Curriculum Vision

English at St Hilda’s is shaped by our Christian vision and values and our belief that all students should be given the opportunity to flourish. 

Aim

The English department at St Hilda’s Church of England High School seeks to empower our students through our high-quality teaching of a knowledge-rich, concept-driven curriculum.  We continue to research, implement, and review our approach, and curriculum, to ensure the very best for our students. We have established a culture of collaborative planning, research-based pedagogy, teamwork and continuous evaluation to assess the impact that our teaching is having upon our students’ knowledge and skills. Ultimately this leads to our students being empowered by our curriculum and its delivery, giving them the best possible outcomes. 

Purpose 

Our purpose in the English department is to implement a high-quality knowledge-rich, concept-driven curriculum that is delivered through high-quality teaching and student engagement. We seek to empower our students through the explicit and focused teaching of a wide repertoire of sophisticated and ambitious vocabulary. We will ensure an academic exploration of powerful knowledge with a focus on retention and application. We will prioritise the meaningful study of the concepts that underpin literature, individuals, society, and the world around us. We seek to inspire the next generation of powerful voices. Our curriculum is broad in that we cover a range of whole texts whilst also exploring the best that has been written and said through a wide range of extracts and poems. 

Consequently, through empowering our students, we foster a love of English as a subject and enable students to perceive its value to them. By equipping our students with knowledge, vocabulary and meaning, we enable our students to unlock the next challenge within their sequenced journey through English at St Hilda’s. 

Through this, we equip our students with the skills and knowledge for them to access the next stages of their life after school. Some may go onto an education and career within English, however, whatever our students’ choices, their study of English at St Hilda’s is designed to benefit them regardless of course or career choice. 

We want to ensure students have the confidence to express their opinions and perspectives whilst also understanding and appreciating the opinions and perspectives of others. We champion the oracy and writing skills that will enable them to express themselves articulately and creatively with a sophisticated vocabulary toolbox. We also develop a reading proficiency that enables them to appreciate a wide variety of English literature through their own reading and the study of texts in class. We also aim to develop an understanding and appreciation of the wider world outside of Liverpool and how they contribute to it. 

Curriculum and Assessment Maps

YEAR 7

YEAR 8

YEAR 9

YEAR 10

YEAR 11

English Language

YEAR 12

YEAR 13

English Literature

YEAR 12

YEAR 13

Further Information

STAFF

The English Department consists of the following staff:

Mr C Merrick (Head of Department)
Mrs J Hughes (Teacher in charge of KS5)
Ms K McVey (Teacher in charge of KS3)
Miss M Carney
Mr C Walker
Miss C Bird
Miss E Watters
Mr A Washington
Miss K Benzie
Miss V McGhee
Mrs H Neill
Mrs K Arnachellum

The department has twelve teachers of English, one of whom holds responsibility as an Associate Assistant Head and three of whom hold responsibility as a Head of House. All work together extremely well as a team and are very supportive to the Head of Department. Under the direction of the Head of Department members share responsibility for the progress of students throughout Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and St Hilda’s College.

HOW CAN PARENTS HELP?

There are many ways parents can help support their child in their English.
We recommend using student exercise books/booklets as their primary starting points if they are struggling.

All students have access to curriculum resources through the student portal. We recommend students visit this area regularly to review their learning.

Students can update notes/character profiles/theme grids/plot summaries/tension graphs for texts studied. They should make sure to do this on an ongoing basis.

Naturally, we strongly recommend reading. It opens new experiences, introduces new vocabulary and allows your child to explore far beyond their own worlds. As well as being relaxing, studies show that reading is the most beneficial activity to support learning and development across the whole curriculum. Aim for 30 minutes a day to help build strong habits and stamina.

We also encourage parents or guardians to consider reading the texts their child is studying to help share their experience and to help them discuss it with more confidence. Reading the same article with your child would also be a good way to open discussion.

We appreciate parents/carers supporting their child in completing the Library’s Reading Challenges and reminding your child to make use of the school library, as well as their local library. There is a wealth of eBooks/audio books available through the school library.
An encouraging nudge to your child to take part in activities being run in school is advisable to help them get the most from their time at school.

WHERE NEXT

English is a versatile subject that is marketable in the majority of career areas. It is often one of the most popular subjects studied by aspiring medics and lawyers. English graduates often go on to careers where communication and effective written English are valued. The subject does offer a wealth of possible career paths.
With a qualification in English, you could pursue careers in writing, journalism, publishing, law, teaching, advertising, business, accounting, finance… the list goes on!