English

The English team at Freebrough are dedicated to offering highly effective teaching which ensures highly effective learning.

We firmly believe that studying English gives students the skills and understanding they need to achieve success in all areas of life. Good literacy skills are at the heart of all learning, and are essential in opening doors to work and higher education. As a team, we are committed to engaging students in order to develop their literacy skills, as well as exposing them our cultural and literary heritage, in order to broaden their horizons and help them to develop into well rounded individuals.

Our Literacy Leaders feature on the Arvon Website

In 2012 sixteen of our Gifted and Talented students visited the Arvon Foundation’s Lumb Bank centre for a week of story and poem writing under the guidance of writers Nicky Browne and Cliff Yates. The students enjoyed a week of good food, good weather and inspirational scenery and produced some exceptional work.

Please click on the link below to find out more:

Arvon website

Kindles make reading cool!

As part of our continuing focus on literacy and improving the reading ages of all of our students we are continually seeking new, exciting ways to engage students in reading.

Mrs Hinds, Learning Resource Centre Manager, tells us more: “Freebrough is committed to increasing the standards of literacy within the academy so that our students achieve the very best results at GCSE level and beyond. To help us to do this we have purchased 11 kindles and we will soon have another 14. These will be used alongside our vast library of books to encourage students to enjoy reading and participate in the accelerated reading programme the Academy currently runs. The kindles will be used during literacy lessons and we are hoping to allow students to loan them out to take home. We are always looking for new ways to allow students to access the curriculum to a higher level and we see this as a possible way to use today’s technology to appeal to students and encourage reading.”

The accelerated reading programme encourages students to not only read the text but also to understand the meaning of it. Students choose from a selection of books aimed at their reading age. They then take the book away to read at home or during tutorial time. When they are confident that they have understood what they have read they take a computerised quiz, with students who score well and achieve their targets receiving Vivo Points as a reward. Vivo Points are also given to students for good work, good manners, attending enrichment activities and good quality homework. They can be collected by the students and spent on a range of treats.

Summer School 2012

The English faculty play a large part in the organisation of Year 6 Summer School. Click here to see what they got up to.

Accelerated Progress

Key Stage Three

Students in Key Stage three study a range of topics in order to ensure a broad coverage of fiction and non fiction reading and writing, as well as speaking and listening. Achievement and attainment is tracked across the key stage using APP (Assessing Pupil Progress), which also allows us to identify students’ areas of strength, as well as areas which may need further focus and development, allowing us to implement intervention strategies as and where needed.

APP Assessment Grids

Key Stage 3 Themes – Spring 2013

Click here for more information on Year 7 Curriculum

Click here for more information on Year 8 Curriculum

Click here for more information on Year 9 Curriculum

Key Stage 4

In Key Stage four, students study a range of GCSE subjects, based on their attainment and ability. Covering all areas of the English curriculum, students have the opportunity to study, and gain qualifications in: