Higham Lane North Academy
English
The English Curriculum at Higham Lane North Academy
At HLNA, our ambitious curriculum in English is designed to ensure that students know more, remember more and can do more in English over time. We understand learning as a change in long-term memory, and therefore our English curriculum is carefully sequenced and deliberately structured to secure knowledge so that it is retained and applied with confidence.
A central principle of our approach is the management of cognitive load. By presenting new material in English explicitly, modelling thinking clearly, and breaking learning into manageable components, we ensure that students can focus on what matters most. This enables learning to be both accessible and memorable.
Our classroom practice in English is underpinned by consistent and explicit routines that support long-term retention. Knowledge booklets promote equity and entitlement: every student has access to the most powerful knowledge within English. These booklets enable students to pre-learn, revisit and over-learn key content, strengthening retrieval and embedding learning securely in long-term memory.
Every English lesson begins with structured retrieval practice to activate prior knowledge and strengthen memory pathways. English resources are organised consistently to reduce extraneous cognitive load, allowing students to focus on learning rather than process. Oracy routines are embedded to ensure that students can articulate ideas clearly, use subject-specific vocabulary in English precisely, and engage in purposeful academic discussion.
We use dual coding and carefully designed, dyslexia-friendly visual materials in English to enhance clarity and accessibility. Whole-class reading routines ensure that all students engage with ambitious texts, while explicit vocabulary instruction builds disciplinary fluency. Our ‘green pens for growth’ routine ensures that students actively respond to feedback in every lesson, promoting reflection and improvement.
Formative assessment in English is continuous and responsive. Daily questioning, low-stakes quizzing and structured checks for understanding enable teachers to identify misconceptions and adapt teaching accordingly. Whole-class feedback strategies support self and peer assessment, fostering independence while maintaining high expectations.
Alongside regular summative assessments in English, synoptic assessments are built into every year group to evaluate cumulative knowledge. This ensures that learning is not episodic but enduring. Through systematic retrieval over time, we minimise cognitive overload and maximise the likelihood that students remember and can apply what they have learned.
As a result, our English curriculum is coherent, knowledge-rich and carefully sequenced — ensuring that all students make strong progress and are fully prepared for the next stage of their education.
At HLNA, everyone is included and everyone belongs. This commitment is reflected in our inclusive classroom practice in English, where all students are supported, challenged and valued as learners. We create an environment in English where diversity is respected, barriers to learning are reduced, and every student has the opportunity to succeed.
Our values are lived out daily through our students, who strive to be conscientious, compassionate and confident in all aspects of their learning in English. These qualities underpin our culture of high expectations and mutual respect within our English classrooms. We are proud of our environment in English because we always do what is right — demonstrating integrity, responsibility and care for one another in both our learning and with each other.
Over time in English, students will learn about the development of language overtime. All units are supported by knowledge booklets including key vocabulary lists and hinterland knowledge to spark curiosity.
Year 7 begins with a focus on heroes in fiction, from Beowulf to the modern day. Pupils will explore Shakespeare, a classic Victorian writer as well as a modern text. This journey also explores the impact of poetry throughout history.
In Year 8, students learn about language as a tool for persuasion exploring important and significant speeches, protest poetry, Julius Caesar and Animal Farm.
In Year 9 the focus switches to significant literary genres as students conduct a close study of gothic fiction, transactional writing throughout history, dystopian fiction and the morality play.
In English, students will be able to develop their use of ambitious vocabulary and ability to craft their language choices in writing both fiction and non-fiction text types. They will explore how to produce engaging and successful texts of all genres including speeches, articles, letters and stories. As well as this, students will learn to interpret and analyse challenging texts. They will investigate how and why words are used, along with a writer’s purpose in a text.
Our ambitious curriculum provides so much ambitious enrichment. For instance, presentations and workshops from current authors, trips such as a visit to Stratford-Upon -Avon, competitions (both in school and beyond), and opportunities to write for a real audience.
There are so many careers that are linked to our subject that we discuss throughout Key Stage Three and these include professional writing such as journalism and being an author. Close links are also made to law careers and politics; careers in the media and advertising are also tied to the study of English. Many of these links are made explicit in lessons but also by visitors presenting their own career journeys.
Emma Riley
Curriculum Leader for English
We’ve put together a selection of helpful resources, including recommended reading lists, literacy apps, and interactive websites to support skills in reading, writing, and spoken language. Explore the links below to discover practical ways to continue supporting your child’s English learning at home.
IXL - Year 7 English practice (general revision)
KS3 English - BBC Bitesize (general revision)
KS2 English: Beowulf - BBC Teach (Beowulf)
William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet - BBC Teach (Romeo and Juliet)
Higham Lane North Academy - Renaissance Learning Login
Please find below the curriculum maps for the following subject. Each map provides an overview of the key topics, skills, and learning objectives covered throughout the academic year, helping students and parents understand the progression of learning within each subject area.
