A high-quality English education inspires a love of reading and nurtures intellectual curiosity. Students experience a range of texts from different cultures and time periods which provide them with a better understanding of the world they live in. English at CCHSG introduces students to an exciting range of literature, from Chaucer and Shakespeare to Phillip Pullman, Arthur Miller and Simon Armitage. Students develop their creative writing skills from Year 7 with descriptions, stories and poetry writing, exploring a range of texts from different cultures and backgrounds. Critical analysis is promoted across the English curriculum as students explore both fiction and non-fiction texts. Students develop their ability to construct a logical argument and to express themselves accurately, coherently and effectively in both their written and oral communication. Students experience a range of texts from different cultures and time periods which provide them with a better understanding of the world they live in. English at CCHSG introduces students to an exciting range of literature, from Chaucer and Shakespeare to Phillip Pullman, Arthur Miller and Simon Armitage. Students develop their creative writing skills from Year 7 with descriptions, stories and poetry writing, exploring a range of texts from different cultures and backgrounds. Critical analysis is promoted across the English curriculum as students explore both fiction and non-fiction texts. Students develop their ability to construct a logical argument and to express themselves accurately, coherently and effectively in both their written and oral communication.
Students of all Years are encouraged to read as much as possible to widen their horizons, perspectives and ideas. In Years 7 and 8, there is one library lesson a fortnight during which students can take an hour to escape into a different realm through the book they are reading. Students in Year 7 take part in our Accelerated Reader program and Year 8 students are encouraged to extend their reading with a challenge list of texts that piques their interest and enjoyment.
Years 7 and 8 – students are exposed to a variety of texts and forms of literature with a focus on genre, reading novels such as ‘The Lord of the Flies’, ‘Northern Lights’ and ‘A Christmas Carol’. They will begin to use textual evidence to support their arguments and start to appreciate how contexts can impact meaning. Students will enhance their writing skills, developing their use of punctuation, sentence structures and vocabulary choices whilst being introduced to a range of subject terminology to use in their textual analysis.
Years 9 to 11 – students will develop their critical analysis and knowledge of GCSE texts including ‘An Inspector Calls’, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’, forming detailed and well supported arguments. They will appreciate and critique the impact that context has on meaning and interpretation whilst developing their use of a range of subject terminology, including a range of literary devices, to embed within their analyses. Students’ creative writing will be enhanced through greater technical accuracy and the increasingly sophisticated use of language devices.
Years 12 and 13 – students will develop an understanding of literary and critical theory in association with a range of texts such as ‘Sense and Sensibility’, ‘A Doll’s House’ and ‘The History Boys’ as well as linguistic non-fiction texts for English Language. They will become confident in working independently, analysing language and structure as well as exploring the meaning of texts and different interpretations. Students begin developing their comparative skills, investigating abstract themes and ideologies whilst consistently and effectively embedding advanced subject terminology into their critical analysis of texts. The English Literature course encourages students to explore how texts fit into their context and how that impacts their meaning, whilst in English Language students examine different language discourses, child language acquisition and how language has changed over time.
Co-curriculum and Extracurricular Activities
The extracurricular opportunities are rich and varied within the English department. Students are able to expand their love of the subject through activities such as theatre trips, university visits, author visits and writing competitions.
Every year students from across the school participate in the annual World Book Day activities. Throughout the year there are also opportunities to complete a range of creative writing pieces for various competitions, which can be enhanced by their involvement in the weekly ‘Creative Writing Club’. Those with a flair for writing or an interest in journalism, may also participate in the BBC Young Reporter Competition.
There are many opportunities for KS4 and KS5 students, most prominently with Sixth Form students forming the editorial team for the student newspaper “The Kilt” which is published half termly. Year 10 students are invited to be Literacy Leaders running ‘Word of the Week’ and promoting literacy around the school. Year 12 students are able to share their expertise in the subject with younger students by becoming Peer Mentors and some KS5 subject prefects have set up ‘Banned Book Club’ to widen the students’ knowledge of literature beyond the curriculum. KS5 students with a passion for English Language are able to join ‘Language Level Club’ to develop and deepen their knowledge of their A Level studies.
In addition to all of this, there are a range of clubs available for those wishing to take their English studies further, especially to university. ‘Oxbridge Club’ runs every week for students to read and discuss difficult, Oxbridge standard literature such as ‘Paradise Lost’. There are also a host of ‘read-along’ clubs tackling challenge texts such as ‘Pamela’ and ‘Little Women’ where students read a section of the text each evening and discuss their thoughts on Microsoft Teams.
The department has a number of well-equipped, dedicated English classrooms which are fully resourced with interactive whiteboards and informative displays. The school’s brand-new Library offers an extensive range of fiction and non-fiction books for students of all years to enjoy as well as being a space for private study.
The English department offers both English Literature and English Language A Level courses. Both subjects develop skills such as the ability to structure an argument, convey a point of view and critique a perspective which are transferable across many degree courses and in employment. English related courses range from Creative Writing to Speech Therapy and the skills developed throughout the A Level course link particularly with subjects such as Psychology and Law. The analytical and communication abilities that studying English develops are transferable skills desirable on any degree course.