In KS4 this half term, students have been working hard on developing GCSE skills. In Year 9, students have been unravelling secrets and lies. We began by identifying and evaluating fake news, culminating in writing our own fake news stories. We have also uncovered the depths and mysteries of conspiracy theories. The half term ended with reading the short story The Darkness Out There by Penelope Lively. The students honed their reading skills answering GCSE-style ‘What Impressions’ tasks. In Y10, classes have been involved in work on the theme of peace and conflict. They have looked at the battle of Dunkirk as inspiration for narrative writing, completing their own pieces depicting the soldiers’ experiences on the infamous beach. They have also been examining the impact of war on the individual, looking at real life case studies of soldiers suffering from PTSD, anxiety, and depression. In Y11, students began the year looking at transactional writing, with a particular focus on travel writing. For their assessed piece, students wrote an article on Leeds, encouraging travellers to visit the city. In the second part of the half term, students have moved on to developing their reading skills in preparation for their November Component 2 mock.
