“Students are well cared for by the school and their personal development is good.”
Ofsted Inspection Nov 2007
>> VLE Moodle Learning Resources - English
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Leader of English
Miss Sarah Powell
MA Creative Writing
BA Honours English and Related Arts
Certificate TESOL
Key Stage 3 Co-ordinator
Miss Esther Willis
BA Honours English and American Studies
Stage 4 Co-ordinator
Mrs Gaynor Deoraj
BA Honours English and Drama
Teachers of English
Mrs Peggy Ashcroft, BA Honours English
Miss Rosemary Bettis, BA Honours English
Mrs Christine Friend, BA Honours English and History
Miss Lucy Hall, BA Honours English and Creative Writing
Mrs Carmel Overton, BA Honours English Language and Literature
Miss Sarah Smith, BA Honours English and Communication Studies
Mrs Paula Tumulty, BA Honours English Literature with American Studies,
MA Contemporary Drama & Represenation
The English department’s aim is to offer enjoyment which promotes achievement for all students.
Our KS3 results have improved over the last year, level 7+ up 7% to 21%, level 6+ up 13% to 61% and level 5 up 2% to 87%.
Our GCSE results of 70% A*-C for Language and 71% A*-C for Literature are also above the National average. We have seen a particularly pleasing and drastic increase in A and A* Language grades, from 20%, of our total cohort, in 2008 to 39% in 2009.
English is taught in a suite of seven well-equipped specialist classrooms, each with its own interactive whiteboard. Students also have access to newly refurbished computer suites, laptops, video cameras and the Learning Resources Centre, which regularly updates its stock of contemporary texts.
The English Department teach six lessons per fortnight to Years 7-11. Students are set in ability groupings.
‘I always feel I can ask my teacher for help when I need it’
Year 8 student
Key Stage 3
The Key Stage 3 English course aims to develop students’ abilities in the areas of speaking and listening, reading and writing.
At Key Stage 3, students in each year group study: a novel, drama, poetry, non-fiction texts, media, pre-20th literature and Shakespeare. The course has been devised by the Tanbridge House English Department, which has been purposely designed to meet the needs of all students. The course has been tailored to include a variety of learning styles and interactive teaching approaches so as to inspire and stimulate interest in the subject.
Students are continually assessed via on-going work in Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing as well as baseline assessments in Reading and Writing via APP tasks (Assessing Pupil Progress) and Speaking and Listening, once every term.
‘We are encouraged in lessons to express our opinions and ideas’
Year 9 student
Speaking and Listening
We value speaking and listening as a vital transferable skill and as an integral part of the learning process. Students are taught to vary their speech according to the task at hand through a variety of activities including: formal presentations, group discussions, debate, role-play and dramatic performance. These tasks are completed either individually, in small groups or as a class; this approach aims to build students’ confidence when speaking as well as promote and encourage active listening. Many speaking and listening tasks arise from, and are linked to, reading and writing tasks, providing a distinct connection between these three key areas of English.
Reading
Students are actively encouraged to read regularly both in and out of lessons. Reading is a central part of each lesson with students given the opportunity to read an array of engaging and relevant texts together as a class, in pairs or independently. In English lessons, students are offered a varied and challenging programme of reading. An assortment of engaging texts are covered, including: ‘Bridge to Terabithia’ by Katherine Paterson (Year 7); ‘Abomination’ by Robert Swindells (Year 8) and ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ by John Boyne (Year 9); in addition to short stories, plays, poetry and a variety of non-fiction.
At Key Stage 3, students take part in a fortnightly ‘Reading Matters’ lesson. This aims to promote a positive outlook on reading and engage students in a wide variety of texts. All ‘Reading Matters’ sessions take part in our well-resourced Learning Resources Centre where students are advised and guided in their choice of text.
The department also run a reading group for each year group. Year 7 students take part, with local primary schools, in the West Sussex Book Awards; Year 8 students focus on sharing their ideas about texts, expressing opinions and promoting reading to others and Year 9 track the novels nominated for the Carnegie Medal. These groups continue into Key Stage 4.
Students take part annually in a sponsored read for charity. We run a book fair in the Autumn Term and regularly invite children’s novelists and poets into school to work with students. In Year 9, the Globe Players are invited to school to give a performance of the Shakespeare text they are studying.
‘I love reading and studying books in class because it brings books I wouldn’t normally read to life and helps me to understand them more’
Year 8 student
Writing
Students are given frequent opportunities to write in different ways and for a variety of purpose and audiences. Typical writing activities include writing in a range of forms, for example: diaries, reviews, letters, short stories and factual accounts.
