Our Curriculum

Through our curriculum we aim to foster confidence, curiosity and a passion for literature and language, with our end goal being that students achieve their personal best and leave Philip Southcote School with the tools they need to take their next steps. Our curriculum is designed to enable each pupil to flourish; following a programme of study and a specification which is tailored to their needs and capabilities.

Our KS3 English curriculum allows are students to explore a variety fiction and non-fiction accessible texts in order to enrich their understanding of the world around them. This includes; 19^th century fiction texts, contemporary fiction texts, poetry snippets from various genres, topics, cultures, traditions, and play texts spanning from pre-19^th century to the 21^st century as well as a range of functional non-fiction reading texts and writing extracts. We focus on both communication and writing in order to enable our students to share their opinions and ideas with others.

At Key Stage 4, pupils follow pathways most appropriate to each student’s individual need; enabling their achievements to be accredited through suitable qualifications tailored to them. All pupils access our Entry Level Certificate in English, whilst our most able students work towards an English Language GCSE qualification.

In our Sixth Form the development of English and Literacy remains a pivotal part of our learning. Reading and writing are embedded throughout the curriculum. Students are encouraged and supported in the use of fluent, fully structured sentences across the breadth of their pathways curriculum.  Students develop their communication and reading skills in diverse settings, from reading menus and ordering food and drink in a cafe to working alongside colleagues during Work Experience and being able to recognise work-related Health & Safety signs.

We have created a ‘love of reading’ culture at Philip Southcote and take a whole school approach, ensuring that it is embedded across the curriculum. We understand that when you find reading difficult, it is difficult to love reading and therefore we focus on equipping our students with the confidence to learn, the mechanical skills to read and ability to comprehend. Students have a timetabled reading session with their tutor every day. Two days a week we focus on comprehension and understanding through group reading, in which we discuss, debate and imagine. We then have two days of focusing on the mechanics and fluidity of reading where students will read independently with the support of staff. For our students who are building on their phonics knowledge, we use these four sessions to continue working through the phases with age-appropriate groups and resources. We also have a targeted intervention group for those who find it tricky to comprehend plots, identity vocabulary, infer, predict and sequence.

Once a week, we have our beloved book club where staff and students can bond over a shared passion. This could be fitness magazines, cook books, favourite authors, favourite genres and more. It is important that staff are able to be role models and promote the love of reading. We run monthly reading challenges in which staff and students have the opportunity to gain their house team points and work towards a chance of winning the end of year reading day out.

Across all Key Stages, we aim to foster independence, empowerment and resilience by developing our student’s abilities to communicate effectively; encouraging them to become ambitious and aspirational in all that they do.

English Department Subject Rationale

English Department Learning Journey

Sixth Form English Department Learning Journey