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English KS3 | Years 7 to 8

Year 7 Subject Content

Students will focus on developing Narrative Voices through their study of the following units of work:  

  • The Gothic (extracts)
  • 'Frankenstein' - Philip Pullman adaptation
  • 'Cirque Du Freak' - Darren Shan
  • Sinister Stories (extracts)
  • Poisonous Poetry (various poets)
  • Introduction to  Shakespeare: 'Julius Caesar'

Most classes will have two teachers and study two units of work alongside each other.  They will also have one Accelerated Reader lesson every two weeks.

All units work towards the GCSE assessment objectives for English Language and English Literature.

Year 8 Subject Content

Students will focus on Developing Opinions through their study of the following units of work:   

Term One: 

  • 'The Hate U Give': Angie Thomas
  • Protest Poetry (various poets)

Term Two:

  • 'Blood Brothers': Willy Russell
  • 'Romeo and Juliet': William Shakespeare 

Term Three:

  • 'I Am Malala': Malala Yousafzai
  • Writing to Revolt: (various authors)

Students will usually have 2 English teachers teaching each Year 8 group, and that is why there are two units every term.

Most classes will have two teachers and study two units of work alongside each other.  They will also have one Accelerated Reader lesson every two weeks.

Assessment Details

Year 7

Three major assessment points throughout the year: 

  1. Term one: Creative writing (Gothic Short Story)
  2. Term two: Analytical Writing ('Cirque Du Freak')
  3. Term three: Analytical Writing (Poetry Analysis)

In addition, students will be assessed in class each half-term as each unit of work progresses. 

Year 8

Spelling and Grammar Skills to be mastered by the End of Year 8: Understanding and exploring the use of: Full stops, capital letters, commas, standard English, Tier 2 and 3 higher-frequency spellings, question marks, speech marks, apostrophes, ellipsis, sentence forms, proofreading, semicolons, colons, hyphens, brackets.

Additional Equipment Recommended

Dictionary/thesaurus. A reading book for independent reading at the start of lessons. Glue.

What can I do to support my child at home?

  • Engage with their learning:
    • Ask them to explain what they're learning in school.
    • Identify and praise their strengths.
  • Develop strong writing skills:
    • Proofread homework together.
    • Encourage editing and refining.
  • Cultivate a love of reading:
    • Read regularly and discuss books with them.
    • Explore diverse genres: novels, non-fiction, articles.
  • Build essential skills:
    • Discuss current events.
    • Introduce a "Word of the Week" for vocabulary enrichment.
  • Prioritise homework and communication:
    • Encourage timely completion.
    • Address any concerns with teachers promptly.

Recommended Resources for the Course

Websites
Books

Anything to encourage reading for pleasure.

Teaching Staff Contact Details

Head of English

Mrs Webber - jwebber@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

KS3 Lead

Mrs Oxley - coxley@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

KS4 Lead

Mrs Savine - asavine@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

KS5 Lead

Mrs Onan-Read - aread@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Teachers of English

Mrs Woodcock - cwoodock@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mr Toon - atoon@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mr Passaro - apassaro@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mr Matcham - cmatcham@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mr Fox - dfox@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mr Lester - llester@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mrs Wicks - lwicks@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mr Dawson - jdawson@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mrs Haddacks - shaddacks@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

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