THE ENGLISH CURRICULUM AT UCC

At Uppingham Community College the English curriculum across Key Stage 3 and 4 provides students with the opportunity to study a wide range of seminal literature and language texts, drawing on contextual knowledge to deepen their understanding of writers’ ‘big ideas’. Students make links between ideas and techniques used in texts, considering how writers create meaning. Skilful application occurs when students can articulate their ideas either verbally or written through convincing argument or use the techniques modelled to them to create their own unique and convincing texts.

Below are two examples of this in practice:

Knowledge: When studying Macbeth the curriculum will cover facts about the plot, character and ideas of the play. It will also include transferable knowledge about stagecraft, context and theme.

Understanding: Students will be encouraged to make links between textual / character events and Shakespeare’s ‘big idea’ / intention focusing on how the writer uses methods to create meaning.

Skill: Students will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding through the ability to formulate a response to an essay question using skills such as analysis, evaluation, structure and textual referencing.

Knowledge: When studying Creative Writing the curriculum will cover the knowledge needed for students to be able to read and identify examples of creative writing techniques in practice by learning key terminology and what effect each technique creates. It will also include transferable knowledge about how these techniques can be applied in different contexts.

Understanding: Students will develop an understanding of how writers create meaning through their combined use of creative techniques such as extended metaphor, personification, pathetic fallacy etc.

Skill: Students will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding through analysing how writers use language and structure in their writing and through crafting their own pieces of successful creative and descriptive writing.