To further develop capital culture, English offers students a range of experiences outside of the classroom environment. These opportunities are designed to develop students’ learning experience and their cultural understanding of the world around them. Past experiences have included:
- The GCSE class going to the Barbican theatre to see a production of Macbeth by the RSC so that students could gain a better understanding of the bard in performance.
- The GCSE class going to Norden Farm to see a dramatized version of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde therefore understanding the gothic nature of the novel in greater depth.
- Year 13 A Level Literature class going to the Globe to see a production of Othello with Mark Rylance as Iago helping them to understand the way Shakespeare’s plays were performed when they were written.
- Year 13 going to London to hear lectures on Othello by lecturers from the University of Oxford and the University of Warwick.
- Inviting the Globe Players to perform edited highlights of A Christmas Carol and Romeo and Juliet in front of the KS3 cohort
In addition to out-of-school activities, the English Department run a number of curriculum enhancing activities in association with House activities. These include:
- Students guessing teachers’ favourite poems to raise the profile of poetry and celebrate National Poetry Day.
- The Poetry by Heart competition to celebrate National Poetry Day.
- A spelling bee to increase literacy amongst students.
- Quizzes on World Book Day to increase awareness the cultural range of writers in the English language.
- An “All Things Shakespeare” Day to encourage a greater recognition of what the Bard has contributed to English culture.
- DEAR
- Drop Down Curriculum Days
- 500 words
- AR word millionaires
- A variety of competitions both in-house and national