English

English at Chigwell is taught in a way that combines academic rigour with an enthusiastic and flexible approach. The department’s teachers, each different in style, are united in the aim of offering a lively experience of English for the students within the clear framework provided by the Scheme of Work. A good deal of emphasis is placed on literature throughout our teaching, as we believe that engagement with a wide variety of good writing is at the heart of developing both imagination and style. We also expect appropriate attention to be given to the full range of skills, both written and oral, that will equip our pupils to succeed in the world around them.

The department’s public examination record throughout is good, although we are always looking to extend and enrich our most able students at GCSE and A Level. The AQA Literature Specification is offered at A Level and we expect a take up of between 25 and 35 students every year at AS; typically this means two or three sets of Literature. Results at AS and A2 are consistently good. At GCSE all students take AQA (A) English and English Literature, where 100% of students achieve a C grade or above. In 2008 71% of the students were awarded a grade at A*A.

It is felt vital, however, to promote enjoyment of the subject well beyond the syllabus and the department is always looking to strengthen and expand an already busy extra-curricular programme, that ranges from the Junior Reading Award scheme to a flourishing senior English society. The English department is also responsible for the production of the school magazine and for all debating and public speaking. Drama is a considerable strength of the School, and while there is a separate Drama Department there is inevitably an overlap with English, not least in organising visits to the theatre. In recent years the English department has taken responsibility for the production of the sixth form play, Translations and middle school plays Quest and Under Milk Wood. We also work closely with the librarians, with whom we share the promotion of reading throughout the school. This includes the organisation of visiting writers and storytellers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Ben Haggarty and Jan Blake. In order to enrich our students’ understanding of the socio-historical contexts of the literature they read the department has organised highly successful residential trips to Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh and Wessex.