English

English Department

"I have not toyed with a parachute cord
while perched on the lip of a light aircraft;
but I held the wobbly head of a boy
at the day centre and stroked his fat hands.
And I guess that the tightness in the throat
and the tiny cascading sensation
somewhere inside us are both part of that
sense of something else. That feeling I mean."

Simon Armitage (from "It Ain't What You Do It's What It Does To You")

Education is a preparation for life, not, in the first place for livelihood; it is the development of the whole man, not the mere training of a factory hand.

But the first thought of education must be fulness of life, not professional success. That is the only universal educational ideal.

From The Teaching of English in England (1921)

The main aim of the English curriculum at William Hulme's is to enable all pupils to develop to the full their ability to use and to understand English. To explore for that sense of something else. That feeling I mean. And to have fun.

Taking you on this amazing journey will be the following teachers:

Jonathan Wise (Head of Department)
Alistair Watson (Second in Department)
Judith Swindlehurst (Director of Learning Support)

Chris Gorman (Head of Year 10)

Alyson Boustead  (Director of Teaching and Learning) 

Rachel Pegum

In the last ISI Inspection report the department was described as outstanding and we work hard to maintain that level of excellence by being innovative, stimulating and always focusing on the demands and needs of our students.

KEY STAGE 3

This is an exciting time for pupils to discover new writers and new ways of writing from haikus to heroic couplets, spidergrams to stichomythia. Our syllabus is broadly in line with the National Curriculum, but is much less prescriptive and offers children many more opportunities to study whole books and whole poems instead of just extracts. We have created our own Literature Anthologies which ensures that all pupils cover pre-twentieth and contemporary texts.

Reading is crucial to a child's development in English and we encourage it by having book boxes for each year within the department; using the school's excellent library and by inviting writers into school to give readings and lead writing workshops. Recently we have had Jacqueline Wilson and the two Steves-Barlow and Skidmore.

At Key Stage 3 English classes are normally taught as a whole group and the same teacher will teach them for all their English periods. However, in Years 7 and 8 individual pupils or small groups from each form (3-4 pupils normally), are withdrawn for up to 3 periods per week for extra help. This year Judith Worthington (Classics) and Tracy Pollard (Senior Tutor-Pastoral) are providing extra help and support in Years 7 and 8. The class teacher decides which pupils need this help and then discusses with the support teacher the most suitable and useful work to be done.

There is no banding/streaming at Key Stage 3 for English classes.

KS4 GCSE

Despite what you may read in the press, GCSE English has become a much more demanding subject and is considerably more difficult than the old O-Level as it involves studying over 20 poems from Tom Leonard to Benjamin Zephaniah; a Shakespeare play and a pre 1914 novel such as Great Expectations or Jane Eyre. And that's just for English (the old English Language).

For English Literature students have to study more poetry; a 20th century play such as Arthur Miller's All My Sons and a 20th century novel like Lord of the Flies or I'm the King of the Castle by Susan Hill

Students in Years 10-11 prepare for the AQA English and English Literature Specification A which involve a 40% and a 30% coursework element respectively.

The pupils remain with the same teacher for the duration of their GCSE course. This year Judith Swindlehurst has been timetabled to have one period per week with each Year 10 class to concentrate on oral work. She works closely with the class teacher and pupils are able to enhance their oral skills with her help.

SIXTH FORM

In the Sixth Form we offer students the following courses: English Literature, English Language and Combined Language and Literature which are allocated 9 periods per week for A2 and 8 periods per week for AS. We follow the AQA specifications.

Whatever course a student picks there are certain fundamentals on which it rests:

• It involves thinking as an individual
• Having those thoughts challenged
• Finding out about society
• Finding out about yourself

There is much overlap between the different disciplines and whatever text is being studied certain questions need to be considered:

How is meaning made from a text?

Who creates that meaning and why?

How has the writer's choice of form, structure and language shaped that meaning?

What are the different ways of 'reading' a text?

Who has access to these texts and why?

How do you articulate your response to the text?

We have a developing Sixth Form library within the department, subscribe to The Times Literary Supplement and the London Review of Books for student use, along with Private Eye, When Saturday Comes and The Big Issue and regularly run trips to the theatre. We want students to get involved and to get excited.

RESOURCES

The department is located on the ground floor of the Donner block and virtually all lessons take place in specialist rooms. The extensive and well maintained book stock is also housed in this area and includes book boxes for each year group which are regularly updated by visits to Waterstone's and listening to students' recommendations.

DEPARTMENT ACTIVITIES

We are very keen to broaden the cultural horizons of our pupils and organise regular theatre trips both locally (Royal Exchange, Library, Contact theatres) and nationally (Stratford and London). So far this term there have been trips to Stratford to see Measure for Measure and to the Library Theatre to see Translations.

We also invite writers into school and recently have had Jackie Kay, Jacqueline Wilson, Steve Skidmore and Steve Barlow giving workshops and readings in school.

Public Speaking and debating are valued in the department with Alistair Watson in charge of the Senior Debating competition and Judith Swindlehurst organising the Junior Public Speaking competition.