INNOVATE . FOCUS . ACHIEVE

At Boldon School, all aspects of the school ethos, ‘Innovate, Focus and Achieve’ are underpinned across each subject area. In English, we strive to embed these principles within our curriculum:

Innovate: To create innovative and progressive schemes of work which are well-sequenced to ensure excellent student outcomes.

Focus: A clear drive and focus key threads for reading, writing and spoken language;
A relentless drive to sharpen key knowledge concepts and ensure understanding of portable themes.
To ensure that all lessons widen the scope and appreciation of grammar, vocabulary and subject content.

Achieve: The aim is to ensure proficiency in reading, writing and oracy; this is key to social mobility. Our robust curriculum is designed to build strong foundations in knowledge and understanding which lead to academic and personal success. We want our students to enjoy the subject, and be inspired to be innovative in their responses, to focus on skill acquisition and implementation and, ultimately, to achieve their true potential. Students will be well-skilled to succeed in their next steps, whether it be education, further training or the world of employment.

Each of our curriculum areas are carefully designed with the students at the heart of our thinking. The intent is for the framework for each programme of study in the National Curriculum to be well planned and sequenced to enable all students to build their knowledge and skills towards the agreed end points at each key stage. We consider how this is taught in order to support our students and ensure this is implemented effectively. For the desired impact to be reflected in the outcomes that students achieve through the education they have received.

This is embedded across each subject area: ENGLISH

Intent:

The English curriculum aims to be progressive and well-sequenced and is delivered through innovative schemes of work, lesson planning and exceptionally bespoke materials. Our curriculum is effectively planned to instill all students with key knowledge, understanding and skills. Students are guided to refine and sharpen their “portable knowledge”, which we see as the fundamental literacy skills that promote and encourage a love of reading; a proficiency for writing for varied audiences and in a variety of forms and, fundamentally, a willingness to fully absorb themselves in the discipline.

We have a clear focus to foster and promote an innate sense of curiosity together with a relentless desire to question, argue and persuade, with each lesson focussing on clear skills, knowledge and understanding. Our priority is ensure that all lessons are interwoven with high quality literacy skills, focussing to improve students’ oracy skills – together with heightening the students’ understanding and implementation of: spelling, punctuation and grammar. We aim to ignite and cultivate a creative spark that will enable our students to write imaginatively and with flair; the reading of contemporary and pre-1914 literary texts seeks to promote inquisitiveness and an awareness of key British values, such as mutual respect, integrity and empathy. In achieving these ambitious aims, and by exposing students to a variety of literary voices, students can cultivate an understanding about other cultures and traditions. We encourage purposeful talk and attentive listening skills, aiming to develop the emotional skills required to listen and respond with thought and care. Here at Boldon, we aim to securely equip all our students for life beyond school as successful, confident, articulate and respectful citizens.

Implementation:

The English curriculum has two key branches: Key Stage 3 (years 7, 8 and 9) and Key Stage 4 (10 and 11). We have broadened and enriched our KS3 curriculum so that students have an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and refine skills, fully preparing them for the demands of Key Stage 4. We teach to termly and yearly end points so that knowledge and skills are continually and consistently revisited and refined through each learning journey.

The Faculty Leader is responsible for designing the English curriculum and monitoring its implementation. This is subsequently supported by the Faculty Co-coordinator who leads on reshaping the provision at Key Stage 3. All members of the Faculty are expert in delivering and creating innovative schemes and resources which act as excellent tools to develop the students’ proficiency in Language and Literature. This planning is further validated by senior leaders. All Faculty members have regular access to professional development and continuous professional training to ensure that curriculum requirements are met, and subject knowledge is constantly refined. The effective assessment process informs staff about the areas in which intervention is required. These interventions are delivered during curriculum time to enhance students’ capacity to access the full curriculum, together with compulsory after-school sessions at Key Stage 4. Curriculum resources are bespoke to Boldon and are continually up-cycled.
Assessments are designed thoughtfully to assess student progress, long term knowledge retrieval and also to shape future learning.
Key roles are allocated to experienced members of staff to ensure the monitoring of the curriculum is implemented correctly and effectively.

Impact:

Examination results, together with examination analysis and evaluations, are discussed through examination meetings with the Deputy Headteacher and the Headteacher. These are also reported to other senior leaders and the governing body to ensure challenge and accountability. The Faculty Leader and Co-coordinator are an integral part of the termly progress meetings which evaluate the data outcomes, following assessment periods. Faculty learning walks for KS3 and KS4, based on the faculty’s priorities, are scheduled and are woven into the monitoring calendar for each academic year. Student voice is used to survey the impact of the curriculum and evaluate the impact of those modules on our students’ learning and enjoyment; these outcomes are used to help reshape the curriculum, going forward. Finally, external reviews and evaluations from our School Improvement Officer allows the faculty to be ever evolving, with a relentless drive to deliver exceptional student outcomes.