Introduction

English Display Board The English department consists of twelve full and part time members of staff and teaches out of seven classrooms based in the Fairlie section of the school.

The general aims of the English department are as follows:

To foster enjoyment of all aspects of the subject
To develop an understanding and appreciation of literature
To help the pupils develop their powers of communication (both written and spoken) and for them to value their own creativity
To challenge and stimulate pupils by offering a wide variety of activities which give them the opportunity to develop in the four areas of intellectual, social, personal and aesthetic growth, enabling them to understand themselves and the world around them.

We believe that successful teaching and learning occur when the following are evident:

A very high expectation of success for the learner
Encouragement and support from the teacher
A respect for the pupil
Motivation for the learner to make sense of and acquire control over language and the power it can have
Celebration of achievement
Opportunities for the pupil to reflect on achievement and set targets for the future.

In Year 7, students have six English lessons, including one lesson in the library and one drama lesson.
In Year 8, students have five lessons, again in the library and one drama lesson.
By Year 9, this drops to four lessons per cycle, all based in the English classrooms. Lessons follow the National Framework.

At GCSE, we follow the AQA English Language and English Literature specifications. Set examination texts for 2011 to 2012 are 'To Kill a Mockingbird', 'Of Mice and Men', J B Priestly's 'An Inspector Calls' and Miller's 'The Crucible'. The results for the 2010 cohort were 87% A* or A.
At A-level, we offer a choice of English Language or English Literature, with high levels of uptake in both subjects. We follow AQA specification for English Language and from September 2011, OCR specifications for English Literature.