The aim of the English department at Putney Park School is to foster the fundamental communication skills that underpin learning in all other curriculum subjects as well as enhance the students’ effectiveness as social beings in the future.  We focus on the development of the core skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening so that students can express themselves creatively and imaginatively and communicate with others confidently and effectively.  

A further goal is to nurture and encourage an appreciation and enjoyment of the wide range of literary forms which are available for study in English.  Independent reading is promoted and in the classroom opportunities are taken to study the many uses of the language (poetry, drama, narrative fiction, media and non-fiction texts) both in order to expose students to the riches of literature and to adapt and enhance their own modes of speaking and writing.

The Department aims to follow the spirit of the guidelines formulated in the Government’s policy of ‘Every Child Matters’ which emphasises the importance of enjoyment and achievement in learning and specifically for English lists the importance of “exploring identity and place in the world; experiencing the richness and breadth of literature; challenging assumptions; expressing ideas and opinions; creating new worlds in poetry and narrative; developing confidence through drama”.

Our aims are implemented through a framework of selected writings from the main literary forms (drama, poetry and narrative fiction) as well as non-fiction and media texts. Students in each year will study examples of these writings with the overall purpose of expanding their knowledge and appreciation of the range of literary forms.

Texts studied in Year 7 include ‘Skellig’, a range of poetry from different periods, extracts from Shakespeare plays and examples of autobiographical writing on which pupils can model their own.

At Year 8, girls read Conan Doyle’s ‘Hound of the Baskervilles’, Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, a range of poetry on the major themes such as love, friendship, and childhood and  Louis Sachar’s novel ‘Holes’.

Year 9 girls study ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Animal Farm’ and a selection of poetry from the First World War.

At the same time opportunities based on these texts will be taken to develop the various literacy skills which students need – comprehension, spelling, sentence structure, text structure, understanding the author’s craft, writing for different purposes, speaking individually, participating in group discussion and debate and in dramatic representation.

At Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11) the focus for language and literature studies is built around the GCSE specification for English Language and English Literature as published by the OCR examining board.  Texts include ‘Julius Caesar’, Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’, Willy Russell’s ‘Educating Rita’, Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ and the poems of Seamus Heaney.  There is also a focus both on understanding different types of spoken English as well as participation in speaking and listening activities such as debating and drama.

An important part of the English courses at Putney Park are trips focused on some aspect of literature.  Recent trips have included the Bronte museum in Yorkshire and The Globe Theatre in London and  Ypres and the Somme accompanied by a project to study World War 1 poetry.

For more details please visit the English page in our emagazine.