English

English is taught by:

Ms H Gera	Curriculum Team Leader
Ms A Jahan	KS4 & Intervention Coordinator
Ms A Khanum	English Teacher & Joint KS3 Coordinator
Ms S Ali	English Teacher
Ms Ratna Begum	English Teacher
Ms Rumina Begum	English Teacher & Transition Coordinator (Whole School)
Ms R Hamid	SLT & English Teacher
Mr A Gurd	SLT & English Teacher
Ms C Wrobel	SLT & English Teacher
Ms S Shaikh	English Teacher
Ms M Malik	English Teacher
Ms Sumaya Begum	English Teacher
Ms T Begum	English Teacher
Ms T Miah	English Teacher & Transition Lead (English)
Ms Shahida Begum	English Teacher & Joint KS3 Coordinator
Ms R Mellies	English Teacher
Ms B Abbott	English Teacher
Ms A. Bergin	English Teacher & Lead Practitioner
Ms S Bearman	English Teacher & Reading Leader
Mr C Davies	English Teacher
Ms Z Ali	English Teacher
Ms K Liao	English Teacher

 

Curriculum Overview - KS3 & KS4 

Key Stage 3 

	Autumn Term	Spring Term	Summer Term
Year 7	Power The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins   Reading Summative Assessment:How does the writer use the tracker jackers to symbolise the power of the Capitol?	Heroes and Villains Gothic & Detective stories Writing Summative Assessment:Write a gothic story suggested by this image:   You must create a gothic setting You should develop your story to include characters (villains/heroes) and rising action You could include a gripping climax	Culture and Identity [Poetry] Reading Summative Assessment: How does the poet present ideas about language and identity in the poem ‘Old Tongue’?
Year 8	Facing Obstacles In the sea there are Crocodiles Reading Summative Assessment:How does Geda present Enaiat’s feelings and experiences in this extract?	Story Telling Writing & Reading focus Writing Summative Assessment:Write a story as suggested by this image.	Gender and Relationships [Romeo & Juliet - W. Shakespeare Reading Summative Assessment:How does Shakespeare present conflict in parent child relationship (Lord Capulet & Juliet) in Act 3 Sc 5
Year 9	Knowledge and Discovery: Frankenstein Reading Summative Assessment:  How does Mary Shelley present the Creature’s desire for knowledge and learning?	Facing Obstacles: A View from the Bridge Summative Writing Assessment:  Write a speech arguing your point of view on how a person’s downfall is caused by their choices, and not by fate.	Power of Deception: Othello Summative Reading Assessment:  How does Shakespeare present Iago as a villain?

Key Stage 4 

Accessibility & Inclusion

STEP UP

Step Up is a specialised, non-exam-based course tailored specifically for students who require further, significant intervention to access the English curriculum beyond standard GCSE lessons. It is designed for students who we anticipate may not achieve a formal grade at GCSE level, providing them with a meaningful and accessible pathway to success.

Because the course is designed for students with varying needs, teachers can choose from a range of engaging, themed units (such as "Holidays" or "Pets") to select topics that best capture individual interest. Students are entered for either the Silver or Gold step, depending on their current academic level, allowing them to work and progress at a pace that perfectly suits their personal development.

Study Plus:

Study Plus as an Option Subject

Designed specifically for our Year 10 and 11 GCSE students, Study Plus is a targeted option subject that provides six additional, dedicated sessions focused entirely on maximising English potential. By operating in smaller class sizes with a scaled-down, highly focused curriculum, Study Plus creates a supportive environment where students can truly build their confidence and expertise. The programme delivers targeted intervention by systematically revising core topics covered in regular English lessons, providing structured revision time, and embedding vital exam skills practice. It is the ideal choice for students looking to reinforce their classroom learning, sharpen their exam techniques, and approach their final assessments with total confidence.

English Language and English Literature GCSEs

1. Supportive Classrooms and Collaborative Learning.  We keep our English classes capped at a maximum of 24 students. These smaller numbers mean teachers can move around the room easily, giving your child frequent, one-on-one feedback and helping them the moment they get stuck. In these classrooms, students of all abilities learn together. Through structured group activities—like partnering up to discuss ideas before writing them down—students naturally support one another. Stronger readers help model high-level vocabulary, which takes the pressure off students who find the subject more challenging or speak English as an additional language.

