English Curriculum
Key Stage 4
KS4 Curriculum Intention
Eduqas is used for both Language and Literature. The choice behind this is based on knowing the specification and expectations since the start of WJEC. DOS received specialist training at a previous school and brought this knowledge to SUTC. Regular contact is made with Eduqas directors and regional representatives so the support is fantastic and enhances the learning of students. The Language GCSE is proving to be highly successful due to the wording of questions, format and expectations making it highly accessible for all, including disadvantaged and SEND.
The Literature paper is equally accessible in terms of the wording of questions, the way extracts are used as springboards for students in closed book exams. Additionally, we believe that the cultural capital gained from the Eduqas poetry anthology far surpasses that of other boards such as AQA because the 18 poems are not restricted to a specific theme meaning the scope for intertextuality is huge meaning we can challenge higher-attainers even more as well as ensuring all students have contextual knowledge of a range of literary movements and how these link to the social movements of the time. Relevance is given to poems from the 18th century when they can be compared to those from the 21st. Finally, the Trust we have recently joined endorse Eduqas meaning that we are in a strong position to build on the success already seen compared to other schools who are in the process of transitioning from other exam boards.
Exam (KS4) Curriculum Knowledge Covered
The intention of the KS4 curriculum is to collate all of the foundational knowledge surrounding the 4 modalities taught in Y9 and develop them further to eventually apply them to the linear exams in Y11 which do require key procedural knowledge. For instance, the work on the literary movement of Romanticism in Y9 supports the study of the 5 Romantic poets covered in the anthology meaning they already bring an incredible amount of cultural literacy to these, thus freeing up working memory to focus on the form and language of each poem. Additionally, the understanding of social movements such as the Industrial Revolution also support contextual knowledge needed for A Christmas Carol and An Inspector Calls. Furthermore, the teaching of Rhetoric in Y9 supports both written pieces required for the Language paper, but also their Spoken Language assessment.
Mutually Beneficial Curriculum Connections
Literature texts naturally require knowledge of historical movements and personal development. For instance, in An Inspector Calls we reinforce the meaning of consent covered in the RSE curriculum through exploring and critiquing what was deemed as consent in the Edwardian era, the impact this had on women, and how this has changed over time. Additionally, students explore employees’ rights- which is part of our British Values- through An Inspector Calls and A Christmas Carol. The ideas of poverty and the impact of having no democracy is explored in depth. Knowledge of Christianity taught in RE is crucial to students noticing and exploring writers’ uses of biblical allusions in the literary canon. Sociological and geographical content is covered such as shanty towns in Mumbai through the study of Living Space, the rise in urbanisation and the natural world in others. Ideas of marginalisation, oppression, and corruption are explored through a literary lens.
