First Year: 5 lessons with one hour of homework.
• IGCSE: English and English Literature (Compulsory) 6 lessons with one hour of homework.
• A Level: 10 lessons with at least 3 hours of individual study

What is English in the Lower School like?

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. Each First and Second Year class also has one period of Drama per fortnightly cycle. Specific attention is paid to the development of personal reading through a certificate scheme. All pupils begin this in the First Year. There is one library lesson per cycle in order to encourage personal reading.

What happens further up the school?

At IGCSE we concentrate on preparing pupils for the compulsory English and English Literature examinations, which are based on non-literary and media texts as well as the study of classic plays, poetry and novels. The English Literature coursework element gives pupils the opportunity to respond analytically, personally and imaginatively to texts which are studied in class. The coursework folder contains several pieces of written work including essays on Shakespeare or modern drama and poetry.

At A Level we study modern prose texts such as ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘The God of Small Things’ alongside Shakespeare plays and poetry by Browning, Chaucer and Keats. Many theatre visits are organised and at the end of the Lower Sixth a residential visit to Stratford or London is arranged.

Are there any extra-curricular activities?

• Each year Sixth Formers are invited to edit, select and produce material for a Departmental Magazine of creative writing. The students take responsibility for the word processing, design, layout and sale of the magazine. The magazine is currently entitled Plain Speaking and is produced in-house under supervision.
• The department is heavily committed to developing debating and research skills through Model United Nations.

Drama

• Drama clubs are organised at lunchtime for the Lower School.
• Opportunities for acting are offered in the Autumn and Spring Terms in a mixture of traditional and innovative school plays such as ‘Much Ado about Nothing’, ‘Skellig’ and ‘The Insect Play’.
• Currently, musicals are produced jointly with the Music Department. Most recently this involved performances of ‘Les Miserables,’ Fiddler on the Roof’ and ‘The Wizard of Oz’.
• Sixth formers traditionally direct, organise and act a play at the end of the Summer Term. These productions are opportunities for leadership, teamwork and enjoyment. Recent plays have included Absent Friends, Present Laughter and A Chorus of Disapproval.