In English lessons, students are taught the value of planning their writing effectively alongside the accurate use of grammar, punctuation and spelling. Students are actively encouraged to present their writing neatly and clearly, and are reminded of the need for fluency and variety. Writing tasks can be typed on a PC; this allows students to apply suitable formatting and layouts to their work and actively engage in the re-drafting process. In addition to the composition of writing, we also focus on the importance of students reviewing their work through proof-reading, correcting errors and editing; this process is often encouraged through self and peer assessment.
The English Department also provide assistance and guidance on both spelling and handwriting throughout the year.
‘We get regular feedback on our progress…what we’re good at and what we need to improve’
Year 7 student
Key Stage 3 Extra-Curricular Activities
In addition to the sponsored read, book fairs, reading groups and novelist visits, there are also poetry competitions, opportunities for theatre trips and workshops throughout the year. Extra study sessions for targeted students are also provided in all year groups.
Parental Support at Key Stage 3
You can support your children in English by ensuring that they complete homework that is set and encourage them to read a variety of new and progressively challenging books.
Key Stage 4
At Tanbridge House the Key Stage 4 course encompasses GCSE English and English Literature so that at the end of Year 11 students are awarded with two GCSEs.
Students in Key Stage Four follow the GCSE AQA ‘A’ Syllabus, with assessments in coursework and terminal examination (for full detail, see section on Key Stage Four)
GCSE English
Coursework (40%)
Students complete the following written assessments, which comprise 20% of the folder:
- Original Writing
- Media
- Shakespeare
- Pre-1900 Prose Study
In addition three speaking and listening assessments are completed that make up the remaining 20% of the coursework grade.
Examination (60%)
The remainder of the course is assessed through two examinations:
Paper 1
Section A: Reading Non-Fiction Texts
Students will be expected to analyse the texts provided with attention to the use of fact and opinion; specific language devices and presentational devices (e.g. colour, font, layout and image) and their impact on the texts’ intended purpose and target audience.
Section B: Writing to argue, persuade, advise
Students will be assessed on their ability to use writing devices specific to the purpose, target audience and format; their ability to plan and structure their writing effectively, as well as their spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Students have 1 hour 45 minutes to complete this paper and each section of the exam is worth 27 marks.
Paper 2
Section A: Poetry from Different Cultures and Traditions
Students answer one question on Cluster A or B, of the poetry from the AQA Anthology depending on their class’s programme of study. They will be assessed through a comparative essay focusing on language, structure and meaning of a named and one other poem of their choice.
Section B: Writing to inform, explain, describe
As with Section B of Paper 1, students will be assessed on their ability to use writing devices specific to the purpose, target audience and format; their ability to plan and structure their writing effectively, as well as their spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Students have 1 hour 30 minutes to complete this paper and each section of the exam is worth 27 marks.
GCSE English Literature
Coursework (30%)
Students complete the following written assessments, which comprise 30% of the folder:
- Shakespeare
- Pre-1900 Prose Study
- Post-1914 Drama
The Shakespeare and Pre-1900 Prose Study are assessed for both English and English Literature.
Examination (70%)
The remainder of the course is assessed in one examination of two sections.
Section A: Post-1914 Prose
Students will have already studied a novel, or collection of short stories in class in preparation for this examination. The novel they will have studied will either be:
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- Selection of Short Stories from the AQA Anthology
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Students have a choice of two questions and respond in essay form to the set text they have studied in class. Questions will focus on a close analysis of language, character, theme and/or structure. This section is worth 27 marks.
Section B: Pre – and Post-1914 Poetry
Students will have already studied a collection of poetry from the AQA Anthology in preparation for this section of the examination; this will either include poetry by:
- Seamus Heaney and Gillian Clarke, or
- Carol Ann Duffy and Simon Armitage, and
- Pre-1900 Poems
Students are assessed through a comparative analytical essay. They will have a choice of three questions but must refer to four poems in their response from both Pre- and Post-1914 sections. Questions focus on language, tone, structure and meaning (literal and metaphorical). This section is worth 36 marks.
Students have 1 hour 45 minutes to complete this paper. It is recommended that 45 minutes be spent on Section A and the remaining hour on Section B.
Key Stage 3 Extra-Curricular Activities
The English department organise a variety of trips outside school including theatre visits for students to consolidate their understanding of drama texts studied and conferences to aid examination study such as the nationally popular ‘Poetry Live’ involving poets studied for the Anthology, discussing their work. As well as this, weekly coursework sessions are provided, and revision sessions for each examination targeted at specific grade boundaries. The department provide advice and help during the yearly Year 11 Study Support Evening.
Parental Support at Key Stage 4
Parental support is vital at Key Stage Four in English as there are incredible pressures on students to achieve for their future. You can help by ensuring that they meet coursework deadlines, which are posted in the English section of the VLE, as well as homework deadlines and supporting their revision. We recommend a variety of revision guides, a list of which are posted on the VLE, which can be purchased via the web, local bookshops or through the department.