Why Study English?

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In English our aim is to develop our pupils’ skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, in order that they may become confident communicators. Studying English helps to develop a wide range of skills that are valuable to employers including: how to argue a point, how to think independently, to write and speak well, to write reports, to present information effectively and to work as part of a team. We also endeavour to instil enthusiasm and passion for all types of literature through a strong focus on knowledge and analysis of a range of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama texts, preparing our pupils for further study of English at GCSE and beyond.

 

Pupils are given the opportunity to explore a range of texts throughout their three years.

Year 8 begins with an introduction to different fiction and non-fiction genre and the study of narrative structure, followed by poetry in term 2 and drama scripts in term 3.  In Year 9, pupils learn how to create interesting characters in fiction, build on their knowledge of poetry from year 8 by studying a range of narrative poems, study non-fiction persuasive texts, and are introduced to the life and works of William Shakespeare. In Year 10 we focus on preparing our pupils for GCSE through the analysis of pre 20th century fiction and lyric poetry, non-fiction texts through travel writing, and the study of a Shakespeare play.

 

Outside the classroom our pupils are given the opportunity to develop their interest in reading and writing through extra-curricular activities such as Book Club, author visits and writing competitions, as well as participating in the Literacy Trust’s annual Reading Champions quiz. A group of pupils are also given responsibility for helping to run the Ferris library, which gives all our pupils access to a wide range of newly stocked fiction and non-fiction texts.