In Senior School, each year group has a minimum of four periods per week.
The core aims of the Key Stage 3 English
Bailiwick of Guernsey Curriculum are to inspire success by encouraging learners to: read easily, fluently and with good understanding and to develop the habit of reading widely and often; for both pleasure and information. Acquiring a wide vocabulary and an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language is imperative, as well as being encouraged to appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage.
Similarly, all Schemes of Learning are tailored to new GCSE specification requirements for English Language and English Literature. These are: the study of a whole text by William Shakespeare, Pre-19th Century Literature, unseen texts (both fiction and non-fiction), post-1914 prose or drama, poetry across the ages, unseen non-fiction, fiction and media texts, writing for genre, audience and purpose and written communication (spelling, punctuation, grammar and register).
At St. Anne’s, the promotion of a love of reading is paramount to us. All students are expected to have their own reading book of suitable quality and age appropriateness every day. One lesson each week is a dedicated ‘Reading and Literacy’ lesson where 30 minutes are allocated for private reading and reflection and 30 minutes for the week’s core literary focus.
Across all Key Stages, we, at St. Anne’s, strive to develop a love of reading for enjoyment, information and learning, to apply reading skills to a range of real life contexts and to meet published writers. The Young People’s Alderney Literary Festival has proved a great success. Similarly, we offer our pupils opportunities to search for information using printed and digital material and to make choices about the appropriateness of the information, allowing the development of confidence in reading with fluency, intonation and expression.
Pupils are motivated to write for real-life situations and pleasure, for a range of purposes and audiences in an appropriate style and format in both fiction and non-fiction. We encourage the exploration of writing using different media and multimodal formats, developing stamina in writing, utilising a range of techniques for planning writing and selecting the most appropriate for any given purpose. It is also imperative that pupils receive a wide variety of opportunities for the development of a personal style. Our pupils regularly contribute to local publications, radio and televised broadcasts.
Each Scheme of Learning concludes with a formal timed assessment, focused on core reading, writing or spoken language skills. The assessments and marking criteria are modelled on the English Bailiwick of Guernsey Curriculum, GCSE frameworks and the school’s data entry policies. Formative assessment takes place continuously with either written or verbal feedback at least once every two weeks. Students are issued with a ‘Personal Progress’ template which they are asked to fill in, based upon teacher feedback. This supports learners in devising personalised action plans.
Across all Key Stages, the study of high-quality English Language and Literature at St. Anne’s School aims to enable our pupils to appreciate literary and linguistic qualities that, although shaped by particular contexts, transcends them and speaks about the universality of the human condition. In reflecting upon and exploring the human condition, our pupils develop an empathic understanding of human nature that forges them into critical thinkers and confident, resilient and integrous adults.
Our vision is that, by the end of Year 11, our pupils feel confident and qualified to move on to further study, embark upon an apprenticeship or a full time career in any sector that impassions them.