English

The English Curriculum at Kingshott is inspired by the English and Media Centre’s vision for how English should be taught, and is therefore designed around key text forms and types of writing. Each year, students are exposed to engaging and thoughtful novels, short stories, plays, poetry and non-fiction. In every unit, students produce a range of creative and critical writing across different genres and for different audiences, and have plenty of opportunities to discuss ideas, take on roles and communicate formally.  

Diverse Literary Short Stories 

Year 7: The Paradise Carpet, Resigned, Happily-Ever After, The Open Window. 

Year 8: I Used to Live Here Once, The Flowers, The Hitch-hiker, The Diamond Necklace. 

Year 9: The Colour of Humanity, The Last Woman on Earth, Time Capsule Found on the Dead Planet, An Account of the Decline of the Great Auk. 

Novel  

Year 7: When the Sky Falls by Phil Earle. 

Year 8: Animal Farm by George Orwell. 

Year 9: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  

Poetry  

Year 7: What is a Poem? The Choices Poets Make. In Praise Of… 

Year 8: Poets that Speak Out. A Study of Robert Frost. The Poetry of Love. 

Year 9: Across the Generations. Complicated Relationships. Experimental Poets.   

Drama 

Year 7: Introduction to Shakespeare with The Globe Players and a ‘pick and mix’ production featuring 11 of his plays! 

Year 8: Romeo and Juliet (from 2026).  

Year 9: An Inspector Calls (for GCSE Literature).  

Note: Study of Macbeth in Year 10 (for GCSE Literature). 

Public Speaking  

From 5th-century BCE Athens to the 21st century, our lessons on rhetoric and study of persuasive speeches will enable students to confidently write and deliver their own! 

Non-fiction 

Year 7: Looking for Adventure. My Story. 

Year 8: Sports Shorts. Brain Waves. 

Year 9: Holding Hands in the Dark. 

Our curriculum draws on a wide range of literary texts from different periods, places, and traditions. We firmly believe that the texts used in the classroom need to reflect the diversity of contemporary British society, and the world beyond. We also believe that reading beyond the canon enriches and develops greater understanding of it, rather than detracting from it. This is why a range of authors are studied across our curriculum. 

English Literature

Literature helps us better understand our lives, ourselves, and the world around us. The powerful stories taught at Kingshott teach vital lessons about the human condition.  

As well as developing the intellectual and emotional growth of each student, our lessons will cultivate their appreciation of language and the clever ways in which writers construct their tales.  

Using regular discussion and lively debate as part of our teaching, students will improve their ability to put forward clear and convincing arguments about the stories they study. 

English Language (AQA) 

Effective communication is key to both academic and personal success. English lessons at Kingshott will support students in becoming clear and confident writers who can craft powerful descriptions, intriguing narratives, persuasive speeches, and lively opinion-pieces.  

By studying the linguistic and structural methods writers use to shape engaging stories or to convey their thoughts and feelings on an important issue, our students will also become aware of a range of strategies to use in their own imaginative writing. 

For more information, please see our GCSE Options handbook. 

At Kingshott, students are given enriching opportunities within and beyond their regular English lessons, and these include opportunities to join clubs, enter competitions, see performances and attend special events.  

Clubs 

• Discuss an engaging novel in our Book Club. 

• Read and perform verse at Poetry Club. 

• Critique a moving picture at Film Review Club. 

• Practise exam skills at Comprehension Club. 

• View and discuss powerful productions in Shakespeare Club. 

Competitions  

• Choose a poem, learn it by heart and perform it out loud for Poetry by Heart. 

• Think on your feet and practise your speaking and listening skills in Just a Minute! 

• Get creative and hone your imaginative writing by entering BBC 500 Words (Year 7). 

• Stand up for what you believe in and become a persuasive orator in Public Speaking. 

• Explore important issues and develop a distinctive writing voice by entering the Orwell Youth Prize. 

• Participate in a sponsored read and raise money for children’s hospitals (Read for Good Readathon).  

• Explore nature and write articles with a chance of being published in The Guardian (Young Country Diary). 

Theatre Trips and Visiting Companies  

• Year 9 saw Stephen Daldry’s landmark production of An Inspector Calls at Milton Keynes Theatre (May 2025). 

• The Globe Players introduced Shakespeare to Year 7 with a ‘pick and mix’ production featuring 11 of his plays (April 2025). 

• Shakespeare Club went to watch a stunning version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Barbican Theatre (January 2025). 

• The Globe Players performed an entertaining adaptation of A Christmas Carol for Years 6 to 9 (December 2024). 

Thank you for organising such an incredible visit to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They had a wonderful time and hasn’t stopped talking about the experience since. The production truly brought Shakespeare’s work to life in a way that was engaging and memorable. It was clear how much effort went into making this experience special for the students, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity you provided to deepen their understanding and appreciation of classic literature! 

Events 

• As part of our celebrations for World Book Day, Helen Comerford, author of The Love Interest (nominated for a Carnegie Medal), visited Kingshott to deliver inspiring talks and creative writing workshops to Years 6 to 9. 

• For National Poetry Day, Year 7 co-created a poem with author Laura Mucha (What Do You Think Counts?) and in doing so helped set a Guinness World Record! 

• Avid and enthusiastic readers are invited to participate in the North Herts Schools’ Book Award. 

We work hard to support students of all abilities in numerous ways, but three key principles in our lessons are to: 

• Ask probing questions and facilitate purposeful discussion so that all students have opportunities to explain what they know, think or feel and receive timely feedback. 

• Share and discuss models for writing different texts (e.g., articles, stories, essays, journal entries) so students have ideas and templates for their own written work, whilst encouraging innovation and creativity at the same time.  

• Guide student writing by demonstrating under the visualiser, providing adaptable sentence starters, and circulating when students work, looking closely at responses to check for errors and celebrate successes.  

We work hard to stretch and challenge students of all abilities in numerous ways, but three key principles in our lessons are to: 

• Set high expectations so students apply full intellectual and creative effort when reading, writing, and talking, and when completing homework.  

• Enable students to regularly write with individuality and style, and not to settle for their first draft.    

• Signpost wider-reading (poetry, articles, novels, online study guides) and wider-listening (such as discussions of set texts on BBC Radio 4’s In Our Time). 

We have designed an ambitious curriculum that places a high premium on formative assessment. Teachers evaluate the progress of their students at regular intervals and identify what their strengths as a reader and writer are, and what the next stage of their development should be.  

This is primarily achieved by reading and marking written work, including homework, and providing students with individual or whole-class feedback. In this process, teachers form a holistic judgement on the attainment of each student. 

In addition to meaningful formative assessment, students will sit a Progress Test in English (GL) at the start and end of each academic year and a New Group Reading Test (GL) in the Spring Term. This provides a standardised test and measure of students’ attainment in core English skills: reading, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and comprehension.