Rationale 

English has a pre-eminent place in education and society, meaning all English teachers have a shared responsibility to ensure that our students are equipped for the demands of adulthood and the world of work. In the English Department, we want to create an inclusive and inspiring environment where all students feel supported and empowered to succeed. We also fully embrace the vision, values, and aims of the Academy Trust. As a department of English specialists, we aim to:

• ensure all students are able to speak, read and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions in a cogent and articulate manner;
• provide students with a curriculum which is engaging, inspiring and challenging for all, regardless of starting point or ability;
• ensure the curriculum will always have sufficient depth and coverage to enable all students to progress over five years, with an emphasis on developing the whole student culturally, emotionally and spiritually;
• instil a passion for life-long learning and continuous improvement, so students are both creative and critical of the information they encounter in an ever-changing modern world;
• sequence the curriculum in such a way that skills, knowledge and concepts build upon each other, and that the golden thread that weaves its way through rhetoric, linguistics, literary study and composition enhances students’ learning experience;
• focus on student development by providing exciting and challenging learning and extracurricular opportunities and experiences;
• enable students to develop a repertoire of ambitious vocabulary so that pupils are equipped with the language required to express themselves in a sophisticated manner.
• remain committed to the core principle that all students will make good progress regardless of starting point or social background and will be able to go on to their chosen career path with a solid foundation of English.