Rationale
Our vision in English for all students is that they leave equipped with an appreciation and respect for the power of language and literature and the confidence and conviction to communicate effectively in a wide range of personal, social and professional settings.
The English faculty at Haslingden High school is a large and hugely successful team of 14 teaching staff, with GCSE and A Level results being of a consistently high standard, and significantly above the national average. The faculty is led by a very experienced Curriculum Leader, with two Assistant Curriculum Leaders, who lead on English language and English literature, respectively.
We follow the Eduqas courses at GCSE, and all students are entered for English language and literature. A Levels in English language and English literature are popular subjects offered at KS5.
English Overview
Homework
Homework in Year 7 and 8
Homework in year 7 and 8 will take a variety of forms and target knowledge retrieval, metacognition and skills revision. Students will be enrolled onto the Century Tech online learning programme which covers literacy, reading and writing. The programme will direct students to complete tasks that have been selected especially for them according to their strengths and areas for development. However, class teachers may set additional assignments where appropriate to targets specific skills that are covered in class. For all work completed on the Century Tech platform, students will receive immediate feedback and will be able to revisit areas in which they need further practice. Additionally, students will be set explicit vocabulary tasks to support their understanding of and ability to discuss key concepts linked to the schemes of learning. In some instances, homework may have a more creative focus and require students to produce a personal response to a text studied in class.
In the lead up to assessment weeks, students will complete revision tasks to support their preparation for the exam. This may include revisiting previous tasks; completing targeted ‘close the gap’ activities; using quizzes to recall specific knowledge or engaging in metacognitive activities designed to strengthen students’ familiarity with specific questions.
Feedback on homework tasks will be facilitated through a range of methods, including self-mark quizzes; supervised self or peer assessment or timely ‘close the gap’ activities in class. It is our ambition that homework in year 7 and 8 will aid students in becoming independent, motivated and resilient learners.
Because English is a core subject, students will be set one piece of homework a week and are expected to spend around 20 minutes on it. Students will be given a week to complete homework but are encouraged to look over work promptly so that they can contact their teacher if they need support.
Y9 Homework
Homework in year 9 will take a variety of forms and target knowledge retrieval, metacognition and skills revision. Students in year 9 will continue to follow the Century Tech online learning programme which covers literacy, reading and writing. The programme will direct students to complete tasks that have been selected especially for them according to their strengths and areas for development. However, class teachers may set additional assignments where appropriate to targets specific skills that are covered in class. It is our ambition that the online learning programme will aid pupils in becoming independent, motivated and resilient home learners in preparation for GCSE. For all work completed on the Century Tech platform, students will receive immediate feedback and will be able to revisit areas in which they need further practice. Additionally, students will be set explicit vocabulary tasks to support their understanding of and ability to discuss key concepts linked to the schemes of learning.
In the lead up to assessment weeks, students will complete revision tasks to support their preparation for the exam. This may include revisiting previous tasks; completing targeted ‘close the gap’ activities; using quizzes to recall specific knowledge or engaging in metacognitive activities designed to strengthen students’ familiarity with specific questions.
Feedback on homework tasks will be facilitated through a range of methods, including self-mark quizzes; supervised self or peer assessment or timely ‘close the gap’ activities in class. It is our ambition that homework in year 9 will aid students in becoming independent, motivated and resilient learners.
Because English is a core subject, students will be set one piece of homework a week and are expected to spend around 25 minutes on it. Students will be given a week to complete homework but are encouraged to look over work promptly so that they can contact their teacher if they need support.
Y10 Homework
Homework in Y10 is intended to provide opportunities for extended practice of the language and literature skills taught in class and to develop students’ capacity for independent learning. Pupils will receive 30 minutes of English homework per week, which may be focused on one substantial task or a series of shorter activities. Most homework will be designed to enable students to improve their fluency and confidence through practice and consolidation of task types they are familiar with including exam style questions, fiction and non-fiction writing tasks and knowledge retrieval activities. Some homework will be designed to encourage students to develop a sense of responsibility for their own learning and may include tasks that encourage pupils to explore the subject in self-directed and creative ways. This may include research, the creation of revision aids, a choice of text transformation activities, or pre-lesson preparation such as reading ahead or note-taking so that teacher input during the lesson is maximised. In advance of the ‘Spoken Language’ assessment, pupils may be asked to rehearse the delivery of their speeches at home, to an audience where possible. Pupils will be given a week to complete homework, but are encouraged to look over work promptly so that they may contact their teacher if they are in need of support. Teachers will facilitate feedback in a variety of forms, including supervised self or peer assessment. Further independent study suggestions will be provided on an optional basis for students wishing to extended their learning.
