Year 11 Sheakespeare Workshop held by the RSC

The programme of study for Years 7 - 9 has been developed over several years and each term's work is a module built around a central topic or theme.  For example, in Year 7 the topic of Myth and Legend is studied, in Year 8 a theme is Rites of Passage, and in Year 9, the Gothic Tradition.  Each module involves reading and responding to a variety of texts and a number of writing exercises ranging from creative writing to transactional tasks such as formal letter writing or writing a leaflet to persuade or advise.  Particular highlights include the Shakespeare Workshop in Year 8, when every student is involved in a production of a play, and the Poetry Anthology Competition in Year 9, where students choose a topic and research and write poetry on it.  In Years 10 and 11, all students follow a combined course in English and English Literature, leading to GCSEs in both subjects.

Reading for pleasure is widely encouraged.  We issue lists of recommended reading and discuss suggestions for additions with students to ensure that these lists contain a mixture of classic works and modern literary fiction.  The texts in the modules are varied so that students become familiar with a very wide range of material.  We frequently use anthologies produced by ourselves, which enables us to study the topic as widely as possible in the time available.  Reading tasks involve both reading for meaning and appreciating the writer's craft.  Research and study skills are developed when students have to complete projects related to the topic.  Year 7 students, for example, have to research the life and works of  a person they consider a hero or heroine.

The development of a student's own writing skills is closely linked to the study of other writers' work.  Girls are set tasks which require them to inform, explain, describe, argue, persuade, and entertain. They write in a variety of forms: one week's homework could be writing a poem and the next a newspaper article.  By the time students sit their GCSEs in English and English Literature, they are expected to achieve a high level of technical accuracy in their written work. In Years 7 and 8 particularly, basic principles of  grammar and punctuation are revised and consolidated.

Girls are encouraged to develop planning strategies and proof-reading skills which will help them to achieve their potential in both coursework and written examinations.

The skills of Speaking and Listening are developed throughout Years 7 - 11.  The Girls are encouraged to express themselves in a variety of situations including informal group discussions and short individual presentations.