department of English and Media Studies

The Team and Facilities:

Situated in the custom-built Woodside building alongside the Orchard Library, the Department of English and Media boasts a dedicated, experienced and diverse teaching team. Our teachers are committed to the learning and progress of the students and frequently take part in their own professional development to ensure our curriculum and teaching practice remain current and relevant to our students.

Key Stage 3

The Key Stage Three English curriculum at Wexham School is designed to challenge, engage and nurture our students. Throughout Years 7-9, students will develop the skills required to tackle challenging and inspiring texts with confidence and certainty. Our priority at Key Stage Three is to encourage a love of reading and writing, based entirely on the crucial skills they will need as they continue to Key Stage Four.

Crucially, our Key Stage Three curriculum allows the students to explore a broad range of voices, cultures and experiences in the texts they encounter.

At Wexham, we very much believe in the importance of a challenging and diverse Key Stage Three curriculum which allows students to enjoy English whilst striving to meet our high expectations. It is essential that the time students have at Key Stage Three is used for embedding skills and encouraging a love for the subject.

Key Stage 4

Central to our approach at Key Stage 4 is instilling aspiration, confidence and self-motivation in all learners as they approach their examinations.  As research advises, our classes are mixed-ability, ensuring that our learners have the freedom and support to truly be their best. Equally, the un-tiered GCSE paper allows students to excel without being confined to a certain paper or grade bracket.

In order to prepare our students for their GCSE examinations we focus on making the learning engaging and memorable while also explicitly teaching the skills required for efficient revision.

As well as studying a number of canonical texts, our students also develop their skills as expressive and proficient writers, arming them with the necessary skills to communicate well in the adult world.

Eduqas Media Studies is also offered as an option for KS4 students.  This study offers students a unique combination of creative practical and analytical work drawing on the issues and products that they encounter in their lives outside the classroom. The course is extremely popular with our students and we believe that this is because it affords them an opportunity to think and create in a way that they may not have before. We are fortunate to have a dedicated Media Suite to allow our students to flourish in their study of this discipline.

Key Stage 5

We are delighted to welcome a number of our students back to the department to study A Level English Literature or Media Studies (often both) as well as welcoming new students from other local schools.

The challenge at Key Stage 5 is vast, but the curriculum is rich with opportunities for learners to develop their independence and their own critical voice when dealing with literary texts or digital media. 

Our lessons at Key Stage Five are dynamic and focussed on the exploration carried out by learners. In literature our students study a range of canonical and contemporary texts while in media, students consider theoretical exploration of the construction and representation of Media.

At Key Stage 5 our students are assessed in a way which empowers them to critique their own work, pushing themselves to reach excellence in their chosen discipline. This is particularly notable in the independent coursework tasks carried out in both English Literature and Media Studies.

Please see links below for the English and Media Studies Curriculum Intent and an easy read curriculum maps, which explains what your child is learning and when throughout the year.