ENGLISH

“English is the language of the future, the language of the computer.  English is the most important tool you’ll ever need, no matter what career you choose.”

Benjamin Zephania, Poet, Writer, Actor

The English Learning Area’s aim is to develop skills, confidence and a love of English language and literature. This will enable our students to express themselves creatively and imaginatively and become effective communicators on a global stage. The study of how the English language works gives students the flexibility and confidence to choose what they say and write in a variety of situations. Through Literature, students explore their own culture and the experiences of people from other countries and other times.

The habit of reading for pleasure and its value as a skill for life underpins all aspects of student learning.  Students become enthusiastic and critical readers of novels, stories and poetry. Drama comes alive with group productions and workshops, while students learn to become discriminating readers of newspapers and magazines.

The English Learning Area encourages a range of active learning styles. Individual assignments, group oral presentations, newspaper simulations, radio broadcasts all have their part to play in building confidence and language expertise. This approach is complemented by an exciting programme of theatre visits, poetry workshops and “authors in residence”. Visits to Canterbury and the world of Geoffrey Chaucer, Hardy’s Wessex and the War Graves of Ypres and the Somme broaden students’ experience of time and place.