“A word after a word after a word is power.”
- Margaret Atwood
English as a dynamic and evolving subject that helps learners make sense of language, literature, and the world itself. It provides the foundation for understanding language, communication, and the human experience - exploring how texts, ideas, and voices shape the world around us - unlocking the potential of learners across the curriculum and throughout their future careers.
Through subject-specific training sessions, trainees will develop secure knowledge of key English concepts such as reading comprehension, writing for different purposes, literary analysis, and spoken language, while refining the pedagogical skills essential to high-quality English teaching. You will also explore how to inspire curiosity and engagement with texts, enabling pupils to see the wonder in both fiction and non-fiction. You will train within a dedicated English cohort throughout the year. This focused approach ensures that you develop the knowledge and skills necessary to teach across the full English curriculum.
All secondary English trainees receive specialist subject training within their placement schools, supported by a dedicated and highly experienced subject mentor. Explicit links are made across teaching phases from KS2 to KS5, ensuring the content goes beyond the KS3 and KS4 National Curriculum to promote a deep understanding of literary, linguistic, and cultural principles, and learner progress across all key stages.
My name is Mark Ketteringham and I have the pleasure and privilege of being the English Subject Lead. I’m an experienced English teacher and will be entering my 32nd year in the profession. I’ve taught in a range of schools around Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire and throughout my career, I’ve taken on a variety of roles including Assistant Headteacher, with responsibility for whole-school literacy and Lead Teacher. I’ve also held other roles such as Head of Year and teacher in charge of Citizenship which have given me a broad perspective of many of the issues that you’ll be facing during your time in schools.
I’m deeply committed to helping develop the next generation of teachers. I firmly believe that the skills we develop in our students as English teachers not only lie at the heart of a school’s curriculum but also shape their ‘real-life’ chances and choices. They are the foundation for communication, critical thinking and creativity and they also play a vital role in unlocking students’ access success across all subjects.
Together, we’ll explore the variety and richness of the secondary English curriculum - from the power of storytelling and significant pieces of literature to the precision and creativity of language. Our subject-focused sessions are designed to complement your core training and develop your confidence, deepen your subject knowledge and strengthen your classroom pedagogy and practice. We will work closely together throughout the year as you grow into reflective, inspiring English teachers.