At Alder Grange we view English as an essential tool for success in today’s society. Spoken and written English helps to develop the individual. They are essential for accessing the curriculum as a whole and a sound command of English contributes towards overall confidence, comprehension and future success.
The English Department’s vision for every ‘Alder Granger’ is clear and simple: to ensure that all pupils at Alder Grange are able to:
discover and develop their knowledge and passions: It is our vision to ignite passion and enjoyment in our pupils and to promote English and English Literature as enjoyable subjects that have a clear relevance to pupils’ individual experiences and interests. We harness current events and texts that have a ‘real world’ impact on our learners, in order to develop their thirst for knowledge and desire to be active members of society.
access an inclusive broad range of subjects: Our courses are designed around relevant, interesting and diverse texts, ranging from classical prose and poetry to modern teenage fiction; broadsheet newspapers to witty travel writing; Greek mythology to current affairs. At all key stages, there is a clear and explicit focus on vocabulary in order to furnish our pupils with the skills and tools to access the English curriculum, and indeed other curriculum areas, confidently and competently.
be prepared for the future: We believe it is imperative that young people have both the ability to form their own, reasoned ideas and views of the ever changing world that surrounds them. It is crucial that tomorrow’s generations consist of those who are able to separate fact from fiction; real news from ‘fake’ news and opinion from actuality. We aim to expose students to an eclectic range of materials, furnishing them with the transferrable skills required in final examinations but also to instill a love of literature that will stay with them for a lifetime.
be good citizens: Our pupils will learn to write persuasively, informatively and for entertainment purposes. They will use their imaginations to create exciting works of fiction, or their knowledge of language and structure to write and deliver convincing arguments. Ultimately though, it is our goal to pass on our passion and love of English to our pupils so that they too can become enthusiastic readers, writers and speakers who grow into informed citizens adept at critical thinking and problem solving.
The curriculum is intended to promote and value equally, the following cross-curricular themes:
- Culture & the Arts
- STEM & Digital technology
- Language Mastery
- Numeracy
- Reasoning
- Wellbeing – both physical, mental and social
- Spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness & Citizenship
- Mastery
- Critical thinking
- Independent learning skills
- Extra curricular projects
- Inclusion