The English curriculum at Co-op Florence MacWilliams aims to be inclusive, academic, intellectual and ambitious. It is a curriculum that explores and utilises the best of what is already known to our students, but also takes them beyond their lived experience; a curriculum that gives all pupils the chance to read, understand and question great literary texts in their diverse forms; a curriculum that gives them the linguistic and expressive tools to read and respond to the world around them.

Through their KS3 journey, students will be asked to consider what stories are and why we tell them. They will study a range of literary texts in diverse forms. They will delve into three Shakespeare plays (both comedy and tragedy) and examine 19th century literature in context, but also read modern plays, poems and novels. The curriculum opens with a close study of 'The Odyssey', exploring the origins of literature, characterisation, setting and symbolism. The pupils will then build on this essential knowledge with the modern novel 'The Bone Sparrow', allowing the pupils to develop their ability to link literary aspects to broader issues that are highly relevant to today's society. These disciplinary and thematic threads are developed throughout the three years with exploration of 'Animal Farm', 'The Empress' and a diverse range of poetry. Throughout the curriculum, we teach students the substantive and conceptual knowledge required to truly understand different literary genres and eras.

Alongside the literary study, language is mastered through allowing pupils to grapple with grammar, vocabulary, etymology and rhetorical devices. The application of grammatical knowledge to be integrated into the reading/writing sequences. Explicitly learning about these elements allows them to build their control of language and, ultimately, to craft and manipulate it. Through the examination of the voices and styles in a wide range of non-fiction texts, students are encouraged to experiment with and develop their own voices and styles. 

Furthermore, the development of the pupils' spoken language is a priority of the English curriculum; the conventions of spoken language and how to speak successfully for a range of purposes are explicitly taught- there are a number of oracy assessments built into the curriculum.

Naturally, the KS3 curriculum will prepare the pupils at Co-op Academy Florence MacWilliams to thrive in their GCSE English Language and Literature. At KS4, our vision is to provide greater depth to the language extracts and literature works they study; not just as an ‘English book’ but placing them each within the historical, artistic, geographic, scientific and cultural context of their time. 

Assessment of pupil learning is a blend of low-stakes knowledge tests, multiple choice quizzes, and formal, extended writing designed to challenge their literary and linguistic knowledge. Regular formative and summative assessment points, including ongoing recall and retention strategies, ensure that the knowledge and skills accumulate and are applied in numerous contexts, leading to mastery: the most important aspect of our curriculum.