OUR FACULTY AIMS
The team comprises of enthusiastic and highly skilled practitioners of English. As a Faculty we encourage our learners to experiment with their language, but also ensure they take charge of their own learning frequently through regular reflection, self, and peer-assessment opportunities. We take immense pride in our status as one of the most successful faculties within the school. As an English team we are passionate about our subject, and continually endeavour to ignite that passion for learning and achievement in our students. We firmly believe that everyone should be encouraged to become the very best version of themselves– be that student or teacher. Consequently we run on an ethos of high aspiration, hard work and determination – it is no consequence that MACS English results across all Key Stages over the past few years are some of the best and most improved in RCT.
ENGLISH AT KEY STAGE 3
First and foremost, our KS3 curriculum is designed to inspire a love of reading and literature, and capture the imagination of our learners. Throughout the course of the academic year, our year 7 students explore the genres of biography and autobiography, become captivated by the wizarding world of Harry Potter, and also take a step back in time to study Shakespeare and his theatre. In year 8 and 9, our set texts vary from The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas to Lord of the Flies. Here our students are introduced to a wide and varied curriculum, designed to stretch and challenge learners in readiness for the KS4 courses. At KS3, our vision is to design a curriculum that allows our learners to gain firm learning foundations in both language and literature in readiness for the demanding GCSE courses, and equally it allows them to practise and hone the essential skills of spelling, punctuation and grammar.
ENGLISH AT KEY STAGE 4
Our KS4 curriculum enables our learners to study for two separate qualifications – GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature. Literacy and oracy underpin everything we do in English and our GCSE curriculum is based around these essential life skills. Our department has seen consistent increases in A*-C grades awarded year-on-year, with the 2016 results being our best ever. This success can be attributed not only to the students’ hard-work and determination, but also the dedication of our staff to achieve the highest possible standards for all students, regardless of ability or target grade. KS4 learners will have the opportunity to study a variety of literature, including Of Mice and Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, An Inspector Calls and Heroes.
ENGLISH AT KEY STAGE 5
The English department is proud to offer the AS/A level English Literature course at MACS, and traditionally we enjoy a large uptake. The success rate is high at this level, and many students go on to read English Literature at prestigious universities around the country. We consider teaching at this level to be a real privilege; teachers choose their texts to suit their strengths, and also the needs of our learners. A level students can typically expect to explore literature from a wide variety of literary periods, including contemporary poetry by Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, Romantic-Gothic novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, and Elizabethan play Dr Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. At A2 level, students are given the opportunity to study many texts, including the magnificent Shakespearean tragedy King Lear, as well as the metaphysical poetry of John Donne.
A breakdown of the GCSE English Language course can be found here: https://www.wjec.co.uk/qualifications/english-language-gcse/
A breakdown of the GCSE English Literature course can be found here: http://www.wjec.co.uk/qualifications/english/english-literature-gcse/
A breakdown of the A level English Literature course can be found here: http://www.wjec.co.uk/qualifications/english/english-literature-gce-a-as/