their understanding of the world around them, while preparing them for the demands of Key Stage 4 and beyond.
In Year 9, pupils build upon the foundations established in Years 7 and 8, deepening their understanding of language, literature and the world around them. Through the study of increasingly challenging texts and ideas, pupils develop their analytical thinking, broaden their vocabulary and refine their ability to communicate with confidence, precision and flair.
Year 9 explores the following themes:
- Autumn – The Changing World: An exploration of how writers respond to social and political issues, examining representations of power, inequality and rebellion through literature and non-fiction texts from the Victorian era to the present day.
- Spring – Gothic Horror and the Macabre: A journey into the darker side of human nature through The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, exploring themes of duality, morality and the fear of the unknown.
- Summer – Power and Rhetoric: Drawing on Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and a range of poetry exploring power and conflict, pupils investigate how language can be used to persuade, influence and shape public opinion.
Together, these units encourage pupils to think critically about the society they live in, engage with complex ideas and recognise the enduring power of language to challenge, inspire and bring about change.
All pupils are entered for both English Language and English Literature GCSE, reflecting our belief that a rich understanding of language and literature is essential for success both in education and beyond. At Key Stage 4, pupils follow an ambitious and interleaved curriculum that develops both subject knowledge and examination expertise. Year 10 focuses on the in-depth study of core texts, while Year 11 builds confidence, independence and mastery of the skills required for GCSE success.
Through the exploration of challenging and thought-provoking texts, pupils learn to analyse, evaluate and communicate with sophistication, while also developing a deeper understanding of the social, historical and cultural contexts that shape literature.
Our GCSE texts are:
Shakespeare: Macbeth
19th-Century Novel: A Christmas Carol
Modern Drama: An Inspector Calls
Poetry Anthology: Power and Conflict
Together, these texts encourage pupils to explore enduring themes such as ambition, morality, responsibility, power, identity and human conflict. By engaging with a diverse range of voices and perspectives, pupils develop not only the knowledge and skills needed to achieve success at GCSE, but also a lifelong appreciation of the power of literature to challenge, inspire and transform the way we see the world.
Mrs C Hammond
Completed a BA Hons in Performing Arts at De Montfort University in Leicester, followed by a PGCE in English with Birmingham City University. She has taught at Thorns since 2019 and been Head of English since 2024.