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OUR VISION

At Kingsbury, we teach students how to read, write and speak confidently, helping them to express their ideas and emotions clearly. Through reading, our students have the chance to develop intellectually, culturally and emotionally, through exposure to a broad range of texts that reflect the diverse nature of the human experience. Critical analysis encourages our students’ independent thinking, whilst aiming to foster a life-long love of literature.  In writing, our students become skilled, literate communicators, learning writers’ craft and applying this creatively.  Our English curriculum promotes enjoyment, engagement and challenge; building students’ empathy, compassion and the cultural capital needed to participate fully in society.

OUR TEAM

Mrs McKeown – Head of Faculty

Mrs Mason – Deputy Head of Faculty

Mr Collis – Assistant Headteacher

Mrs Moores – Associate Assistant Headteacher, SENDCo

Mr Dutton – Aspiring Lead Practitioner

Miss O’Hagan– Teacher of English

YEAR 7

AUTUMN 1 – ‘Growing Up’ (non-fiction writing unit)	AUTUMN 2 – Identity and Intolerance Poetry	SPRING 1 – ‘The Hunger Games’ novel study	SPRING 2 – Descriptive writing – Dystopian worlds.	SUMMER 1 – The Villain	SUMMER 2 -The Hero
This introductory unit gets learners looking at different types of non-fiction texts: exploring conventions and devices, and applying these to their own writing. Centred around the theme of growing up and transitioning to secondary school, this unit allows students to explore the experience of being new in year 7 through their writing.	In this introduction to poetry, we learn the key terminology and conventions of the poetic form, with a focus on what methods poets can use to create meanings in their work. Learners develop their language analysis skills through the exploration of a variety of poems all centred around the refugee experience. We delve into themes of identity, prejudice and isolation, whilst offering our learners insight into the lives and cultures of refugees.	Here learners explore the conventions of dystopian fiction through The Hunger Games, examining how writers use oppressive societies, surveillance and rebellion to question power and control. With a focus on character development, students trace Katniss Everdeen’s journey from reluctant participant to symbol of resistance.	Inspired by our novel study, learners develop their ability to write descriptively by creating dystopian worlds inspired by The Hunger Games. Lessons focus on how to craft vivid, atmospheric writing – shaping setting descriptions to build tension and create engaging dystopian worlds.	We present students with classic conventions of a villain, considering motives behind villainy and exploring if we can be empathetic towards some villains and their actions. Reading critically, students develop analytical skills by exploring and evaluating the presentation of famous villainous characters across literature.	In this unit, we explore classic hero archetypes, taking inspiration from epic tales in Greek mythology. Learners meet legendary heroes like Heracles and Perseus, and  terrifying mythical monsters like the Minotaur and Medusa. Reading as writers, we learn how authors build heroic characters and dramatic quests in order to bring their epic adventure to life!

YEAR 8

AUTUMN 1 The Gothic (Reading)	AUTUMN 2 – The Gothic   (Writing)	SPRING 1 – Adventures and Disasters	SPRING 2 – Amplify your Argument!	SUMMER 1 – Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare	SUMMER 2 -Echoes of War
Students enter the thrilling and creepy world of Gothic fiction. We learn about how the gothic genre is typically conveyed in literature, the history of the genre, typical conventions and authorial voice. We explore how the genre has changed over time: starting with classics like Frankenstein and Dracula to more modern favourites like Wednesday Addams.  As both readers and writers, students learn how writers build suspense and atmosphere – and then use these techniques to craft our own gothic creations.		This unit looks closely at writer’s viewpoints and perspectives; using a range of non-fiction texts all centred around the themes of famous adventures and disasters to examine the methods writers use to create and sustain viewpoint within their writing. We learn about both modern and historic disasters that have impacted the world and examine how these have been reported.	Building on from our work on writer’s viewpoint in ‘Adventures and Disasters’, we move on to look at how we can craft and sustain viewpoint in our own non-fiction writing. Centred around prevalent teenage issues, this unit allows learners to develop their argumentative writing skills, through their understanding of PAF, DAFORREST, structure and how to embed these effectively in their own writing.	Learners dive into the world of Shakespearean romantic comedy. The unit explores the key conventions of this genre, whilst building on learners’ understanding and analysis of Shakespeare’s  language and the world he lived in. As we study, we examine how Elizabethan ideas about  gender roles are reflected in the characters and events – developing learners’ understanding of how context can shape meaning in a text.	Learners return to their study of the poetic form in this war poetry unit, revisiting key terminology and conventions through study of a diverse range of poems all centred around the impact of war upon the individual. Through exposure to differing perspectives, learners will be introduced to more challenging concepts and structures, embed their growing knowledge of contexts and analyse poet’s use of language with increasing confidence.

YEAR 9

AUTUMN – Journey’s End by R. C Sherriff	SPRING 1 – The Story Architects	SPRING 2 – Macbeth	SUMMER 1 -Bonds of Love	SUMMER 2 – Speak Out!
In the study of R.C. Sheriff’s powerful and dramatic play, learners continue to develop their understanding of the human experience of conflict, gaining a deeper understanding of what war was like for the soldiers who lived through it. This unit however focuses on the literary form of drama – the text as play. Learners examine how playwrights can utilise dramatic methods (such as stage directions, dialogue, structure and lighting) to create effects, atmosphere and meanings for their audience.	In this unit, students explore how writers build and shape stories to influence their readers. They study key elements of narrative structure—such as exposition, rising action, climax and resolution—and analyse how sequencing, viewpoint and structural devices like flashbacks, zoom-ins and withheld information create tension, intrigue and emotional impact. Through short films and literary extracts, we learn to recognise how structural choices affect meaning, before applying these techniques in their own creative writing.	In a return to Shakespeare, learners this time focus on the conventions of a Shakespearean tragedy, building on their knowledge of both Shakespearean and literary context and how this impacts our understanding of character and key events. By tackling a challenging and mature play, learners revisit their explorations of hero and villain, gender roles and conflict; whilst focussing closely on the trajectory of the tragic hero.	Learners return to their study of poetry, to enhance their knowledge of poetic forms, conventions and terminology  through the study of a range of poems and songs all centred around the human experience of love. Through exploration of different bonds of love – maternal, unrequited, romantic, toxic – learners study how to make comparisons between poetry whilst also developing their poetic analysis of language, structure and form with greater independence.	This final unit of KS3 focuses on the art of rhetoric and how learners – as writers – can develop their craft and style to manage and manipulate their readers. Building on from non-fiction writing units in year 7 and 8, here learners study the importance of tone, bias, counter-arguments, structure and rhetorical devices. By reading as writers, a range of non-fiction texts centred around social injustice, learners then apply their knowledge to the construction of persuasive speeches.

GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND ENGLISH LITERATURE

Year	Autumn	Spring	Summer
10	English Language: Paper 2 Reading and Writing (Non-Fiction)   English Literature: study of ‘An Inspector Calls’.	English Language: Paper 1 Writing (Fiction)   English Literature: study of ‘Power and Conflict’ poetry (War).	Revision of English Language Paper 2.   Eng Literature: study of ‘Romeo and Juliet.’
11	English Language: Paper 1 Reading (Fiction)   English Literature: study of ‘Power and Conflict’ poetry (Nature and Identity).   English Literature: study of ‘A Christmas Carol’.	English Literature: unseen poetry.   Revision: GCSE English Language Paper 2   Revision: GCSE English Literature Paper 1	Revision: GCSE English Language Paper 1   Revision: GCSE English Literature Paper 2

Contact Details

For further information, please contact rachael.mckeown@castlephoenixtrust.org.uk