English

Diving into language, magical stories and opportunities to create our own poetry, stories and speeches are at the heart of our English curriculum.

Primary English - confidence in communication and language

Our curriculum begins by developing children’s confidence in communication and language in the Early Years. This foundation grows into strong oracy and confident speaking in the primary phase, supporting students to become articulate, expressive learners in secondary and Sixth Form.

Alongside this, we create a story-rich curriculum, allowing students of all ages to immerse themselves in high quality texts. This experience means that our students are able to become confident writers across a range of mediums by the time they reach Sixth Form. It's amazing to think this journey starts with letter formation in our Reception classes!

We love reading at HGA. Across the school we spend time reading to the children, reading with children, and exploring these texts in detail alongside the children.

From our dedicated libraries in the primary and secondary, to class novel time where teachers share their favourite books with the classes, we fill our days with high quality time for reading. Reading and performing poetry is also built into our curriculum and we invite all parents to become judges in our half termly Poetry Slams at least once! Find out more about how our reading journey begins.

Our story-led curriculum allows students to become writers like their favourite authors. They build grammatical knowledge from an early age, providing them with the building blocks for sentence, then paragraph, then text construction. This prepares our students for superb outcomes at Reception, phonics, Year 6 SATs and up into GCSE and A-levels.

“I was our first ‘Million Word Reader’ this year, I think I’ve read half the books in our library!” Qoyyum, Year 6

Secondary English - learning to analyse, interpret, and express ideas confidently

The Key Stage 3 English curriculum introduces students to fiction and non-fiction while developing grammar, vocabulary, and communication skills, building on the strong foundation from our primary school.

Through reading a range of classic and contemporary texts, creative writing, poetry, and drama, students learn to analyse, interpret, and express ideas confidently, fostering creativity and critical thinking.

At Key Stage 4, the curriculum prepares students for AQA GCSE English Language and Literature by deepening skills in textual analysis, critical thinking, and writing across multiple genres. Students study a variety of literary forms, enhance grammar and vocabulary, and engage in exam-style tasks to build confidence and proficiency.

By Key Stage 5, learners follow the Edexcel A-level English Literature course, focusing on advanced literary analysis, theory, and essay writing, equipping them for higher education and careers in literature and the arts.

“I really enjoy my English lessons because we get to learn lots of interesting stories. My favourite part is creative writing and learning about Greek mythology, because it lets me use my imagination and create my own ideas.” Joseph, Year 7

For further details...

For further details of the primary English curriculum please contact Rachel Bartley.

For further details of the secondary English curriculum please contact Adam Walker a.walker@harrisgarrard.org.uk. 

Click HERE to download the English curriculum overview