Department Information

The English Department at King James I Academy want all students to experience an English Curriculum that is varied, interesting, creative, imaginative, challenging and engaging.  We want the students we teach to be enthused by our own passion for a subject that is the foundation stone of so many other subjects as it encompasses elements of history, religious education, philosophy, ethics, geography, politics, psychology, sociology and the media. 

We want to empower the students we teach to think critically, analytically and empathetically to enable them to evolve into confident, creative, and effective communicators who can research, theorise and interpret independently allowing them to make informed choices, express mature opinions and ultimately encouraging them to be successful learners and responsible citizens.

As we, as a team, celebrate English and impart our passion for the rich and diverse variety and complexity of Language and Literature, we aim to inspire students to read widely and for pleasure, whilst immersing themselves in viewpoints and perspectives from different cultures and times that will enrich and develop their knowledge and thinking. 

All staff foster the enjoyment of English through a broad curriculum built on the premise of challenge to facilitate rapid progress through a variety of learning experiences.  We want our students to be engaged in a dialogue that builds confidence so that they can direct their own learning; identifying their own strengths and areas for development and supporting them in their progress.

The love of the subject is nurtured as students are provided with authentic, meaningful and relevant learning experiences that increase motivation and ensure that they are supported to develop the skills that enable them to compete effectively in the national race for success.

Key Stage 5

AQA English Literature A

Paper 1: Love Through the Ages:              40% of final grade

Paper 2: Texts in Shared Contexts:           40% of final grade

Non-exam assessment: Independent critical study: texts across time     20% of final grade

Year 12

Students are encouraged to explore the relationships that exist between texts and the contexts within which they are written, received and understood.  They will investigate and connect texts, drawing out patterns of similarity and difference using a variety of reading strategies and perspectives.  This course privileges the process of making autonomous meaning, encouraging students to debate and challenge the interpretations of other readers as they develop their own informed personal responses.

Year 13

Students in Year 13 have the opportunity to develop as an informed independent reader through close reading of a wide range of literary texts.  They will be expected to demonstrate an ability to synthesise key knowledge and link, connect and compare a wide range of texts and extracts.  The syllabus encourages students to explore the relationships that exist between texts and the contexts within which they are written, received and understood.

AQA English Language A

Paper 1: Language, the individual and society      40% of final grade

Paper 2: Language diversity and change              40% of final grade

Non-exam assessment: Language in action          20% of final grade

Year 12

Students experience a opportunities to explore key language concepts and engage with a range of texts and discourses.  The course explores the English language as a medium of communication and as a topic in its own right.  The emphasis at Year 12 is on the ability of the students to pursue lines of enquiry, analyse texts produced by others and debate different views.

Year 13

Students in Year 13 have the opportunity to develop their subject expertise by engaging creatively and critically with a wide range of texts and discourses.  Students will create texts and reflect critically on their own processes of production, while analysing texts produced by others.  In Year 13 language is seen as a creative tool for expression and social connection, as well as for individual cognition.  The study of language as a symbolic system used to assert power in society is also fundamental to the course in Year 13.

Learning Journeys

English