At the beginning of Key Stage Three, attention is given to developing the grammatical accuracy and fluency of the students’ writing. Secondly, we focus on developing the structure, coherence and organisation of the pupils’ writing. Furthermore, we provide opportunities for the pupils to develop their awareness of how styles of writing must be tailored according to particular purposes and audiences, e.g. to inform, explain, describe, analyse or review. Naturally, equal time will also be spent developing the pupils’ reading skills. They will study a range of fiction (pre & post-20th Century), non-fiction (biographies, reviews, newspaper reports), verse and drama. Emphasis will be given to improving the pupils’ general comprehension skills.
Thirds (Year 7)
In the Third Form, the pupils are given opportunities to develop their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. In reading fiction texts they focus upon aspects of characterisation, setting, atmosphere and plot whilst also considering writers’ uses of language, eg. similes and metaphors. Furthermore, they also read a range of non-fiction texts, eg. auto/biographies, diaries. Throughout the year, the pupils are taught to write for a variety of purposes and audiences, eg. to inform, explain, describe and entertain. Time is also spent developing their awareness of how to draft, edit and structure a piece of writing through the use of paragraphs as well as encouraging them to write with a greater grammatical accuracy and precision, eg. spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, verb tenses. The pupils are also given chances to develop their speaking and listening skills through giving a number of individual or group presentations. The pupil’s progress is measured through three pieces of coursework and an end of year examination.
Shells (Year 8)
In the Third Form, the pupils are given opportunities to develop their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. In reading fiction texts they focus upon aspects of characterisation, setting, atmosphere and plot whilst also considering writers’ uses of language, eg. similes and metaphors. Furthermore, they also read a range of non-fiction texts, eg. auto/biographies, diaries. Throughout the year, the pupils are taught to write for a variety of purposes and audiences, eg. to inform, explain, describe and entertain. Time is also spent developing their awareness of how to draft, edit and structure a piece of writing through the use of paragraphs as well as encouraging them to write with a greater grammatical accuracy and precision, eg. spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, verb tenses. The pupils are also given chances to develop their speaking and listening skills through giving a number of individual or group presentations. The pupil’s progress is measured through three pieces of coursework and an end of year examination.
Fourths (Year 9)
In the Fourth Form, the pupils analyse authors from different periods and genres considering in depth aspects of style, theme, context and readership. Furthermore, they read a play by Shakespeare and explore notions of performance, staging and context. They also study a range of non-fiction texts and develop their appreciation of how writers use fact and opinion for persuasive effect. Throughout the year the pupils are given opportunities to write for a variety of purposes and audiences, although emphasis is given to discursive and analytical essays and students are shown how to use quotations to support their points. Speaking and listening skills are again honed through individual and group presentations. The pupils’ progress is measured through three pieces of coursework and an end of year examination. One of the coursework pieces must be an analytical one on the Shakespeare play previously studied.