These are our department’s aims:
We are committed to the passionate delivery of English Literature, Language and Drama with the aim of developing our students’ appreciation of the power of the spoken and written word.
We are committed to developing our students’ moral, social and cultural understanding through our teaching.
We will try to promote and encourage the use of ICT to prepare our students for the needs of the world beyond this institution.
We will inspire our students to analyse and appreciate the world around them through the provision of a wide variety of extra-curricular activities.
We will encourage our students to reach their full potential through short term target setting and regular discussion about their progress.
We will regularly celebrate the successes of our students and promote a positive learning environment within all of our classes.
We aim to offer as many extra-curricular activities as possible in order to enrich the curriculum we offer our students at all key stages.
A scene from Pygmalion
Some of the highlights include:
- Y12 trip to Stratford for those students studying English Literature
- Various theatre trips for all year groups
- Gifted and Talented trip to London in the summer term for Y10.
- F.A.I.N.T drama club run every Thursday after school open to students of all ages
- Targeted revision classes where appropriate, with crammer sessions
- Local and national debating competitions
- Production of school newspaper, The Alnwickist
- Opportunity for all students to write an article to be published in our weekly school column in the Northumberland Gazette newspaper
- Opportunity for Y9 students to take part in a “Readathon” for charity in the summer term
- Option to get involved in the school play every November. Since 2000 the department has been proud to present:
May 2000: ‘No Man’s Land’ by Paul Swift
October 2000: ‘Our Country’s Good’ by Timberlake Wertenbaker
October 2001: ‘An Evening with Gary Lineker’ by Arthur Smith
November 2002: ‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller
November 2003: ‘1984’ by George Orwell
November 2004: ‘The Clearing’ by Helen Edmondson
November 2005: ‘Pygmalion’ by George Bernard Shaw
November 2006: ‘An Inspector Calls’ by J.B. Priestley
November 2007: 'An Experiment with an Air Pump' by Shelagh Stephenson
November 2008: 'Our Country's Good' by Timberlake Wertenbaker
November 2009: 'Dracula' adapted by Hamilton Deane from the novel by Bram Stoker
November 2010: 'Death of a Salesman' by Arthur Miller
All performances take place in The Alnwick Playhouse and the students benefit from experiencing the thrill of working and performing within a professional theatre.
GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature
(compulsory subjects)
Please note: the old GCSE English Language and English Literature GCSE will be examined for the last time in November 2010, May 2011 and June 2011. This relates to current Yr 11 students, and any Yr 12 students resitting.
Year 10 students from September 2010 are following the brand new AQA GCSE English and English Literature modules.
Shakespeare and The Globe
Current Year 11 (2010- 2011)
In Y10/11 students will complete their coursework folder.
This will contain 5 pieces as follows:
- Original Writing
- Media
- Shakespeare
- Drama
- Prose study
In Y11 students will focus on preparing for the examinations. They will study poems/stories contained within an anthology as well as other texts. Students will also complete 3 Speaking and Listening assignments which will make up approximately 20% of their final grades.
The exams are as follows:
November Monday 8th November 2010 Paper 1
GCSE English Language Paper 1 (1 hour 45 minutes)
Section A = Response to media texts
Section B = Writing to argue, persuade, advise
(Crammer session for Paper 1 is on Thursday 4th November 2010: P1-2 Foundation, P3-4 Higher)
November Wednesday 10th November 2010 Paper 2
GCSE English Language Paper 2 (1 hour 30 minutes)
Section A = Poems from other cultures and traditions
Section B = Writing to inform, explain, describe
(Crammer session for Paper 2 is on Tuesday 9th November 2010: P1-2 Foundation, P3-4 Higher)
May 2011
GCSE English Literature (1 hour 45 minutes)
Section A = Response to a prose text: novel or short stories from the AQA Anthology
Section B = Response to pre (Duffy and Armitage) and post 1914 poetry from the AQA Anthology
GCSE Drama (option)
Students have the option of taking GCSE Drama throughout Y10 and Y11. It is an exciting course which allows students to develop and consolidate their dramatic ability on the stage.
The students will do 2 pieces of coursework which are worth 60% of the total grade. Each piece is made up of a 3000 word portfolio based around a 6 hour practical workshop.
Students will then complete one scripted performance exam which is worth 40% of their grade.
English Language & Literature
AS English Language:
Students will study 3 modules testing their ability to respond to and analyse language used in different forms and for different purposes.
Module 1 = Introduction to the study of language (1 hour 30 minutes)
Module 2 = Language and Social Contexts (1 hour 30 minutes)
Module 3 = Original Writing coursework
A2 English Language:
Students who continue to A2 will develop their knowledge of language even further through the study of 3 additional modules.
Module 4 = Investigating Language coursework
Module 5 = Editorial Writing (2 hours 30 minutes)
Module 6 = Language Development (2 hours)
AS English Literature:
Students will study 3 modules testing their ability to respond to and analyse different texts within English Literature.
Module 1 = Introduction to the study of literature (1 hour 15 minutes)
Module 2 = Genre study – Poetry and Drama (1 hour 45 minutes)
Module 3 = Shakespeare coursework
A2 English Literature:
Students who continue to A2 will develop their knowledge of literature even further through the study of 3 additional modules.
Module 4 = Comparing texts coursework
Module 5 = Set Texts – Drama before 1770; Poetry before 1900 (2 hours)
Module 6 = Exploring Texts (3 hours)
Have a look at this great site: it's full of tips and examples of wonderful writing from students
