English

“That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.” F. Scott Fitzgerald

At Harris Academy Tottenham, we believe that every child deserves to explore the wonders of the English Language, both through personal discovery and through the study of canonical and cultural literature.

We are dedicated to ensuring that every child is an excellent communicator. We embed a passion for reading and writing and challenge pupils through our progressive curriculum. Our curriculum is both engaging and challenging and aims to equip pupils with clear foundations in speaking and listening, reading and writing skills, whilst providing an exposure to a wealth of literary genres and periods.

We have taken an interweaving approach to our curriculum - and so each unit is composed of Reading, Writing and Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar components. Pupils are encouraged to explore how all these elements work together to develop their love and appreciation of language and literature. From Early Years, our pupils are taught to articulate like an academic when they communicate with each other and their teachers. This is done through explicit teaching of tier 2 and 3 vocabularies in every lesson and high expectations of applying this within their verbal and written work. In EYFS and KS1, children progress in reading and writing through the Read Write INC phonics scheme, which is taught every day. In KS2 the children practice comprehension skills through VIPERS and the Accelerated Reader programme. In KS1 and 2, our pupils have daily English lessons planned around their class novel and based on Michael Tidd’s approach to writing purposes. They have the opportunity to collaborate, read and discuss shared writes, draft, plan, publish and uplevel their work. Our Year 7 and 8 pupils are taught English for five periods a week and at Year 9, pupils are taught for six periods per week. At Key Stage 4 and 5 our students benefit from six periods per week.

Mission statement

Our pupils will be able to analyse, discuss and theorise about a wide range of literary works from different genres. They will be critical thinkers, adept at defending their own points of view through debate and cogent written explanations. They recognise, appreciate and make good judgements about their written expression and frequently demonstrate flair and originality.

Staff

Ms C Sutton – Director of English
Mr S Williams - Subject Lead for English
Ms Van Gils- KS3 Lead for English
Mr M Ibrahim – Head of Year 7 and Teacher of English
Mr A Salan – Teacher of English
Mr K Smith – Teacher of English and History
Ms V Smith – Teacher of English
Ms S Omar – Teacher of English
Ms R Savage – Teacher of English
Ms J Squires – Teacher of English
Ms K Bilton – Teacher of English                                                                                                                                                  Ms Lodhi - Phonics Lead for Primary Phase                                                                                                                                  Mrs Whitgift - Reading Lead for Primary Phase