2. Fairness in Exam Design and Support. 

Preparing for GCSE Success

Because GCSE English is untiered—meaning every student sits the exact same exam paper and has the opportunity to achieve the highest grades (1 to 9)—we design our lessons to ensure no student is capped in their potential, while providing robust support so everyone can access the curriculum.

Here is how we adapt our teaching to prepare all students for GCSE success:

1. Teaching to the Top, Scaffolding Down: We introduce high-level, sophisticated ideas and vocabulary to the whole class, and then use targeted support—such as sentence stems, analytical templates, and key-term banks—to help every student reach those high standards.

2. Deconstructing Exam Questions: We break down complex, multi-step exam questions into simple, memorable routines. Students learn exactly "what" the question is looking for and "how" to plan their time before they start writing.

3. Building Exam Stamina Gradually: Sitting a long English exam can be daunting. We build student stamina progressively over time, starting with focused single-paragraph responses under timed conditions before moving on to full-length practice essays.

4. Step-by-Step Modeling: Before asking students to write independently under exam conditions, teachers live-model the writing process on the board, demonstrating how to plan, draft, and self-correct work in real time.

5. Targeted Feedback & Reflection Time: We use regular, low-stakes exam practice to pinpoint exactly where students are making progress or hitting barriers, allowing us to immediately adapt our next lessons to address any gaps in understanding.

Everyday Learning Tools and Guides

1. We use practical, in-lesson support and targeted interventions to ensure complex texts and writing tasks never feel overwhelming. Here are the core strategies our teachers use in every English lesson to support all learners:

2. Knowledge Organisers: At the start of every topic, students receive a Knowledge Organiser. This single-page reference sheet maps out the "bigger picture"—including key plot points, historical context, famous quotes, and essential vocabulary—to reduce cognitive load and boost confidence.

3. Visual Mapping & Dual-Coding: We match complex words with visual pictures, timelines, and graphic organisers. This helps students visually map out complex plots, like Scrooge’s journey in A Christmas Carol or the sequence of events in Macbeth.

4. Chunking: We break down lengthy texts and complex writing tasks into smaller, manageable "chunks" so students can focus on mastering one step at a time.

5. Scaffolded Extended Writing: We don’t expect students to face a blank page alone. We provide writing scaffolds, such as sentence starters, paragraph templates, and word banks, to help them confidently turn their spoken ideas into well-structured, independent essays.

6. Use of WAGOLL (What A Good One Looks Like): Teachers share high-quality, pre-written model answers. This gives students a clear blueprint of what success looks like before they pick up their pens.

7. Explicit Vocabulary & The Frayer Model: To teach challenging Tier 3 (academic and subject-specific) language, we use the Frayer Model. This four-part graphic organiser helps students break down a word by its definition, characteristics, examples, and non-examples, ensuring they deeply understand the word rather than just memorising it.

8. Supported Reading Lessons: To ensure reading is accessible to everyone, we adapt our lessons by pre-teaching key vocabulary, reading texts aloud as a class, and providing structured guided reading booklets to keep all students on track.

Home learning (frequency and expectations)

Teachers set homework on a weekly basis using Google classroom.  We aim to create independent learners through the use of additional reading, revision and resources on Google classroom.  Students may be asked to undertake any of the following: learning spellings and quotations, quizzes, grammar exercises, knowledge tests, creating knowledge organisers and revision resources, taking practice papers, GCSE questions and project-based research. Home learning is used to encourage a cohesive and collaborative learning culture. 

Additional Requirements 

To improve your English, you are expected to read regularly and actively use the wealth of reading material available in our library. Students at LIS are fortunate to be able to borrow up to six texts. We provide a variety of enrichment activities, from opportunities to see plays in and out of school, working with professional writers and poets and revision-based ‘Glitter’ sessions.  

Useful books to purchase

• CGP AQA Anthology on poetry- Love and Relationships cluster: The poetry guide

• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

• Macbeth by William Shakespeare

• An Inspector Calls by JB Priestley

• CGP GCSE English Language & Literature- Grade 1-9 Workbook

• Hodder Education: SUCCESS- AQA GCSE English Language: Get the Grade

• Cambridge publications: Student workbook for ‘Macbeth’, ‘An Inspector Calls’, ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘Poetry’.

• York Notes on Macbeth, A Christmas Carol, An Inspector Calls & Poetry