English Department

Welcome to the English Department

Overview
The Convent of Jesus and Mary Language College English department continues to improve and develop. Our students have benefited greatly from the successful implementation of the Key Stage 3 National Strategy through the Assessment of Pupil Progress and KS3 levels recorded at end of every half-term or after the completion of a unit of work show steady pupil improvement across the three years of the Key stage. This prepares students for their GCSEs: results continue to be very good at KS4, with more than 80% of students achieving grade C or better at both English Literature and English Language. The new GCSE specification is embedded into practice and Controlled Assessments now replace written coursework. The success of the department is also reflected in the uptake of A Level English Literature with a record number of students opting for the A/S Level Literature course so that two Year 12 groups now run simultaneously. A Level English Language has been firmly established too, and this September, in its fourth year, we hope to attract even more Year 12s than the 16 we have at present.
From Year 7, student potential is maximized by ability streaming based on thorough assessments and student setting continues to be reviewed each term during Key Stage 3. Top set students have a specially enhanced programme designed to make strong academic demands on them and to further their interest and enthusiasm for the subject. Reading, Writing and Speaking and Listening skills are developed and assessed.
In any year, in any scheme of work, a variety of learning activities are used, including teacher led discussions and tasks, small group investigations, the use of ICT, practical projects and text book practice. To assist our teaching, interactive whiteboards are installed in all classrooms. Our aim is to make English as accessible and enjoyable as possible for all our students through the use of a variety of teaching methods to accommodate different learning styles.

Staff

Ms K Bowman (also teacher of Psychology)
Ms K Connell (also teacher of Media Studies)
Mr A Dudley
Ms M Di Lullo (Second in Department/Year 9 and Key Stage 4 Co-ordinator)
Mr T Foley
Ms D McKenna
Ms A Williams
Ms J Khawam (Advanced Skills Teacher)
Mr K Liffen (Curriculum Leader)
Miss A O’Friel (Year 7 and Year 8 Co-ordinator)

Equipment
Every lesson you will need to bring the following:

Exercise book
Blue or black pen
Green pen
Pencil
Rubber

Sometimes you will also need to bring a copy of the class text

Presentation

Underline the date and title
Copy the learning objectives for the lesson
Use neat, readable handwriting

Scheme of Work: English at The Convent

Key Stage 3 (Year 7-9)
The department follows the National Secondary Strategy for Teaching English throughout KS3 and monitors students through the Assessment of Pupil Progress. The content of the strategy is divided into units of work based on the following
areas:

Reading
Writing
Speaking and listening

These areas are revisited and extended throughout years 7, 8 and 9 in order to deepen understanding and build upon previous knowledge. All pupils in KS3 are assessed every half term or at the end of a unit of work and given a level based on the Assessment Focuses of the Reading, Writing and Speaking and Listening assessment criteria.

Key Stage 4 (Year 10-11)
In Years 10 and 11, pupils follow the new AQA GCSE English (Specification A) and AQA GCSE
English Literature courses and are assessed through a combination of Controlled Assessments and terminal examinations.
For more information, see the GCSE Course Content page (At a Glance).

Key Stage 5 (Years 12-13)
Students that choose to continue with English at AS and A Level follow the AQA English Literature (Specification A) or the AQA English Language (Specification A) course. For more information, see the AS/A Level Course Content page.