English
Director of Learning - Mr J Hogben Email
Poynton High School English Department is a vibrant and highly successful curriculum area, staffed by a teaching team of twelve subject specialists.
From Years 7 to 13, students follow a carefully constructed programme of study which not only allows access to the highest levels of academic achievement but also ensures that every student develops the rich variety of functional English skills demanded by the ‘real world’. The key elements of reading and writing, speaking and listening and literary analysis are at the heart of all English lessons.
The department works hard to create a positive learning environment, for all students, through imaginative lesson planning and the use of a diverse range of learning activities. The students’ classroom experience is enhanced by extra-curricular groups such as our reading, creative writing and theatre clubs, along with school visits by leading children's authors.
Information about the curriculum in each Key Stage can be found in the links at the left and an overview of the Curriculum can be found below.
Curriculum Ambition
Poynton High School pupils are bright and able young people who often arrive in Year 7 with good reading and writing skills. Our curriculum aims to build on this and ensure that they:
- Develop into highly skilled, independent readers who can respond to* and analyse texts with confidence.
- Develop into highly skilled, independent writers who can communicate in a range of written forms including a more formal and academic style.
- Engage with a broad range of literature including the traditional Canon** and more diverse literatures.
- Enjoy and appreciate English and all it has to offer, including opportunities for creativity and self-expression.
- Analyse how ideas are explored through writing.
- Reflect on the ways in which texts reflect and interact with their context.
- Can communicate confidently and appropriately through spoken language in a range of situations.
- Are encouraged to develop a lifelong love of English and are encouraged to continue their studies at a higher level.
- Are equipped with the necessary skills to become active and successful citizens and to prepare them for employment.
These aims are realised through our curriculum which:
- Includes a wide range of high-quality texts including: poetry, drama, fiction, non-fiction, media and the spoken word.
- Is organised around themes and learning questions.
- Encourages a culture of reading: through classroom lesson, library lesson and shared reading.
- Encourages a culture of writing: through classroom lessons and ‘composition’ lessons, where the process of drafting, editing and re-drafting is developed as a tool for learning.
These aims are also implemented through assessment which:
- Values and recognises the importance of students’ effort, engagement and attitude to learning.
- Provides feedback to students on how to progress.
- Makes students aware of their achievement in relation to national standards at an appropriate stage.
*’respond to’ includes verbal and written responses.
** The Literary Canon is a term used to describe the works of literature which are traditionally regarded as being of significance.