English

Aims

In the first three years we aim to develop:

knowledge about how language works and is correctly employed
responses to literature of all genres and at an increasing level of sophistication
language skills in a variety of ways: to express feelings and experience; to persuade; discuss and analyse
formal and informal oral communication skills

Staff and facilities

The department has a staff of seven full-time teachers and two part-time teachers.

We occupy eight rooms in the Woodsmoor Building. We also use our well-stocked Library for reading challenges and author events throughout the year.

Subject time per 10-day cycle

Lower School – six lessons with one hour of homework
IGCSE English and English literature (compulsory) – seven lessons with two hours of homework
A Level – 10 lessons with additional individual study, moving to 11 lessons in the Upper Sixth

English in the Lower School

Pupils read a selection of challenging and award-winning texts which bridge the gap between canonical classics and cutting-edge contemporary texts.

Outside of class, pupils can attend creative writing workshops and will have the opportunity to have their work published in ‘Like, Literary’, the school’s literary magazine, and to submit entries to the prestigious non-fiction Moult Essay and W.S. Johnston Creative Writing Prizes.

Many young wordsmiths relish putting their public speaking skills into practice at the Model United Nations, whilst others enjoy bringing their favourite poems to life in the Poetry By Heart competition. Those who enjoy puzzles and gathering news contribute to the First Year library magazine ‘On the Same Page’ and the Creative Writing group meets weekly to exercise imagination and to craft short pieces.

Work is taught in such a way that several aims are covered at a time. For example the close reading and study of a text can encourage creativity through the production of writing in a variety of forms.

Presentation and oral communication skills are developed through discussion or dramatic role play and, as an integral part, specific technical skills such as spelling and grammar are learnt.

Specific attention is paid to the development of personal reading through the ‘Book Buzz’ scheme in the First Year. We also organise theatre trips and have visited the Warner Bros. Studio Tour to experience the world of Harry Potter. The librarians organise events such as the dark and atmospheric ‘Forest Library’ campfire reading, complete with torchlit stories and the creation of reading ‘leaves.’

English further up the school

IGCSE

At IGCSE we concentrate on preparing students for the compulsory English and English Literature examinations, which are based on non-literary and media texts as well as the study of the study of plays, poetry and novels, including a diverse array of voices. Students are given the opportunity to respond analytically, personally and imaginatively to texts which are studied in class. There are performances of set texts by visiting theatre companies, and we take the whole year group to the theatre when the opportunity arises.

A Level

At A Level students will study a range of prose, poetry and drama texts in depth, including at least one of Shakespeare’s plays and a post-2000 work. They will also respond to ‘unseen’ material and will be asked to make connections between texts.

Our main aim is to encourage and recognise each individual’s ability to delve deeply into novels, plays and poems. A Level English Literature students will engage in active debate about the texts’ literary, historical, philosophical or theatrical significance through a consideration of different critical perspectives and possible layers of meaning. We encourage each class member to read widely so that they can express and develop creative and independent opinions about the texts they are studying and the ‘unseen’ material they encounter. Reading a wide range of imaginative works enables students to gain skills and aptitudes which can be transferred to future employment contexts and will help them to reflect on their life experiences.

Sixth Form students enjoy regular theatre visits and a residential trip, with an annual visit to Warwick University to hear lectures by university professors and guests such as the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, followed by a journey to Stratford-upon-Avon to experience the Royal Shakespeare Company’s outstanding productions.

Please consult the Sixth Form Handbook for further information

Co-curricular activities

The editorial team of the 2023 Like, Literary Magazine

For those who enjoy lively discussions there is a weekly Model United Nations group. Pupils can also demonstrate their public speaking skills by participating in the ‘Poetry by Heart’ competition. In addition, Lower School pupils meet at lunchtime to generate their own creative pieces. The English and Drama Departments recently joined to write poetry for the Robert F Kennedy Foundation for Human Rights and Curious Minds, which culminated in a ‘Poetic Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ for Greater Manchester.

There is an extension reading and writing group for Middle School and Sixth Formers. Recent pupils’ choices have included ‘A Doll’s House’ ‘Jane Eyre’, and Edgar Allan Poe’s gothic short stories, in addition to a selection of dystopian extracts. A group of Sixth Form students entered the Orwell Prize with their eclectic selection of poems and discursive essays entitled ‘Freedom.’

Guest authors and speakers

The department regularly team up with the library to invite a wide range of well-known and up-and-coming authors, poets, writers and speakers to introduce their work and talk about their inspirations, and to take workshops with our pupils.

Author Matt Dickinson with pupils

Recent visitors have included film-maker and writer Matt Dickinson, Darkmouth author Shane Hegarty, best-selling Scottish crime writer Val McDermid, controversial young adult novelist M A Bennett and award-winning fiction writer Kim Slater. Zadie Smith, author of ‘White Teeth’ and ‘On Beauty’ hosted a webinar during which she addressed the questions students had submitted about literature, messages and meanings. The Welsh poet Owen Sheers also visits the school each year to answer pupils’ questions and to read from his 2005 collection ‘Skirrid Hill’, which the Sixth Form pupils study for their A Level examination.

Junior School

Senior School

Sixth Form