English

At Knowl Hill, we believe that English is not just a core subject, but a vital foundation for every student's learning journey. At the start of each academic year, all students complete comprehensive reading and spelling assessments. These help teachers track progress and identify specific areas for support, such as phonological awareness or decoding difficulties, ensuring targeted intervention from the outset.

Our goal is to remove barriers to learning so that students can fully access all areas of the curriculum. We support learners with dyslexia and other specific learning differences through a dynamic, multi-sensory English program tailored to each student’s individual strengths and needs.

Classrooms are equipped with adaptive technologies such as text-to-speech and speech-to-text software, alongside structured phonics-based reading programs. Students benefit from tactile learning tools, color-coded grammar supports, visual organisers, and interactive whiteboards. Kinesthetic activities and hands-on materials further enhance engagement, reinforcing literacy in ways that are meaningful and memorable.

Collaboration is central to our approach. Our English teachers work closely with on-site Speech and Language Therapists, who support speaking and listening development, while Occupational Therapists may assist with handwriting, fine motor skills, or developing touch-typing fluency.

Together, we create an inclusive and empowering environment where every student can thrive in English and beyond.

At the beginning of each academic year students undertake morphological and spelling assessments, which helps their teacher to acknowledge their progress as well as identifying any areas that students may be lacking understanding in. This allows us to give students targeted support in order to help them progress further.

Multi-sensory and adaptive teaching strategies include:

Visual aids, colourful sematics, shape coding.
Talk for writing - where assistive speech to text is used so children can see their ideas in text form.
Worksheets designed to each individual child's needs.

English Language

Edexcel Pearson GCSE (9-1) English Language 2.0

English Language allows students to draw upon a range of texts (including stories, plays, novels and poems) as reading stimulus. They will have opportunities to develop a higher level of reading and thinking skills that help to encourage their interests in different themes and topics. English Language is designed on the basis that students should read and be assed on high quality, challenging texts from the 19^th, 20^th and 21^st centuries. The texts used cross a range of genres and types which support students in developing their own writing by providing good examples. Students will be encouraged to explore different types of writing including, essays, reviews and journalism.

All candidates take Paper 1: Non-Fiction texts and Paper 2: Contemporary Texts and a Spoken Language Endorsement

Please note that all students who are on the GCSE pathway will also take an Edexcel English Language Functional Skills exam at Level 2 as exam practice preparation and backup to their GCSE exam entry.

There is an expectation that all pupils completing GCSE English Language will be required to complete regular homework tasks and have an attendance record of at least 96%.

Please see the following links for more information on the subject:

English Functional Skills

Entry Level 1, 2 and 3 (Edexcel Pearson) and Level 1 and 2 (Edexcel).

For the students that find English more challenging, we offer Functional Skills qualifications, at Entry Levels 1, 2 and 3, which progresses to Functional skills Levels 1 and 2.

The pace that students complete these qualifications is decided by the teachers as to what they feel is appropriate. FS Level 2 is the equivalent to a GCSE grade 4. The FS English courses concentrate on the English needed in student’s everyday life including writing letters and comprehending different types of text.

Please see the following links for more information on the subject: