We believe that English is the basis of all learning and without the ability to communicate with others effectively we cannot learn. We strive to give our pupils an enthusiasm for the subject that will inspire them, in all areas of language and literature, for life. English lessons at Moon Hall take the pupils on a journey through the exciting worlds of prose, poetry and drama from classic texts to contemporary works.
Our philosophy is aimed at providing a broad, flexible and ambitious English curriculum supported by assessment that genuinely informs learning. Our teaching approach is based on two main aims:
With the strengthened focus on skills and independence in the GCSE curriculum, we use a range of techniques and activities to embed learning whilst ensuring that lessons are inspirational.
We aim to enable pupils to speak with confidence and communicate clearly in a wide variety of circumstances and situations. In September 2017 we introduced a new programme of lessons in oracy for all pupils from Year 7 to those pupils in Year 11 who are concentrating on the English Language GCSE. Pupils are therefore given the opportunity to enter a variety of exams focused on Speaking and Listening eg: English Speaking Board and/or LAMDA, giving them the opportunity to gain awards for individual and group spoken presentations, choral speaking and debating as appropriate to each year group. All pupils are given the opportunity to participate in drama productions and assemblies and are given the opportunity to read at the Carol Service.
We follow the AQA English Language GCSE syllabus which has two equally balanced papers:
Students will develop skills that enable them to appreciate a wide range of 19th, 20th and 21st-century texts.
We follow the AQA English Literature GCSE syllabus which has two papers:
Students will develop skills in literal and inferential comprehension, critical reading and evaluation. Literature is co-taught with Language as it allows students of all abilities to benefit greatly from the transferable skills
Independent Learning Activities
