Overview 

The Key Stage 3 English curriculum is designed in line with the National Curriculum for English, developing students’ abilities in reading, writing, and spoken language. Through the study of Shakespeare, poetry, rhetoric, non-fiction, 20th-century literature, and a range of genres, students build analytical, creative, and critical thinking skills. The curriculum prepares students for the demands of GCSE English Language and Literature by combining literary study with functional literacy and critical evaluation.  

Curriculum Intent 

The KS3 English curriculum aims to: 

• Develop confident readers who can interpret, analyse, and evaluate a wide range of texts 

• Enable students to write clearly and effectively across different forms, purposes, and audiences 

• Provide knowledge of literary heritage, including Shakespeare and key poetic traditions 

• Build understanding of writers’ methods (language, structure, form) 

• Develop rhetorical awareness and persuasive communication skills 

• Encourage critical engagement with a broad range of diverse narrative voices 

• Promote enjoyment of reading across different genres and time periods, including 20th-century literature 

• Prepare students for the academic and skills-based demands of KS4 

Curriculum Implementation 

Teaching approach 

• Explicit teaching of reading skills: retrieval, inference, analysis, comparison, and evaluation through the application of V.I.T.A.L reading approaches. 

• Teacher modelling of high-quality analytical, creative and transactional writing 

• Regular use of whole texts and extracts across genres and time periods 

• Structured oracy through discussion, debate, and presentation 

• Integrated teaching of grammar, vocabulary, and SPaG within all units 

• Regular formative assessment integrated into lessons to monitor progress 

• Summative assessments each term covering reading and writing 

Sequencing of learning 

• Year 7: Establish core literacy, introduce key genres and foundational concepts 

• Year 8: Develop deeper analysis, introduce full texts (including Shakespeare) and more complex ideas 

• Year 9: Embed independence and GCSE-style thinking, with increasingly challenging texts and tasks 

• Topics are revisited and interleaved to build depth and retention 

Assessment 

• Regular formative assessments 

• Summative assessments each term covering reading and writing strands 

• Spoken language assessed through presentations and structured discussion 

• Year 9 assessments include GCSE-style analytical and writing tasks 

Curriculum Structure 

Key Stage 3 

Year	Topics / Units	Key Knowledge & Skills
7	Myths and Legends, Poetry over Time, Introduction to Shakespeare, Famous figures over Time, Private Peaceful	Understand diverse texts, analyse language and structure, infer meaning, apply context, organise ideas, write creatively and persuasively, and communicate accurately
8	Art of the Rhetoric, Animal Farm, The Tempest, Gothic, War Poetry, Short Reads	Analyse rhetoric and power, explore themes, compare texts, evaluate viewpoints, examine form and structure, and write analytically with clear, controlled expression.
9	Poetry of Protest, Macbeth, Travel Writing, Creative Prose, Diverse Shorts	Analyse protest themes, Shakespeare tragedy, travel writing conventions, craft creative prose, compare diverse texts, evaluate viewpoints, write perceptively

Enrichment 

Clubs, trips, competitions, workshops.