🖥 Live online group sessions via Google Meet 📚 6 total sessions over 3 weeks (2 sessions per week) 🕒 Each session: 1 hour 15 minutes 👥 Maximum 6 students per group ✍️ Focused on English Language Paper 1 and Paper 2 skills (AQA-aligned) 🌍 Topics are rooted in Black British and Caribbean history to develop analytical and creative writing through cultural context

Summer School – Mr Burkes Classroom

GCSE English Summer School Rooted in Black British & Caribbean History

📅 21st July – 8th August 2025

An inspiring 3-week online summer programme blending essential GCSE English skills with rich explorations of Black British and Caribbean history.

Led by Mr. Burke, an experienced UK-qualified teacher, this course is perfect for students entering Year 10 or Year 11 who want to stay sharp, grow in confidence, and engage with culture and curriculum in one powerful package.

Programme Overview

🖥 Live online group sessions via Google Meet
📚 6 total sessions over 3 weeks (2 sessions per week)
🕒 Each session: 1 hour 15 minutes
👥 Maximum 6 students per group
✍️ Focused on English Language Paper 1 and Paper 2 skills (AQA-aligned)
🌍 Topics are rooted in Black British and Caribbean history to develop analytical and creative writing through cultural context

Each session includes:

Historical/cultural input
Reading or writing task (fiction or non-fiction)
Group discussion
Written response with structured guidance

💷 Fees

💡 Option

💵 Cost

📌 Details

✅ Full Course (3 Weeks)

£120 total

All 6 sessions, feedback, and weekly support included

🔁 Ad Hoc / Drop-in

£25 per session

Limited availability. Priority given to full-course bookings

📅 Summer School Timetable (21st July – 8th August 2025)

Each student is assigned to one group. Groups meet twice per week at the same time. Maximum of 6 students per group.

Time

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

12:00 – 1:15 PM

🟦 Group 1

🟧 Group 4

🟦 Group 1

🟧 Group 4

1:30 – 2:45 PM

🟩 Group 2

💗 Group 5

🟩 Group 2

💗 Group 5

3:00 – 4:15 PM

🟪 Group 3

🟥 Group 6

🟪 Group 3

🟥 Group 6

🎯 English Skills Covered

Our Summer School is designed to strengthen key GCSE English Language skills while engaging students with rich, real-world topics from Black British and Caribbean history. Through carefully selected historical themes, students practise reading and writing in context — building both technical ability and cultural awareness.

AQA Paper 1 – Creative Reading & Writing

Exploring identity, resilience, and memory through fiction inspired by the Black diaspora.

✔ Analysing fiction

Students will read extracts from modern and historical Black British and Caribbean authors.
Texts may explore themes of migration, belonging, conflict, and change.
Focus on how writers use narrative voice, character, and setting to create impact.

✔ Language and structure

Students will study how writers use techniques like metaphor, contrast, and tension in historical and cultural contexts.
Sample texts may include stories of Windrush arrivals or childhood memories from Caribbean communities.

✔ Descriptive and narrative writing

Students will write their own short stories or memoir-style pieces inspired by historical settings and lived experiences (e.g. writing as a young person arriving in 1950s Britain or growing up in post-colonial Jamaica).
Emphasis on creating atmosphere, building character, and using culturally rich detail.

AQA Paper 2 – Writers’ Viewpoints & Perspectives

Engaging with real voices, historical documents, and modern reflections on race, resistance, and representation.

✔ Comparing texts

Students will compare non-fiction extracts across time periods — for example, a Windrush-era newspaper report and a modern opinion piece on identity or racism.
Focus on similarities and differences in tone, perspective, and message.

✔ Analysing tone and purpose

Materials include letters, articles, and speeches by historical figures such as Mary Seacole, Claudia Jones, and activists from the Black British Civil Rights movement.
Students will identify persuasive techniques, shifts in tone, and rhetorical strategies.

✔ Writing speeches, letters, articles, and reviews

Students will practise writing their own persuasive pieces inspired by the themes explored — for example:
“Why Black History Belongs in Every School”
A letter to an MP about racial justice
A review of a Notting Hill Carnival documentary
A speech from the perspective of a historical figure

📍 Who Is This For?

Students entering Year 10 or 11 in September 2025
Those who want to improve exam skills and writing style
Learners interested in culture, identity, and heritage as part of their English journey

📝 How to Register

👉 Fill out the Summer School Registration Form to book your child’s place.
Mr. Burke will contact you to confirm your group, schedule, and payment.

📝 Summer School Registration Form

GCSE English Summer School Rooted in Black British & Caribbean History Course Dates: 21st July – 8th August 2025
Format: Online via Google Meet | 6 sessions total | 1 hour 15 minutes per session

Student’s Full Name

Date of Birth (DD/MM/YYYY):

Student Email Address

Current School Year (as of Sept 2025)

Parent/Guardian Full Name:

Parent/Guardian Email Address:

Parent Contact Number

Select your preferred group(s):

☐ KS3 English (Years 7–9) ☐ English Language (GCSE – Years 10 & 11) ☐ English Literature (GCSE – Years 10 & 11) ☐ Sociology (GCSE – Years 10 & 11 only)

🟦 Group 1: Mondays & Wednesdays – 12:00 PM to 1:15 PM 🟩 Group 2: Mondays & Wednesdays – 1:30 PM to 2:45 PM 🟪 Group 3: Mondays & Wednesdays – 3:00 PM to 4:15 PM 🟧 Group 4: Tuesdays & Thursdays – 12:00 PM to 1:15 PM 💗 Group 5: Tuesdays & Thursdays – 1:30 PM to 2:45 PM 🟥 Group 6: Tuesdays & Thursdays – 3:00 PM to 4:15 PM

💷 Payment Option

Full Course – £120 (all 6 sessions) Ad Hoc / Drop-in – £25 per session (subject to availability)

📝 Additional Information

👉 Click the button to view the full week-by-week lesson breakdown