ENGLISH

Head of Department Mrs S Charisse

Recommended reading list can be downloaded here as Word documents:

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year10

Our aim is to enable every student to fulfil his or her potential in English, acquiring the skills to become a fluent and discerning reader, a confident­writer, an effective speaker and listener and a lifelong learner. In order to achieve this it is essential that a positive, disciplined and stimulating environment is created, and that each student's success is celebrated. As English teachers we have a special responsibility, since progression in English is vital to achievement in nearly all areas. We consider ourselves privileged to have the opportunity to share our love of English language and literature with young people, and we believe it is this enthusiasm which is the most important factor in motivating and inspiring students.

The Department's teaching is based on the programmes of study of the National Curriculum for English and the National Curriculum Attainment Targets for English. From the beginning of Year 7 great emphasis is placed on the value of extensive reading to stimulate imagination, an awareness of differing styles and a wide vocabulary. Students in Years 7 and 8 have a weekly Library period; there is a structured Reading Record which is used to monitor their progress. Considerable importance is attached to the acquisition of spelling, punctuation and paragraphing skills and students are expected to present their work neatly and in clearly legible handwriting. They are also encouraged to make use of and develop their IT skills, both in the production of homework and in lessons; classes often use the IT suite for longer tasks over a period of several weeks, for example writing their autobiography with "Boy" by Roald Dahl as a model.

Class reading of a whole novel, play or collection of short stories is a key part of the work of the Department, as we feel it offers an enjoyable shared experience and enables students to develop a range of skills, from oral discussion of ideas to formal written literary criticism. The department believes that literature is an essential part of language and that it has a vital role to play in the spiritual and moral growth of the child. A wide range of types of texts is made available to students, in accordance with the Framework for English.

The ability to write with clarity and accuracy is paramount, but we must also endeavour to ensure that students enjoy the writing process. They are encouraged to acquire new vocabulary and experiment with different styles. Writing competitions are held within the school and students' work is entered for local and national competitions, in which we have had some success.

We believe that it is a vital part of our role as English teachers to do all we can to help students develop into articulate young people, and we see evidence of the success of this policy when they are complimented, as they often are, on their fluency and ease of manner by visitors to the school. As with reading and writing, variety of opportunity is a crucial element. In order for students to develop confidence and competence in Speaking and Listening they need to be exposed to a range of situations, audiences and activities. Whole and small group discussions, pair and individual activities are used in conjunction with Reading and Writing assignments so that Speaking and Listening is perceived as an integral part of English lessons.

The progress of individuals is monitored by means of Gapadol and diagnostic spelling test at the beginning of the academic year and by termly assessments in the areas of Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing. Self and peer assessment is encouraged and targets for improvement frequently set. In the lower school, schemes of work are designed to lead ultimately to the SATs in Year 9, without, however, being overly prescriptive. Year 10 and 11 students follow the AQA English and English Literature GCSE courses.