Introduction
English study is mandatory in NSW from Kindergarten to Year 12.
Language and text shape our understanding of ourselves and our world. This allows us to relate with others, and contributes to our intellectual, social and emotional development. In English, students study language in its various textual forms, which develop in complexity, to understand how meaning is shaped, conveyed, interpreted, and reflected.
Students engage with literature from Australia, including the rich voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and from across the world. These texts communicate in distinctive ways and are shaped by lived experiences, knowledge, cultures, and connections. By exploring historic and contemporary texts, representative of a range of cultural and social perspectives, students broaden their experiences and become empowered to express their identities, personal values and ethics.
Students develop foundational literacy skills in the early years and progressively build on these skills. This enables them to learn about and control language in a range of increasingly sophisticated contexts.
Through interrelated practices and experiences in understanding and creating texts, students learn about the power, purpose, value and art of English. The development of these interconnected skills and understandings supports students to become confident communicators, critical and imaginative thinkers, and informed and active participants in society.
Faculty Leadership
Lead by Head Teacher - Laura Oliver-Graham
Faculty Overview
The English Faculty plays a critical role in promoting literacy, communication skills, and a love of literature among students, and in fostering a positive learning environment within the school. The faculty is responsible for developing and implementing the English curriculum, ensuring that it aligns with the state standards and meets the needs of the students. Faculty members are responsible for delivering high-quality instruction in English language arts, literature, writing, and communication skills. They also provide support for students with diverse learning needs. Faculty members are involved in designing assessments, evaluating student progress, and reporting on student achievement in English.
Curriculum and Programs
In Year 11 and 12, the study of English is mandatory. Courses offered may include:
English Extension 2
English Extension 1
English Advanced
English Standard
English Studies
English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D)
English Life Skills.
English 7-10
The focus areas for each stage support students’ growing knowledge and understanding in the areas of:
● Reading, viewing and listening to texts
● Understanding and responding to texts
● Expressing ideas and composing texts
English 7–10 builds on the foundational skills developed in the earlier years to support the growing knowledge, understanding and skills in the areas of Reading, viewing and listening to texts, Understanding and responding to texts and Expressing ideas and composing text.
English 7-10 diagram
Engaging with texts is central to the study of English. In Years 7–10, texts should be understood to mean any written, spoken/signed, nonverbal, visual, auditory or multimodal communication.
Students undertake essential content, and work towards course outcomes, by engaging meaningfully with a range of texts, and students study features within and between texts that can enhance their knowledge, understanding and experience of how texts represent the world.
English 11-12
The study of English in Stage 6 develops in students an understanding of literary expression and nurtures an appreciation of aesthetic values. It develops skills to enable students to experiment with ideas and expression, to become innovative, active, independent learners, to collaborate and to reflect on their learning.
Through responding to and composing texts from Kindergarten to Year 12, students learn about the power, value and art of the English language for communication, knowledge, enjoyment and agency. They engage with and explore texts that include widely acknowledged quality literature of past and contemporary societies and engage with the literature and literary heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. By composing and responding, students develop an understanding of themselves and of diverse human experiences and cultures.
In their study of English, students continue to develop their critical and imaginative faculties and broaden their capacity for cultural understanding. They examine various contexts of language usage to understand how making meaning is complex and shaped by a multiplicity of factors. As students’ command of English continues to grow, they are provided with opportunities to question, assess, challenge, reformulate information, identify and clarify issues, negotiate and solve problems. They can become creative and confident users of a range of digital technologies and understand and reflect on the ongoing impact of these technologies on society. These skills and understandings allow them to develop their control of language for lifelong learning, in their careers and lives in a global world.
Student Support
Google Classroom and Workspace: The English Faculty use Google Classroom to create and distribute assignments, set due dates, track student progress and provide essential feedback. Teachers and students communicate through announcements, comments, and private messages. Teachers can share resources such as documents, slides, and videos with students. Google Classroom seamlessly integrates with other Google apps such as Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides, making it easy for students to access and submit their work. When used together, Google Classroom and Google Workspace provide a comprehensive digital learning environment, allowing for seamless integration of assignments, resources, communication, and collaboration. They support both in-person and remote learning, making them valuable tools for modern education.
Renaissance Reading: In English 7-10, students follow the Renaissance Reading Program. The Renaissance Reading program, also known as Accelerated Reader (AR), is a reading management and assessment program. It is designed to encourage and monitor students' independent reading practice. Students take a computerised assessment to determine their reading level and comprehension ability. This helps to identify books that are appropriate for their individual reading levels. Students choose books from a vast library of Accelerated Reader titles, which are categorized by reading level and content. After reading a book, students take a comprehension quiz on the computer to assess their understanding of the book's content. Teachers can track students' reading progress and performance through the program's reporting and monitoring tools.
Competitions: Each year, English students are encouraged to enter various writing competitions. These include: Dymocks - Beyond Words, ABC - Heywire and Red Room - Poem Forest. We are very proud that we have had winners and runners up in all of these competitions.
Book Club: Once a week the English Faculty runs a lunchtime club where students can chat about all things literature. This is a great way for students to make like minded friends across year groups and come together in a safe and inclusive environment.
Resources and Links
NESA Website for all Senior Syllabi: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/home
NESA Syllabus 7-10: https://curriculum.nsw.edu.au/learning-areas/english/english-k-10-2022/overview
Renaissance Reading:
https://global-zone60.renaissance-go.com/welcomeportal/1457535