Our aim at Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School is to deliver a curriculum that sets a high standard of language and literacy through equipping our students with a strong command of the spoken and written word and to ignite a love for literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. Through their educational journey, we believe that students should gain the knowledge and skill to speak and write fluently, so they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others through their reading and listening. For each year group, we aim to offer a balance of reading, speaking and listening which creates the building blocks for high-quality writing. Our intention is to use cultural capital to underpin our learners’ development enabling them to be confident and informed individuals able to make valuable contributions to society through their involvement in the workplace and communities.
Key Stage 3
Our curriculum design invests heavily in the belief that students need to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information: this includes a rich and varied diet of our literary heritage (both local and national) and exposure to a wide range of non-fiction that deals with current and complex social issues.
Through listening and speaking, students learn to interpret, question, and articulate ideas confidently in class discussions, debates, and performances. Problem solving and creativity are embedded through analytical reading and imaginative writing tasks that encourage students to explore alternative perspectives and creative responses to texts.
Students are taught to plan effectively by sequencing ideas and structuring writing with precision, and to adapt by refining vocabulary, tone, and style for different audiences and purposes. Group activities promote teamwork, ensuring that learners value the perspectives of others and contribute constructively to collective tasks, while opportunities for peer-led presentations and class discussions nurture leadership.
Our curriculum has been sequenced so that assessment focuses on the transfer of knowledge and skills, allowing students to build on successes, supported by a constantly evolving and challenging skillset. Working closely with our Key Stage 2 peers, we ensure that our text choices are ambitious, varied and give our students an extensive experience of literary genres and diverse authors. It is our purpose to build our students’ ability to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas in a competent way whether it is participating in a debate or demonstrating their ideas to others.
Key Stage 4
At this stage, we focus on the transition from building the foundation of skill and knowledge to the mastery of metacognition in preparation for life post-16. We strive for our students to leave school with a full range of language skills so they will have the ability to participate fully as members of society.
The Essential Skills continue to underpin all learning. Students refine listening and speaking through critical discussion, oral presentations, and analysis of unseen texts. They apply problem solving to interpret complex language and themes, and creativity to craft original writing that demonstrates sophistication and control.
Through planning, learners design well-structured analytical essays and creative pieces; through adapting, they edit and improve their work based on feedback. Classroom collaboration fosters teamwork and leadership, ensuring students can work both independently and collaboratively to explore and challenge ideas.
Our diverse range of texts, introducing unfamiliar and challenging content, offers our students the ability to develop intellectually, socially, emotionally, spiritually, and culturally—we place great literature at the heart of our lessons. Our assessment of reading, writing and oracy is supported by ambitious text choices and lessons that embody subtle and differentiated modelling, placing substantial value on vocabulary and deliberate writing practice.