At Bolder Academy, our English curriculum is designed to develop our students into kind, strong, brave young adults where a Bolder future awaits. 

The aims of the English Curriculum 

The aims of the English curriculum are to: 

1. Create critical thinkers who appreciate the importance of reading, writing and spoken word as core life skills.  

2. Foster a love of reading and equip students with effective communication skills enabling them to successfully move through their school career and beyond. 

How we deliver English 

Bolder Academy follows the national curriculum and the Ark Mastery Programme at Key Stage 3 to ensure there is depth and breadth in what the students study. 

Students study: 

• Reading - students read key texts in depth. The teaching of robust and rigorous works is designed to stretch our students’ awareness and understanding of English Language and Literature. Students read for pleasure and to elicit information.  

• Writing - students learn the conventions of standard English, grammar and age-appropriate vocabulary. They are taught how to plan, draft, edit and proof read. 

• Spoken language - students are taught to understand the conventions of discussion and debate, as well as working in collaboration with their peers. 

The curriculum is designed to enable students to build upon prior knowledge from KS2 and to tackle more complex knowledge, concepts and skills.  

There are three units of work in the academic year that include: Reading for Pleasure, Mastery Writing and Literary Heritage. Texts and teaching concepts become more demanding with each unit of work over consecutive years.  

Our Intended Impact in English 

We will know if we have been successful when our students live and breathe our three core values within the Academy and beyond. When they demonstrate: 

• Kindness: By communicating effectively in written or spoken form: We want students to express their ideas and emotions, develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. 

• Strength: By fostering a love of reading and knowing how important reading is, to enable them to acquire knowledge and build on what they know. 

• Bravery: Students will rise to the challenge of studying key works within the English literary canon and will be able to express opinions related to them using academic language. 

Equally we want to prepare students effectively for the current and next stage in their learning, whether this be GCSE or A Level examination, University study or the world of work.