Reading lists and anthologies of literary and non-literary texts

Reading lists

Linked to below are some reading lists for students in KS3 and 4. Students in Year 7, however, should primarily use Accelerated Reader to guide them towards appropriate reading.

• KS3 Reading list

• KS4 Reading list

Imagine: I want to get into Drake or Bob Dylan or K-Pop but I don’t really know where to start. This can seem rather overwhelming. What are the best songs? Which album should I try first? Thankfully, the modern world has provided a solution: playlists. I just need to load up Apple Music (or Spotify or whatever) and find the relevant Essentials Playlist: Drake Essentials, Bob Dylan Essentials, K-Pop Essentials. It might not contain exactly the songs that a die-hard Drake or Dylan or K-Pop fan might choose, but it will give me somewhere to start. It will help me not to feel lost in the sea of seemingly endless possibility. We have adopted this approach with our Literature Playlists. Not everyone will agree with them, but they will give you somewhere to start in your quest to get into literature. Each playlist contains a manageable number of texts that you can look up, with a few singled out as recommended reads for secondary school students, though you can read any ones you like the sound of. They’re designed to make it a little easier for you to start your journey into classic literature.

• English Literature all-time essentials

• English Literature 20th century essentials

• American Literature essentials

• World Literature essentials

• English Literature 21st century essentials

• English Literature deep cuts

Anthologies of short stories

These collections of short stories were collated by SHSG English with our students in mind. They are all short, easily digestible and enjoyable. WARNING: Several of the stories in these collections contain adult themes. They are not intended for students in Year 7.

• Short story anthology - Volume 1

• Short story anthology - Volume 2

• Short story anthology - Volume 3

• Short story anthology - Volume 4

• Short story anthology - Volume 5

• Short story anthology - Volume 6

• Short story anthology - Volume 7: Philomel Cottage

• Short story anthology - Volume 8: The Truth Is A Cave In A Black Mountain

Anthologies of poetry

These are collections of extra-curricular poems were chosen to introduce students to a variety of different poets and poetic forms. They should be read and enjoyed, first and foremost. However, they may also be useful for students preparing for unseen poetry at both GCSE and A Level.

• Poetry anthology - Volume 1

• Poetry anthology - Volume 2

Anthologies of non-fiction

This anthology was created to help GCSE students familiarise themselves with different non-fiction forms. It will be updated with more example texts over time.

• Non-fiction anthology