Welcome

Have you ever been truly moved by a novel? Ever read something which has made you think about the world in a different way? Or been 'convinced' by a clever piece of advertising and wondered how it was put together? Are there some words you spell wrong, no matter how many times you write them? It is these fundamental experiences and issues which are at the heart of the teaching and learning in our department. We pride ourselves on being a highly driven team, passionate about our subjects; we want to give pupils every opportunity for academic success, whilst seeking to find fresh ways of making the learning relevant, inspiring and enjoyable. We are a team of teachers with a wide range of experience and areas of expertise; we are often involved in research and writing projects alongside our classroom practice - which means that we are always learners too, up dating our knowledge and gaining experience in new methods. We play a key role in training new teachers - each year two trainee teachers from Exeter University come to us for their teaching practice and speak highly of the experience that they have with us. The department is very well respected in the county, and members of our team have gone out other schools to share our good practice.

There is an energetic atmosphere in the department which is dedicated to helping pupils achieve their very best, both in terms of academic success, and developing as people beyond the classroom. Among the extra-curricular opportunities we offer are:

• Regular poetry and writing competitions: we have a high number of winning entries where the pupils' work is published; last year one of our Year 8 pupils won a 'Highly Commended' award in The Charles Causley Poetry Competition and another Year 11 pupil wrote a winning essay for the Commonwealth Essay Competition.

• An annual sponsored Readathon, which last year raised £1600 for the CLIC Sargent charity, which supports children with cancer.

• The shadowing of the Carnegie book award which highlights the very latest in new literature for young people.

• A 'Book Worms' reading group who meet at lunchtimes.

• Visiting authors – last year a visit from local author Patrick Cooper; forthcoming visit from Geraldine McCaughrean, author of the 'The Kite Rider'.

• The popular Manga club, where pupils get the opportunity to spend a lunchtime watching and learning about this Japanese cartoon form.

• Theatre trips and companies – last year we ran a trip to The Globe in London where pupils experienced what it was like to be a groundling in Shakespeare's theatre! This year we have a theatre company visiting the school to perform key scenes from The Tempest to the whole of Year 9, to help with key learning for the SATs.

The Team

Hannah Dodwell - Team Leader; published author for SMART learning

Charis Moore - Assistant Team Leader; Whole School Literacy Co-ordinator

Gillian Clayton - Teacher in charge of Media Studies; member of the editorial board for NATE (National Association for Teachers of English); published author for BFI (British Film Institute) and Revelation Films

Deborah Halesworth - Teacher in charge of reading

Tanya Tillier - Head of Year 11, responsibility for Year 8 SOW

Teresa Ayton - Teaching Assistant for the English Department; teaches Reading with Confidence and Literacy Progress Units

Alison Atton - SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) and part time English teacher

Amanda Gratton - English teacher with specialism in SEN

Exam Results

The department has a history of excellent exam results. Pupils achieve highly in the KS3 SATs, and last year 83% gained a Level 5 or above – a figure way above the National and Devon averages. Pupils also do well in GCSE English, and we have had some excellent results in GCSE Media and GCSE Literature. We run two 'accelerated' top set classes in Years 10 and 11, where the pupils take their GCSE English in Year 10, leaving Year 11 to focus solely on their second option subject of Media or Literature; the results have been outstanding, last year seeing 80% and above achieve As and A*s. We are also currently trialling early entry GCSE English with two mixed ability sets in Year 10, with the hope that it will be a motivating force.

Our Aims

An English and Media department in the 21st century has much to celebrate. We live in an exciting communications based society where information, the media and IT are at the forefront. There is growing recognition of the crucial role played by effective English teaching in ensuring that our students develop into responsible citizens who can cope in this demanding cultural environment. English teaching has a central place both within the school and the wider community in facilitating students in becoming successful adults who can participate fully in society. Our intent is to offer every chance for excellent standards and exam results, whilst never losing sight of the wider significance of our subjects.

We cannot escape the fact that the media dominates our society. Whilst this offers vast and exciting prospects - information at our fingertips, the possibilities of a global culture, a wealth of entertainment and sensory experiences - it also brings many challenges – the three minute attention span, a landscape of wall to wall advertising, dominance of celebrity culture. What we can do is become active and critical audiences in this media led world, rather than passive consumers; Media Studies is extremely powerful here. We encourage pupils to engage with different forms of media with a questioning, thoughtful and analytical approach, developing their position as independent thinkers.

Overall, we aim to give pupils the opportunity to:

• Express themselves accurately and confidently both in spoken and written communication

• Draw on a rich experience of language and literature, reading with insight and engagement

• Foster an enjoyment of reading with personal tastes and preferences

• Write effectively for a range of audiences and purposes

• Think creatively and imaginatively when making meaning and playing with language

• Develop their personal, social and moral education through texts which raise powerful issues and questions, and reflect experiences of people from many countries and times

• Learn about other cultures by engaging sensitively with texts from around the world

• Be media savvy

Facilities

Classrooms

Each member of staff has their own room in which we create a stimulating learning environment using displays and examples of excellent work.

ICT

Each English classroom has it's own suite of 7 PCs; all rooms have a multi-media projector and screen.

Media facilities

The department has digital cameras and video cameras for use in media production. When possible, we book slots in the ICT department so that whole groups have access to PCs.

The Library

The library is a brilliant resource, being well staffed and well stocked. Pupils have opportunities within English lessons to use the resources it offers and advice is always available about books, authors and what to read next.