English (Language & Literature)

English at Northallerton School & Sixth Form College develops confident readers, articulate speakers and skilled writers.

Our curriculum is carefully sequenced from Year 7 to Year 13 to build:

  • Analytical precision

  • Secure knowledge of literary heritage

  • Fluency in academic and creative writing

  • Critical engagement with context and theory

Students study a broad range of fiction, poetry and drama across time periods, cultures and movements. Explicit teaching of vocabulary, grammar, structure and analytical writing ensures students develop both disciplinary knowledge and transferable communication skills.

 

Key Stage 3

Curriculum Intent

At Key Stage 3, students develop strong foundations in reading, writing and oracy. The curriculum balances:

  • Canonical literature and contemporary voices

  • Creative and transactional writing

  • Analytical essay writing

  • Explicit grammar and vocabulary development

Students are prepared for the rigour of GCSE English Language and English Literature through structured modelling and progressive challenge.

KS3 Curriculum Overview

Term Year 7 Year 8 Year 9
Autumn Term 1 Introduction to Literary Study
Reading Skills & Analytical Writing		 Gothic Literature Study Shakespeare Study
Autumn Term 2 Creative Writing (Narrative & Description) 19th Century Prose Modern Drama
Spring Term 1 Shakespeare (Play Study) Poetry Anthology Study Unseen Poetry Skills
Spring Term 2 Non-Fiction & Rhetoric Modern Novel Study 19th Century Prose
Summer Term 1 Poetry Study Creative Writing & Perspective Shakespeare (GCSE Transition)
Summer Term 2 Modern Novel Study Transactional Writing GCSE Language Skills Transition

Key Stage 4

Students study both GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature.

Curriculum Structure

Students study:

  • A 19th Century Novel

  • Shakespeare

  • A Modern Text

  • Poetry Anthology

  • Unseen Poetry

  • Transactional and Creative Writing

Assessment objectives are explicitly taught and revisited throughout.

KS4 Curriculum Overview

Term Year 10 Year 11
Autumn Term 1 19th Century Novel Shakespeare Revision
Autumn Term 2 Shakespeare 19th Century Novel Revision
Spring Term 1 Modern Text Poetry Anthology Revision
Spring Term 2 Poetry Anthology Unseen Poetry & Language Paper 1
Summer Term 1 English Language Paper 1 & 2 Bespoke Exam Intervention
Summer Term 2 English Language Revision Bespoke Exam Intervention

Year 11 becomes increasingly responsive, with targeted intervention based on assessment data and question-level analysis.

Sixth Form (Key Stage 5)

We offer A Level English Literature.

The course develops sophisticated critical reading, academic writing and independent research skills.

Students engage with:

  • Shakespeare (Othello)

  • Love Through the Ages (Rebecca & Pre-1900 Poetry)

  • The Handmaid’s Tale

  • Feminine Gospels

  • Translations

  • Unseen Poetry and Prose

  • Non-Exam Assessment (Comparative Critical Study with Theory)

Critical theory (feminist, Marxist, psychoanalytic, postcolonial and historicist lenses) is embedded throughout.

KS5 Curriculum Overview

Term Year 12 Year 13
Autumn Term 1 Love Through the Ages: Rebecca & Pre-1900 Poetry Texts in Shared Contexts: The Handmaid’s Tale
Autumn Term 2 Othello Feminine Gospels
Spring Term 1 Unseen Poetry Translations
Spring Term 2 NEA Introduction Comparative Study (Feminine Gospels & Translations)
Summer Term 1 NEA Development Paper 2 Revision
Summer Term 2 Mock Revision & Exam Skills Paper 1 & 2 Final Revision

The NEA requires students to complete a 2,500-word comparative critical study applying literary theory.

Literacy, Careers and Personal Development

Across all key stages:

  • Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary is explicitly taught and tested

  • Analytical paragraph structures are modelled (e.g. PEACE, SQUID, comparative frames)

  • Quotation integration and academic register are explicitly taught

  • Grammar clinics support clarity and precision

  • Students develop skills in argumentation, empathy and critical thinking

Careers linked to English include:

  • Law

  • Journalism

  • Publishing

  • Teaching

  • Marketing

  • Academia

  • Creative industries

University preparation includes:

  • Essay competitions

  • EPQ support

  • Oxbridge-style analysis and interview preparation