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English Language & Literature
Vision statement
Our English curriculum celebrates the richness and diversity of our shared literary heritage, showing students that literature is for and belongs to everyone. We hope to inspire a lifelong love of reading through stories that speak to the human condition and illuminate how people and societies have both shaped and responded to a changing cultural world. Studying English encourages pupils to develop the ability to ask confident questions about texts, helping them to understand how writers work to engage, move and influence readers. English helps pupils to learn how to express themselves deftly in their writing, shaping and controlling their writing to suit their purpose with fluency, accuracy and flair. Students also learn to confidently and sensitively articulate their ideas in a range of situations from formal debate to classroom discussion and conversation. They learn to listen to each other, see things from other perspectives, accept feedback and develop the maturity needed to be able to change one’s mind. Confident, courageous, creative thinkers are what we seek to grow.
Our Students on English
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'I think English at the Swan is so special because of the diversity across the curriculum. The chosen texts allow for minority groups to feel represented in the literature they are engaging with. In the A-Level, the way that lessons are structured with majority class discussion means that you can develop and try out your ideas with classmates and the teacher before using them more confidently in independent essays and practice.'
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‘I would say that English Literature is the most unique subject there is to offer. I think that English Literature is the one subject which allows you to truly reveal yourself through your work, and brings untapped skills to the surface in a way that many other subjects do not.’
A typical English Lesson
A typical English lesson at the Swan begins with a retrieval task, intended to revise previously learned content and remind students of key content relevant to the lesson ahead. The lesson will then begin with expert teacher explanation and instruction followed by reading. Students will then practice annotation, answer comprehension questions and complete turn and talk activities. When students write, either analytically or creatively, they use a clearly defined writing method, which remains constant through the key stages, enabling all students to access complex tasks. We often use film adaptations of complex texts (e.g. Pride and Prejudice and Romeo and Juliet) to help students access complex texts.
