English

Language is what makes us human and at Wellington we seek to develop what has been termed ‘the language instinct’ of pupils through speaking, listening, reading and writing. The English language, and literature written in English, provide our focus.

In Years 7, 8 and 9 our assessment structure is as follows: 20% Speaking and Listening; 20% a Shakespeare essay written under Controlled Conditions; 60% an end of year exam.  Pupils read new and classic novels in class; write in different genres, and study one Shakespeare play a year.  All pursue a course of ‘own reading’ and list every book they read in a Reading Log, writing comments about some. They also follow a structured course of spelling, punctuation and grammar, which is regularly tested.  There is an annual Poetry Festival and an annual Creative Writing competition.  All Key Stage 3 pupils take part in these.

At GCSE all pupils take OCR English Language and English Literature at Higher Tier.  Many then go on to take OCR A-Level English Literature OCR in the 6^th Form and some eventually read English at leading universities, including Oxford and Cambridge. The Coleridge Society and the Debating Society are enrichment opportunities run from within the English department.  Theatre trips are organised regularly and many pupils also involve themselves in school Drama.