English

Our Vision

At Kettering Science Academy, we are unapologetically ambitious and unashamedly academic in our vision for English. We believe that English unlocks powerful knowledge and helps every student develop their voice, empathy and confidence.

Our curriculum is designed to foster a love of reading, deep critical thinking, and fluent, purposeful communication. We offer a diverse range of challenging texts to reflect our students’ identities, broaden their world view, and give them the tools to express themselves with clarity and creativity.

Curriculum Content

Key Stage 3 (Years 7–9)

Our KS3 curriculum introduces students to a rich variety of literary and non-fiction texts, chosen to explore key themes such as morality, identity, relationships, and power & conflict. These themes are revisited across years and key stages to deepen understanding and encourage cross-textual connections.

Key Stage 3 includes:

• Plays by Shakespeare
• A 19th-century novel or extracts
• A range of poetry, including from different cultures
• Modern novels and short stories
• Non-fiction and transactional writing
• Creative writing and oracy development

Assessment: Each unit includes a vocabulary assessment, a knowledge quiz, and a skill-based reading or writing task. These are used formatively to identify gaps and shape future teaching, as well as summatively to measure progress.

We teach in mixed ability groups with a top set in each band to stretch the most able. All students access the same high-quality texts and vocabulary, with scaffolding, modelling and pre-teaching used to support learners who need additional input. Students with SEND benefit from carefully structured support including sentence stems, writing frames, and tiered questioning.

Reading schemes and intervention:

• Fresh Start phonics is delivered to students who need additional decoding support

Wider opportunities and enrichment:

• Participation in national poetry and creative writing competitions
• World Book Day and author visits
• Theatre performances and trips where possible
• Student-led book clubs and reading mentoring
• Year 9 English Masterclass

Key Stage 4 (Years 10–11)

All students study:

• AQA GCSE English Language
• AQA GCSE English Literature

English Language:

• Fiction and narrative writing
• Non-fiction, persuasive and informative writing
• Analytical reading (language, structure and comparison)
• Spoken language endorsement

English Literature:

• Shakespeare: Macbeth 
• 19th-century novel: A Christmas Carol 
• Modern text: An Inspector Calls
• Poetry: AQA Power and Conflict cluster and unseen poetry

Assessment: Both GCSEs are exam-only and sat at the end of Year 11. Students complete regular practice tasks and full mocks to build familiarity and confidence with exam-style questions. Feedback is focused, clear, and developmental.

Further Information

To find out more about our English curriculum, or to request a copy of our curriculum maps, please contact:

Key Stage 3 Lead, Emma Jeeves 

Email: emma.jeeves@ketteringscienceacademy.org

Assistant Principal and Head of English, Davina Canham    Email: davina.canham@ketteringscienceacademy.org

Curriculum Approach and Values

Our curriculum is:

• Broad and balanced: We explore a wide range of texts, genres, forms and voices across time periods and cultures.
• Ambitious for all learners: Every student accesses challenging material, with tailored support in place to scaffold progress.
• Rooted in powerful knowledge: We build understanding of how texts are constructed, how context shapes meaning, and how writers use language deliberately.
• Theme-led and connected: Students revisit key concepts—morality, identity, relationships, power and conflict—across key stages.
• Designed for deep progression: Threshold concepts and disciplinary knowledge are revisited and built upon over time.
• Preparation for life: Students leave with the literacy, empathy and confidence to thrive in further education and in the world.