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English

Staff

• Ms L E Preston (Director of Faculty)
• Ms S James (Second in Faculty)
• Ms K Cain (also Head of Drama)
• Ms K Carpenter (i/c English Gifted and Talented)
• Ms B Ditton
• Ms L Kirkman (Advanced Skills Teacher)
• Dr M Moyes (also Assistant Headteacher)

The English Faculty has four dedicated classrooms, equipped with whiteboards, data projectors and book boxes.

English holds a unique place in the curriculum: it is both a subject in its own right and also the medium through which all other subjects in the curriculum are delivered. In short, it is central to the educational progress of all students. The aim of the faculty is to develop our students as enthusiastic, motivated and independent learners who possess the written and oral communication skills which will be so vital for their future lives; we also wish to foster a life-long interest in the spoken and written word.

Our dedicated teachers combine traditional teaching techniques with the very latest in pedagogical thinking, meaning that all students benefit from lessons that address their different learning styles.  We closely monitor the progress of all students and organise ‘interventions’ where necessary - these include a mentoring programme for Year 11 students and lunchtime booster sessions.  Ms Carpenter runs the ‘Reading Challenge’ scheme for able but reluctant Year 7 readers.

The faculty is well resourced with class sets of novels, poetry anthologies, plays and textbooks. Our stock is updated every year so that students can take advantage of the latest in children’s fiction and non-fiction as well as more traditional works. There is also a large collection of DVDs. The use of ICT is an intrinsic aspect of the English curriculum and students have regular access to the computer and library facilities in the Learning Resource Centre.

At Key Stage 3 the Faculty provides a solid foundation for the study of English at GCSE and A-level. Students take units in prose, poetry, scripted drama and media and equal emphasis is given to developing their reading, writing and speaking and listening skills.

In both years 10 and 11, students are taught in mixed ability groups, with a top set for those boys possessing particular talent in the subject. The faculty follows the AQA B syllabus for both English and English Literature with students studying prose, poetry, drama texts, media and non-fiction. They build on their work at KS3 and further develop their ability to write to argue, persuade and advise; explore, imagine and entertain; inform, explain, describe and analyse, review, comment. Speaking and listening skills are also a key component of the courses.

Every year we run a trip to ‘Poetry Live’ so that students have the opportunity to hear poets discuss their work and to listen to a senior examiner discuss examination technique.

The faculty has a very successful track record in GCSE examinations. In 2012, 100% of our students gained grade C or above in both GCSE English Language and English Literature.  Nearly half achieved A or A* in English Language and 50% achieved A or A* in English Literature.

At Key Stage 5, English is a very popular subject. The faculty offers three different AQA B A-levels as part of the Sleaford Joint Sixth Form - English Language, English Language & Literature and English Literature. In 2012 we enjoyed a 100% pass rate across all three of our A-levels.

Students participate in a variety of interesting enrichment activities. These include the Young Journalism Academy programme (for which students have a dedicated newsroom), the English Speaking Union Public Speaking Competition and writing clubs (in collaboration with the Learning Resource Centre). We also run the ‘Reading passport’ scheme for students in KS3, to encourage students to read widely outside of school.  Recent trips have included a trip to the British Library in London.

We are part of an increasingly competitive global economy and so the range of skills developed in the study of English are highly valued by employers, colleges and universities alike. Success in English is essential for entry to virtually all careers; specific careers that employ English skills include: law, journalism, management consultancy