At Kings Phoenix Leadership Academy we aim for our pupils to build resilience in their English lessons with the intent of pupils returning to mainstream education. This curriculum has been created with it in mind that pupils will be returning to various schools, studying a variety of different topics and exam boards. The curriculum has therefore been designed for all pupils to excel upon this return and feel ready to meet the needs of a mainstream classroom. Pupils will develop their skills in reading, writing, listening and speakers, with the intention of pupils being able to return to school both confident and understanding in their English knowledge. The curriculum aims to incorporate texts that pupils can relate to on a personal level, such as, Year 9 pupils will study A Christmas Carol in the run up to the Christmas holidays – It is hoped planning like this will encourage pupils to engage more with the course.
Our curriculum intent is to provide pupils, at Kings Phoenix Leadership Academy, with the skills necessary to communicate effectively in speaking, writing and listening. In English communication is key to the personal development and success of our pupils. We aim to support students in being able to communicate effectively and confidently through the teaching of; vocabulary, spelling, grammar, punctuation and writing skills. Pupils at King’s Phoenix have the opportunity to write in a variety of different styles and prose, the aim of this is to support pupils in developing their own opinions and challenging those of their peers in a supportive environment. Ensuring our pupils are able to communicate effectively, through their use of English, will allow them to build resilience for life beyond King’s Phoenix and life skills they will need through their teenage years into adulthood.
At King’s Leadership Phoenix Academy our intent is that our students develop their communication skills in speaking and listening and in writing. Communication is fundamental to personal development and successful study in English. We support students to achieve confident communication through the explicit teaching of vocabulary, spelling, grammar, punctuation and writing skills. They will prepare and present presentations of a topic of their choice, take part in discussions to express, develop and challenge their own opinions in a supportive environment, to build on life skills and resilience for life beyond King’s Phoenix. Imagination and creativity are also central to writing; throughout our curriculum, students are given the opportunity to write a range of creative and transactional pieces.
Individual pupils with significant gaps in learning will be identified, so an intervention programme can be designed for them individually, including
Pearson/Edexcel is the chosen exam board for GCSE English Language with all pupils (8) in year 11 being entered. One of the contributing factors for this choice was the exam paper being accessible for our learners with special educational needs (ASC, ADHD, Dyslexia) due to the sequential layout of the exam paper. The transactional section of the paper also provides learners with skills they can take onto employment and further education e.g. letter writing, article reading, application forms. The spoken language component aids our learners with social progress and works on communication skills.
The assessment objectives from the GCSE English Language specification and Functional Skills English are mapped in parallel. This is to embed the key skills and build on prior learning, in addition to providing an alternative qualification option for pupils who have significant gaps in learning due to missed time in education.