Y11 Homework
Y11 pupils will be given two homeworks per week – one for English language and one for English literature.
Students will be set one 20-30 minute task for English literature per week. The nature of these tasks will differ to those set for English language as they are designed to enable pupils to build up their revision materials and close any gaps in their subject knowledge in advance of the GCSE assessment. Pupils will be directed to quizzes on Socrative, Seneca Learning alongside other resources on Showbie. Tasks may include re-reading set texts or listening to audio versions; annotating extracts and poems; completing essay plans; learning key quotes; taking online recall quizzes; producing knowledge organisers, flashcards, mind maps and other visual aids. Teachers will regularly monitor the completion of this work. Further independent study suggestions will be provided on an optional basis for students wishing to extend their learning.
For English Language, pupils will be set one 20-30 minute task per week. This may include a combination of short skills-development and knowledge retrieval tasks, such as SPAG worksheets and Seneca learning modules, as well as long-answer exam practice questions. As year 11 students move towards their exams, they should expect to be set more exam-style responses to complete independently, supported by reading and planning work done in class. As an entirely skills-based subject, it is essential that pupils regularly revisit and reinforce the skills taught in class through frequent practice at home which is also designed to build up the writing speed and stamina necessary for exam success. Tasks may require pupils to read a passage of fiction or non-fiction and answer a series of questions which test their ability to analyse, evaluate and compare texts. They will be asked to produce their own written texts across a wide range of genres, such as narratives, letters, reports, reviews, speeches and lively articles. Further independent study suggestions will be provided on an optional basis for students wishing to extend their learning.
Y12 English language
Students will be set one homework and one independent study task per week. In the Autumn term for independent study students will be directed to a core booklet that they will work through during guided study periods. Homework tasks and independent study across the full year will be set in a variety of forms including: terminology revision / terminology tests; note-taking and writing up notes taken in lessons; transforming notes into revision material; reading materials from class and from wider sources; researching and collecting data; completing coursework; preparing for discussions or presentations; answering questions and writing extended essay responses; rewriting and editing work to close the gap.
Y13 English language
Students will be set one homework and one independent study task per week. Homework tasks and independent study across the full year will be set in a variety of forms including: terminology revision / terminology tests; note-taking and writing up notes taken in lessons; transforming notes into revision material; reading materials from class and from wider sources; researching and collecting data; completing coursework; preparing for discussions or presentations; answering questions and writing extended essay responses; rewriting and editing work to close the gap. A portion of Y13 homework and independent study during the Autumn term will be dedicated to coursework completion which forms part of Component 4: NEA (20%)
Y12 English literature
Students will be set one homework and one independent study task per week, totalling 2 hours. The tasks will be a combination of reading/written tasks for homework and research/exploratory tasks for independent study. The homework will be based on the core texts studied in class, alongside extracts from Gothic literature and Hamlet; continued reading and/or short written responses to key extracts in order to consolidate the learning done in class, alongside preparing students for the skills needed in the exams. Independent study will consist of tasks that primarily focus on context (AO3) and critical views and interpretations (AO5) that will facilitate the understanding of core texts/genre and the critical exploration needed. Students will be directed to Massolit and a variety of resources of Showbie.
Y13 English literature
Students will be set one homework and one independent study task per week, totalling 2 hours. The tasks will be a combination of reading/written tasks for homework and recall/revision tasks for independent study. The homework set will be timed exam style questions to enable students to build the written skills and stamina needed for the exam. This will also allow teachers to closely monitor student understanding of core texts and exam assessment objectives, that will inform any intervention needed for individual students throughout Y13. Independent study will consist of a variety of recall/revision tasks of core texts, linked to assessment objectives. Students will be provided with the appropriate skills needed to revise effectively through modelling of revision techniques and the provision of appropriate resources (knowledge organisers/flashcards/mind maps etc) that will enable students to build up a bank of effective revision material prior to the exams. Students will also be required to complete the coursework element of the course as independent study.