YEAR 7, 8 & 9

Our Key Stage 3 curriculum provides students with a deep knowledge of a range of writing styles, genres, writers and periods. In each year we study at least one extended classic work of fiction as well as a play by William Shakespeare, introducing students to the English literary canon. Our three Shakespeare texts for this key stage are A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth. By the end of year 9, all students will have had the opportunity to study Shakespearean comedy and tragedy. Novel study includes Private Peaceful, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and Lord of the Flies, gradually increasing the challenge of our texts. All students also study a range of poetry linked by a common theme. In year 7, this theme is linked to the novel study and centres around poetry of conflict, particularly from World War I. In year 8 we study poems from diverse cultures, creating links to the diverse short stories students study in term 1. In year 9, we return to conflict poetry and begin preparing students for the poems they will encounter at GCSE level. Through their studies of fiction and drama, our aim is for students to develop their ability to infer the thoughts and feelings of others, be able to identify key aspects of language which are used to affect the reader and to apply these aspects of language to their own writing.

As well as classic works of fiction, students also study more modern texts, for example documentaries and the media in year 8. Students develop their ability to determine reliability and bias in the news, on websites and in print publications. We also consider to what extent the media is responsible for creating controversy in criminal cases. Our aim is for Stockwood Park students to be able to observe the world around them with a discerning eye, understanding how the English language can be both a powerful tool when used appropriately and a highly engaging medium.

YEAR 10 & 11

In years 10 and 11 at The Stockwood Park Academy our students prepare for the AQA GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature qualifications. All students aim to achieve both of these challenging qualifications. In preparation for English Language, students study a wide variety of literary fiction extracts, engaging their interest and broadening their knowledge of writers from the last 150 years. Students develop both their reading and writing skills, first identifying and analysing the use of language and structure, before then applying this knowledge to develop their own language crafting abilities. Students also develop their ability to compare viewpoints presented in non-fiction and to write in depth in order to present their own viewpoint. Our aim is to ensure that every Stockwood student is equipped with an articulate voice with which to negotiate the challenges of the world and to be analytical in their approach to the changing landscape of the written word in our time.

Our English Literature study exposes students to some of our greatest works of literary fiction spanning several centuries. The Power and Conflict Anthology of poems features poetry from a wide range of poets including Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Blake, Carol Ann Duffy, Benjamin Zepheniah, Jane Weir, Seamus Heaney, Simon Armitage and many others. This course seeks to highlight the emotional and physical effects of conflict on the individual and society, as well as developing a broad cultural awareness of British and world history in the field of conflict.

The novel study in key stage 4 is Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. Rooted within the context of the Victorian period, students develop their analytical skills and ability to reflect on the intentions of the writer. We hope to inspire our students to develop empathy and social awareness through the study of these texts. While the current year 11 have been studying Dennis Kelly’s short modern play DNA, our year 10 will instead study J. B. Preistley’s An Inspector Calls which has strong links to the context of A Christmas Carol in its message of social responsibility. Students are further exposed to dramatic writing with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet which presents a challenging study of language and form in a story which all students of English literature should benefit from reading, not least because of the influence of this enduring tragedy on modern popular culture. Our aim is for students to experience a broad and sophisticated range of our best literature from across time, increasing their cultural capital and exposing them to challenges perspectives of society.

YEAR 12 & 13

At The Stockwood Park Academy we follow the AQA A-Level in English Literature, specification A syllabus. This is a comprehensive course covering the English literary canon across five centuries. Studying a wide variety of literature, covering poetry, prose and drama, students will develop a firm foundation in the theories and history of literature across the ages. As well their knowledge, students will also develop their communication and critical analysis skills, and gain confidence in expressing their ideas articulately. We take both a historicist and a thematic approach to the study of literature studying with the representation of love through the ages and reading texts within shared contexts. The range of texts studied includes The Handmaid’s Tale, The Awakening, pre-1900 poetry, The Taming of the Shrew and many more.

The aim of this course is to establish the philosophy that no text exists in isolation but is the product of the time in which it was produced. Students are encouraged to explore the relationships that exist between texts and the contexts within which they are written, received and understood. This enables students to investigate and connect these texts, and draw out patterns of similarity and difference. English Literature A encourages students to debate and challenge the interpretations of other readers as they develop their own informed personal responses.