English Curriculum Rationale at The Aspire Academy
At The Aspire Academy, our staff are committed to building skills and developing pupils’ awareness and enjoyment of language.
Each unit of work within our curriculum covers specific skill areas. If any sessions or time periods are missed, all these skills are revisited at different times during the year and Key Stage. There will also be times when additional skills building activities will be undertaken in response to weaknesses identified in pupils’ work. This is also true concerning tasks undertaken for assessment; there will be a choice of task which can be adapted to account for age range, knowledge gaps, and for challenge!
We aim to allow pupils access to fiction, non-fiction, poetry, Shakespeare, and various other texts; as well as extending their skills with writing for different purposes and audiences.
Grouping in English at KS3 allows us to visit and re-visit all essential skills areas on a three-year Group cycle. This also helps with the transition from KS3 to KS4 by allowing pupils to work with different staff; learning and meeting additional needs can be addressed in an age-appropriate manner, with a breadth of study that encourages engagement for the best possible learning experience. Further, this arrangement will focus our pupils on key features of English study, so that they can progress with ease.
