English

The Wildern English department is built on a vision that puts our students firmly at its centre. Our aim is to work alongside students to help them to become confident readers and writers who are able to successfully articulate their thoughts and ideas in a range of contexts. Above all, we want to develop students who have a desire and passion to extend their knowledge, becoming lifelong learners in the process.

At the very heart of our ethos, there is a strong focus on providing a curriculum that is rich and engaging: one that prepares students for their examinations but also for life beyond secondary education. We want students to share our love of Language and Literature, and to develop their own critical voice so that they too can appreciate the power of the written word both in the texts they read and the writing they produce.

With a wealth of experience and knowledge amongst our dedicated teachers, students flourish into thoughtful, expressive and tolerant young people who are proud of their learning and the outcomes they achieve.

KS3

In KS3 students follow the National Curriculum and study a range of challenging texts, including contemporary and seminal literature.  In Year 7, students will study William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Christopher Edge's 'Twelve Minutes to Midnight' and a range of non-fiction texts from a variety of different authors. In Year 8, they will study William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Romantic and Contemporary Poetry, The Gothic and a range of non-fiction writing.

Across KS3, students will learn to write effectively for different purposes and audiences, including: writing to describe, narrate, explain, instruct and to respond to information. Students will also learn to speak and listen in a wide variety of contexts, including the delivery of individual presentations and paired and group discussions. 

In Year 7 and Year 8, students have one library lesson per fortnight, during which time students can direct their own independent reading, as well as participating in group reading activities.

KS4

In KS4 students study three GCSE English Literature texts: ‘Jekyll and Hyde’, ‘An Inspector Calls’ and ‘Macbeth,’ as well as the AQA Power and Conflict anthology. They are exposed to a range of unseen 19th Century fiction, poetry and modern non-fiction texts, which will prepare them for both their English Literature and English Language GCSEs. Students will develop their understanding of how exam responses are structured, as well as how to craft effective responses under timed conditions. Students will be instructed on how to manipulate and craft their writing with a particular audience and purpose in mind, and will be guided to review, edit and re-draft their work in order to strive for the utmost accuracy.

Trips and Extra Curricular Opportunities

The department offer students a range of opportunities to further extend their learning and enjoyment of the subject. Some of these include:

• Spilling Ink – our creative writing club
• Reading Club
• Reading Ambassadors 
• A range of theatre trips, including The Globe
• Regular author visits in conjunction with the LRC
• World Book Day
• Various national competitions throughout the year with opportunities for students to have their work published
• Opportunities for national and international travel to places of literary significance 
• Youth Speaks
• Quotation Club 
• The Vox - Student Newspaper