English

Great Stories Begin with a love of English!

In the English department we have three priorities: reading, reading and reading!

We want, above all, to instil in our children a love of reading that will benefit them beyond measure in their future education, and bring them lifelong enjoyment. In an age where very few things are fixed and tangible, reading, by whatever means, will always be at the heart of the human experience. Reading helps us to talk to those who came before us, enables us to understand our present, and guides us as we navigate our way into our individual and collective futures. Through reading we understand what it means to be human: we gain insight into our own lives and the lives of others. 

We study a range of contemporary and classic fiction, non-fiction and poetry; from the lives of the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt to the futuristic worlds of modern sci-fi; from the letters of Churchill to the slums of Dickens’ London; from the trenches of the First World War to 1984, and to Hogwarts and beyond.

Reading tops the list of academic priorities and the Accelerated Reading Scheme is embraced with enthusiasm; the beautiful well-stocked senior library painted a pleasing shade of oxblood red and staffed by an exceptional librarian can only help.

Good Schools Guide

Allied to this over-branching philosophy is the development of the other key skills of writing to explain, explore, persuade, argue, describe and entertain. We value the skills of speaking and listening, incorporating drama into all our schemes of work, and we ensure that the traditional teaching of the formal rules of spelling, punctuation and grammar is rigorous, yet never dull.

When visiting Hazlegrove, please ask to see our wonderful library and English Department in action in one of our classrooms. We are sure you will be surprised and delighted.

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