ENGLISH  FACULTY 

The English Faculty has 13 teachers and operates largely within its own suite of rooms, which includes a media studio and a central office.  The teaching space has recently been expanded into an adjacent area.

The Faculty is managed by a Head of Faculty and 2 assistant heads of faculty.   

In September 2000, the school welcomed Year 7 and 8 students for the first time and the English Faculty created, in preparation, a new and progressive Scheme of Work for KS3, which has integrated the requirements of the NLS Framework.  The KS3 Scheme includes additional Literacy input in Year 7 and a discrete Drama course in Years 8 and 9. 

At KS4, students work towards the AQA English and English Literature GCSE examinations.  We aim to enter the vast majority of students for the Dual award.  Our results have improved over the last few years.  The average pass rate at Grades A–C during the last 4 years is 52%. 

Post-16, popular and successful courses are offered in English Language (AQA), English Literature (AQA, Spec. A),  and Media Studies (AQA).  We also deliver Key Skills Level 2. 

The Faculty works co-operatively as a team, developing and sharing materials and resources and supporting one another both in and out of the classroom.

 As a major faculty in the school, we play a strong role in most aspects of school life, with particular initiatives in extra-curricular drama, debating and theatre trips.  In contributing to the whole-school drive to raise standards and expectations, the current year has seen initiatives with the identified cohorts of Gifted and Talented students, with a group of boys in Year 9 who are being targeted to achieve Level 5 in the KS3 SAT, and special monitoring of C/D borderline students at KS4.  The Faculty has also played a leading part in the development of the school’s Literacy Policy. 

Funding is good.  The Faculty carries a large stock of up-to-date books and materials and audio-visual equipment.  We are developing creative approaches to the use of ICT in English and to the opportunities offered by the video facilities in the Media Editing Suite.