English

“The overriding aim of the English curriculum is to enable pupils to develop to the full their ability to use and understand English.”  (English for ages 5-16, 2:13).

We want our pupils to develop the necessary skills to use Standard English confidently and accurately.

We want our pupils to speak clearly with fluent, well-organised speech.

English is both spoken and written and so this aim must relate to all modes of language – speaking and listening, reading and writing.

We try to provide a curriculum that is challenging, enjoyable, rigorous and engaging.  The curriculum must be tailored to some degree to the needs and abilities of the individual pupils without compromising overall standards.

We endeavour to foster enjoyment and increasing understanding of a range of literature.  We wish to help pupils to develop and broaden their experience of literature so that they can develop their own individual tastes.

The curriculum should enable the pupils to reflect on themselves as language users and to be increasingly self aware and self critical of themselves and language users.

The pupils’ contributions and efforts are to be valued and respected but also appraised critically, in the context of their individual progress, in order to encourage further progress.

English in the Senior House involves a range of activities. Grammar, spelling and punctuation are taught formally.  Literature is at the heart of much of the curriculum. Pupils study a wide range of children’s fiction and, at the top of the school, some adult fiction, as well as a range of poetry. Boys are taught to be active readers, who respond critically to what they read. They are given the opportunity to produce creative work in a range of formats and to make presentations, using ICT.