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English

 

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At Newfield School, we are proud to deliver a knowledge-rich English curriculum to all students, ensuring challenge for all.  We want our students to be curious about the texts they are reading and become critical thinkers, empowered by the knowledge they consume in English lessons.  We want our students to be ambitious in their written and oral expression and to be articulate in any capacity; therefore it is right that we rely on subject experts to expose only the best literature to our students. 

We foster a reading culture at Newfield because we know that reading is essential for student progress.  We firmly agree with Maya Angelou’s words,

‘You can only become accomplished at something you love’

therefore we promote a love of reading with all students, across the curriculum.  As a school, we want students to be considerate and value our community.  Reading supports this core value as it helps us to understand the world around us, appreciate the culture of others and to develop empathy and an insight into human nature. 

The English department are committed to preparing our students for the academic rigour of the reformed GCSE exams and for further and higher educational success.  Therefore we explicitly teach the principles of language, including the etymology of vocabulary, functional spelling, punctuation for effect and the rules of grammar.  We believe this powerful knowledge enables students to have the resilience to read, comprehend and debate with confidence. 

Key Stage 3 

Our Lower School curriculum is designed to excite and inspire students when they first arrive at Newfield School.  We want students to be curious and have a thirst for knowledge, therefore our subject experts teach with passion and enthusiasm.  Together, we explore literature over time; from Shakespeare’s Comedies and Tragedies to the origins of the Gothic genre to texts of the future with our Dystopian unit.  We want students to have a sound understanding of how literature evolves and to consider both the intentions and inspirations of authors from a variety of cultures and periods.  Our Lower School curriculum is academically rigorous because we have high expectations for all students.  The curriculum has been created so that students can make links in their learning, build on prior knowledge and prepare students for the next steps in their education. 

GCSE 

At Newfield School, we follow the AQA syllabus and all students sit AQA GCSE Language and Literature.  Our GCSE curriculum continues the routines and rigour established in Lower School.  Our teachers have a wealth of exam marking experience, which we use to inform our selection of texts and teaching.  We deliver high quality teaching, with a focus on academic reading and writing, consistent with our knowledge-based schemes of learning in order to prepare students for exams.  Alongside core knowledge, we also teach exam skill, independent study and revision skills.  We are dedicated to enabling students to succeed in English as we know that this subject is vital for students’ next steps, whether that be college, sixth form, university or the world of work.  We want students to leave Newfield School feeling proud of their achievements and with the opportunity to choose their own next steps.