Key Stage 3 English Curriculum
At The Rosewood School, our Key Stage 3 English curriculum is designed to support re-engagement and reintegration, offering a stimulating environment where students can rediscover confidence, curiosity, and a love of reading, writing, and communication. Through thematic units that balance literary heritage with contemporary relevance, we develop core literacy skills, foster enjoyment of diverse texts, and build confidence through scaffolded challenges and creative, dialogic learning.
Termly Units:
Term 1 - Gothic Literature:
Pupils explore eerie and mysterious worlds through classic and contemporary Gothic texts. Students analyse language, structure, and character, and produce their own narratives, developing confidence in creative writing and understanding of Gothic conventions.
Term 2 - Conflict:
Pupils engage with poetry and prose across historical and contemporary contexts to explore human experiences of conflict. Pupils develop analytical skills and reflect on themes such as heroism, sacrifice, and the human cost of war.
Term 3 - Victorian Detective Fiction:
Pupils study the foundations of modern crime writing through detective fiction. Pupils analyse narrative structure, suspense, and character, while exploring themes of justice, morality, and society. Creative activities reinforce critical reading and inference skills.
Term 4 - Imagined Worlds:
Pupils will examine dystopian and speculative fiction to explore societal critique, individuality, and resilience. Pupils analyse themes and construct their own imaginative worlds, linking creative writing to contemporary issues.
Term 5 - Our World:
Pupils investigate diverse voices and perspectives through short stories from different cultures, developing interpretative skills, empathy, and cultural awareness while analysing themes, characters, and narrative techniques.
Term 6 - Places and Perspectives:
Pupils explore travel writing and the portrayal of places and cultures. Pupils analyse style, tone, and perspective, then create their own descriptive and reflective narratives, enhancing both writing skills and understanding of the world.
Our curriculum is flexible and skills-based, designed to meet varied starting points while promoting resilience, progression, and academic readiness for future learning.