English

In the English department, we endeavour to build on the prior learning of our students by developing their reading, writing and collaborative skills through the interconnected, thematic strands of our curriculum.

Our approach is founded on a positive reading ethos and the development of literacy skills which forms the foundation of everything we do. Through a rich and varied curriculum that encourages students to explore the history of literature, we develop our students’ transferable skills, equipping them with analytical and evaluative skills that are valuable for future employment. We aim to actively contribute to students’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural education, by covering a range of moral and ethical topics within our curriculum, evolving our students understanding of themselves and the world around them. Through this, we aim to build resilience and encourage our learners to be ambitious and aspirational in all that they do.

At KS4, students study AQA (8700) GCSE English Language and AQA (8702) GCSE English Literature. 

At KS5, students study AQA (7707) A Level English Literature/Language. 

Students at GCSE study the following texts:

• An Inspector Calls by JB Priestley
• Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
• Power and Conflict AQA Poetry Anthology
• A Christmas Carol OR Jekyll and Hyde OR The Sign of the Four

The purpose of the English curriculum at Corby Technical School is motivated by three central, guiding principles:

• To inspire aspirational attitudes by providing students with the opportunity to see beyond the current limits of their own world.
• To ensure that all students develop the ability to communicate clearly and engage critically with the world around them.
• To insist upon students becoming the authors of their own narratives, assuming the role of ‘writer’ at every opportunity to best understand the varied thought processes that influence the texts they engage with daily.

At Corby Technical School, we know that ‘memory is the residue of thought’ and as such, our English curriculum is intentionally designed to allow students the opportunity to delve deeply into the linguistic and emotionally motivated decisions made by writers from a range of times, backgrounds and perspectives, from both literary and non-literary genres. While providing the scaffolding and support necessary to engage with the threshold concepts that constitute English as a subject from the outset, the English Team at Corby Technical School have designed our curriculum to encourage students to eventually think independently, drawing their own thorough, critical conclusions. 

The English curricular journey begins with students developing an understanding of themselves, exploring themes of morality and identify through various forms of storytelling, before transitioning to arguments relating to social justice and the roles we play as individuals in ensuring that equality of opportunity in our community. Having developed an understanding of themselves and honing their ability to communicate their experiences, students develop their empathic reasoning by exploring conflict in both literary and non-literary forms.