ENGLISH

English at Post 16 is delivered through two pathways; Entry Level (Step Up to English) and Functional Skills. Pupils move to Functional skills if they have either completed the 'Step Up to English' course, or have been teacher assessed as working above Entry Level.

Entry Level

Over the course of their Step Up to English modules, pupils will explore a range of non-fiction and fiction text types found in everyday life, including stories, descriptions, instructions, reviews, blogs, magazines and letters/emails. In Component One, they will learn to retrieve information, assess the validity of texts and develop their understanding of fact and opinion. Pupils will apply this understanding in written tasks based on real-life situations, such as writing letters/emails to tour providers, making their own blogs to share with peers and creating persuasive posters and fact sheets. In Component Two, pupils learn to discuss literary techniques critically; they then use these techniques in their own creative writing. The Step Up to English course links heavily with our Skills Builder curriculum, as pupils are required to work together to produce research, deliver presentations and demonstrate active listening skills during group discussions. In addition, pupils will learn to apply spelling, grammar and punctuation rules more independently by proofreading their work.

Functional Skills (Level One and Level 2)

The Post-16 Functional Skills curriculum aims to ensure that pupils have the necessary literacy skills for further education, apprenticeships and the workplace. There is a strong focus on building oracy skills through discussion, debate and presentations. In reading, pupils learn to use their knowledge of text types and their decoding skills to retrieve and evaluate information efficiently and accurately. In writing, pupils develop greater stamina and structure as they learn to write a wider range of nonfiction texts. The course also develops creative writing and inference skills through a literature study in the Summer Term.

Please click here for our Curriculum Map