Welcome to the English Department at St Augustine’s. Please follow the links on the right-hand side to discover more about our 11-16 courses.
English is a core subject, meaning that all students must study English in both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4, from Years 7 through to 11.
The English leadership consists of Mrs Stirrup (Subject Leader), Mrs Prescott (KS3 English Coordinator). The rest of the team comprises Mrs Allen, Miss Bloor, Miss Roberts and Mrs Sadler.
English is vital for communicating with others in school, in the community and in the wider world, and is fundamental to learning in all curriculum subjects. Whilst studying English, students develop skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing that they will need to participate in society and employment. Students learn to express themselves creatively and imaginatively and to communicate with others confidently and effectively.
Students, in their study of Literature, learn to become enthusiastic and critical readers of stories, poetry and drama as well as non-fiction and media texts, gaining access to the pleasure and a world of knowledge that reading offers.
Key Stage 3: Years 7, 8 & 9
In Key Stage 3 Learning focuses around building upon existing skills which students have developed at Primary School and extending and deepening their knowledge of the subject.
Our programmes of study incorporate both English Language and English Literature and cover a wide range of reading, writing, literacy and speaking and listening skills. As part of their learning, Year 7, 8 and 9 students have the opportunity read and study whole novels and extracts from a range of modern and classic texts and also cover a Shakespeare text, a 19th Century Novel and a Modern Text over the 2 year course. They are also introduced to a selection of poetry from a variety of time periods and writers and learn how to develop their own interpretations of texts. Students are encouraged to develop their writing skills by considering a range of purposes and they are supported in finding ways they can make their writing imaginative. Lessons within the department are lively and draw-upon a wide-range of media and ICT to bring past texts to life and enable students to relate them to their own lives and modern day events. In studying a wealth of texts students are able to develop spiritually, morally and socially by considering and respecting other opinions and attitudes both within and beyond the classroom. A Catholic Christian ethos is also embedded into our programmes of study so that students can reflect upon the religious values demonstrated within the texts they are reading.
Students are assessed regularly over the course of the term and offered ideas about how to improve their work before being given the opportunity to demonstrate their learning and understanding in more formal independent reading and writing and literature assessments. Time is then spent focusing on the student’s personal strengths and areas for development and students are given the support they need to improve their skills.
