English
English Department staff:
| Mrs V Bissell | Head of Department |
| Mrs M Biles | 2nd in Department |
| Mr R Cowles | Teacher of English |
| Miss J Bruckshaw | Teacher of English |
| Ms J Davey | Teacher of English |
| Mr L Herbage | Teacher of English |
| Mrs J Holt | Teacher of English |
| Dr P Kincaid | Teacher of English |
| Mr A Kyle | Teacher of English |
| Dr G Mynott | Teacher of English |
| Mrs G Reed-Aspley | Teacher of English |
| Mrs J Rogers | Teacher of English |
| Mrs C Seeley | Teacher of English |
Media Studies Department staff:
| Mrs V Bissell | Head of Department |
| Dr P Kincaid | Teacher of Media |
| Miss J Bruckshaw | Teacher of Media |
Media Practitioners:
| Mr G J Davis | Director/Editor |
| Mr M Clifford | Producer |
| Mr R Grant | Animator |
| Mr S Murphy | University Lecturer |
English at Key Stage 3
English in years 7-9 is taught in mixed ability form groups
In English we place great emphasis on the development of reading and writing skills across a range of texts for a range of audiences and purposes. We place reading for pleasure at the centre of the equation through a supported personal reading scheme which develops the ability to select and differentiate between texts. Texts studied as a whole class include:
‘Clockwork’ – Philip Pullman
‘Skellig’ - David Almond
‘Welcome to the Real World’ – Anne Coburn
‘The Secret Garden’ – F. Hodgkinson-Burnett
'Holes' - L Sachar - Storm Breaker
And many more!
We apply a creative approach to the study of Language which generates independent writing, comprehension and analytical skills in our pupils and develops their ability to consume, create and evaluate language in the real world.
Of course Key Stage 3, especially at Year 9, means SATs and our record here is outstanding. We study whole Shakespeare texts - currently ‘Macbeth’, replaced by ‘The Tempest’ for 2006-7. We relish the opportunity to introduce the bard to our students as much for pleasure and as a foundation for KS4 as for preparation for examination – an approach which has reaped rewards across Key Stages. We fine tune critical and creative language skills which enable our students to handle texts across genres with confidence.
From 2007 we offer an accelerated group which studies for SATS and year 1GCSE concurrently.
In English it is not all about examinations – rather developing the whole child and their language. We take great pride in our work with Speaking and Listening, both within the classroom and through extra curricular activities – our Year 9 Public Speaking Team (2006) won through to the regional finals and were a credit both to themselves and to the school. Their eloquence, team-work, confidence and originality marked them out as products of this school and we are immensely proud of them.
English at Key Stage 4
At Key Stage 4 we aim to build upon the foundations laid in years 7-9 to equip our learners to deal with language across genres and contexts and to extend their enjoyment and appreciation of Literature.
At GCSE we offer English Language and English Literature from OCR.
As pupils enter Year 10 we set our students with 2 'Top Sets'; 2 parallel middle sets and are 'foundation' sets in each half of the timetable. The foundation sets offer English Language and/or Entry Level Qualification in English. All students in top and middle sets are entered for the Higher Tier examination paper and many in what are loosely classed as ‘middle’ sets go on to achieve A grades at GCSE and to carry their love of English into KS5 – indeed we as a department have come to expect this!
Students are given the opportunity to explore a major work of Shakespeare together Pre-20th poetry and prose for their coursework submissions. At examination they study poetry, prose and drama from the 20th Century – authors include Orwell, Pinter and Clarke.
Language study extends to a range of media and non-fiction texts as we extend the critical and analytical skills of our students to real texts in the real world – a skill for life in a world increasingly bombarded by language.
In English it is never just about the examination. We do our best to offer a broad range of experience to our students – we organise theatre trips and participate in public speaking competitions and creative writing activities – many of our pupils have gone onto be published poets. The huge numbers that make the transition from KS4 to KS5 is a clear indication of the success of this subject at GCSE.
English at Key Stage 5
The department offer two English courses at A’ Level – English Literature and the combined English Language and Literature courses run in conjunction with Edexcel.
We are very proud of our record in 6th form – we are one of the most popular and successful department at KS5. Our courses develop and fine tune the skills and the passions of our students, again building upon the strong foundations laid earlier in their school career.
Our Literature courses are delivered by a dedicated team of specialists who open up the works of major pre-20th century writers such as Austen, Marlowe and Shakespeare to students who are by now eager to explore Literature to a sophisticated level. 20th century works currently include works by Friel and Larkin and many of our students go on to study this subject at university. Above all it is a subject that enriches the lives of its students – culturally and intellectually.
The Language and Literature course offers a combined study that looks at language in its various forms – spoken and written, fiction and non-fiction. It introduces students to new and sophisticated levels of analysis and exploration and affords opportunities for creative and original writing. It is a relatively recent addition to our portfolio and is one of our most successful and popular courses. Many students go on to study English at University but the subject also combines most effectively with others to offer a flexible and attractive UCAS profile linking as it does with subject such as Theatre, Law, Psychology and Politics.
Media Studies
The English Department has extended to offer Media Studies at KS5 both at AS/2 level (AQA) and as a BTEC Level 3 (Edexcel) qualification which is equivalent to 3 A’ Levels.
This is a new and dynamic direction that has proved to be very successful and very popular.
The Media is a powerful influence on all our lives and we set out to empower our students to be critical consumers, capable of making informed judgements about what they see, hear and read. We are fortunate to have links with vocational practitioners who share insight and expertise with our students across the qualifications we offer.
At A’ Level we study a range of film and broadcast fiction texts from sitcom to art installation, from Hollywood to Bollywood – it is our aim to broaden the media experience of our students introducing them to media texts of high quality and international renown. Students also get to grips with the industries and institutions that control the media through their study of advertising. Students are given the opportunity to put theory into practice through a practical production which gives them access to professional filmmakers and which has resulted in work of such a high standard student texts have been shown at national film festivals to much critical acclaim.
The BTEC 3 qualification is the most recent addition to our portfolio. This is a challenging course with a vocational bias that equips its students for progression to Higher Education through our burgeoning partnerships with local universities. The course is centred on the practical, the creative and the technical aspects of the media. It is delivered by professional practitioners with proven skills at national and even international level and students explore every aspect of the Moving Image from preproduction, production management and of course, production itself. They are often taken out of the school environment to experience the industry at work in its various forms and are commissioned to make real film products for real purposes. Links with Coventry University give access to HE facilities from the start. The course provides opportunities to a varied range of students and keys in to those with practical abilities affording an alternative and exciting pathway which rightly has equal UCAS rating with more conventional A Levels.
Media Studies has, ironically, received something of a bad press! In reality the courses we offer combine the academic and the practical in a challenging way that develops creative and critical skills to a very high standard. The discipline links with so many others such as English, Theatre, Music, Design, ICT and Sociology and has provided opportunities for broad and dynamic post-16 combinations. Our students have gone on to study Film and Media either in its own right or in combination with other subjects at degree level at some of the most prestigious universities in the country.