The Teaching and Learning of English

The Team

Head of English: Mrs J Armitstead
Teacher of English: Mrs T Elphick
Teacher of English: Mrs R Sammons
Teacher of English: Mr D Booth
Teacher of English: Mr M Williams
Teacher of English: Mr C Davies
Teacher of English: Mrs S Dunn

Philosophy

The Head of Department, Jane Armitstead, is seeking to build from existing strengths towards an approach to the teaching and learning of English which is vibrant, cohesive and cutting edge. This involves, respectively, excitement and enthusiasm for English amongst staff and pupils, collaborative working practices and good communication, and the invention and ambition of the team.

Accommodation

The English Department is housed in six dedicated classrooms in the main building. One of these classrooms of dedicated to sixth form teaching. Opposite is the Library, with good facilities and an excellent and supportive Librarian.

Curriculum Delivery

At Key Stage 3 students are taught through modules on short stories, non-fiction, the media, and Shakespeare.

At Key Stage 4 the AQA Specification A course is followed for both English Literature and English Language by all students. We are proud of our examination success which last year involved 83% of SAT results at level 5 or above, and 67% of all GCSE English grades in the A*-C range. A high percentage of students opt to continue to AS and A2 with 100% pass rate in Year 13 last year.

In Years 12 and 13 the AQA English Literature (Spec. A) is currently offered. This reflects the value attached to English Literature across the whole of our Departmental teaching.

The Department runs an annual Poetry Please Evening in November when students learn and recite poetry in a house competition. We also have a Writers Group and reading group which meet on a regular basis.

Useful Revision Links

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/
www.universalteacher.org.uk