ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
We seek to appoint an energetic and enthusiastic English teacher who will be committed to raising the
standards of pupils’ achievements.
General Information
We aim to engage the interest and enthusiasm of the pupils while ensuring that the framework objectives
are taught and revisited. We do this by providing pupils with a scheme of work that is both varied and
stimulating.
The English teaching takes place in five adjacent rooms. We also have a well-equipped drama studio. Our
school library has an excellent range of materials and contains a number of computers.
Years 7 and 9 receive 4 x 60 minute periods of English a week. Year 8 receives 3 x 60 minute periods.
Pupils are taught in sets in all year groups. We use continuous assessment to track each pupil's progress
and include moderated assessments for all three attainment targets.
On arrival at the school, Year 7 pupils are put into groups of similar ability, according to their KS2 SATs
results. They stay in these groups for the first term. The first term's units are: Memories and Moments,
Cautionary Tales and Dickens' A Christmas Carol. During this time they produce a range of written work,
complete some timed assessments and take part in a drama activity in small groups. We use all the data
from this term, as well as their KS2 teacher assessments and test results, to put them into half-year sets in
January. As pupils progress at different rates, we regularly refer to data and move pupils if we feel that
they would be better suited to a different set.
The following units are taught in each year group: Literary Heritage, Media, Non-Fiction, Novel, Poetry,
Genre and Plays. We aim to provide progression in each category through the three-year course. Study of
media in Year 7 involves work based on the television programme Robot Wars. In Year 8, it forms part of
the nonfiction and Macbeth units encouraging pupils to appreciate the possibilities and limitations of
different media, and in Year 9, the KS4 bridging unit involves the study of a particular genre of film and film
techniques.
Many of our pupils are keen and regular readers and the school library has an excellent range of the latest
fiction. Private reading is actively encouraged through holiday reading challenges for all three year groups
and wide reading is rewarded with special certificates. We take pupils in each year group into the library to
complete particular tasks and to keep pupils informed about the new fiction. Each year we welcome
authors to speak to pupils about their own books and to give helpful advice. In addition, we invite a local
author, Steve Bowkett, to work with our Year 7 pupils on aspects of fiction writing. Steve is an inspirational
speaker and he gives the pupils lots of practical advice to help them write their own stories at the end of
the novel unit. One of our most challenging and popular units is the private reading presentation unit called
Book in a Box. Year 8 pupils do this in the summer term, and it causes quite a buzz around the school as
well as maintaining the high profile of reading for pleasure.
Our Year 9 syllabus is designed to prepare pupils to deal confidently with the demands of the KS4 course.
We ensure that the units give many opportunities for pupils to develop their creativity as well as their
accuracy. Pupils enjoy studying a novel by Robert Swindells with the theme of survival. In the second
term, they study a more challenging fiction text in preparation for the literature work in KS4. They use a
number of non-fiction text types in a travel writing unit; learn about the progress of poetry from the sonnet
to free verse and write their own poetry; read and perform set scenes from a Shakespeare play; practise
the art of persuasion and read and write short stories with a twist in the tale.
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We have structured our scheme of work so that all year groups can celebrate annual events, such as
National Poetry Day and World Book Day. We encourage pupils to enter local and national poetry writing
competitions. Each year, Year 7 pupils are involved in the ‘Send My Friend to School’ initiative. We have
also invited a performance poet, Shakespeare theatre group and local author to work with our pupils. We
aim to build on the successful practice of the department by monitoring and evaluating each unit annually
so that it remains relevant to the needs and interests of our pupils.
Topics Include
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Genre: Memories and
Moments
Poetry: Cautionary Tales
Literary Heritage: Great
storyteller - Charles Dickens;
Greek Myths
Drama: A Christmas Carol
Media: Robot Wars
Non-Fiction: Teenage
Curfews
Modern Novel: Holes by Louis
Sachar
Fiction: Story writing
Non-fiction: Living without
Cruelty (includes debate)
Poetry: Ballads
Literary Heritage: Introduction
to Shakespeare
Drama: Macbeth (includes film
study)
Modern Novel
Literary heritage: Gothic
Literature
Genre: Horror
Fiction: 'Book in a Box' project
Modern novel on theme of
Survival
Literary Heritage:
Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet
Poetry
Classic Novel or play
Non-Fiction: Travel writing
Genre: Short story - A Twist in
the Tale
Media: Film Studies - Key
Stage 4 Bridging Unit
SATS Results
% Leics Nat'l Kibw'th
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English
100
90
Leics
80
National
70
Kibworth
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
50
1996
60
1995
% Levels 5 & Above
SATS Results
1995 64
55
55
1996 69
57
69
1997 63
57
89
1998 74
65
83
1999 73
64
90
2000 72
64
91
2001 72
65
77
2002 76
68
83
2003 75
68
76
2004 79
71
84.6
2005 83
74
90
2006 83
72
91
2007 86
75
93.4
2008 81
75
92.4
Teacher Assessment
Results
2009 85.95 77
91.7
2010 88
79
94.5
2011 90
81
97.39
2012 91
84
95.38