English at Anthony Gell School is characterised by a positive, friendly atmosphere. We are a successful team of experienced English specialists who are creative, collaborative, forward thinking and supportive of each other. We share resources and teach very similar curriculum units to better ensure entitlement for students, continuity and progression. Consequently, a new member of the team would be well supported and encouraged to contribute new ideas.

As a guiding principle, our teachers teach in every Key Stage. We have a commitment to teaching 'mixed ability' groups in Year 7 and 8 but we prefer to have a broad setting system in Year 9 and Key Stage 4. We have very good relationships with students, parents and governors. A link governor makes regular visits; as a result of this, we feel well supported by the governors and confident they are well informed about our work. Our aim is to enable students to gain competence and confidence in and enjoyment from as wide a range of communication as possible, both as practitioners and critics. We aim to develop expertise in speaking and listening, reading and writing.

We give the opportunity to generate and analyse a variety of texts in a variety of media and explore the issues, ideas and values expressed in such texts, both literary and non-literary. We believe that our teaching is not only a preparation for examinations and qualifications - but also a preparation for life. Our Development Plan is devised collaboratively in the light of whole school priorities so all teachers feel they have invested in its development.

We are self-reflective practitioners who are well supported to better ensure a high standard of teaching and learning. We tend to sit together during breaks and lunchtimes using our staff room, and this also provides a forum for teachers to discuss what they are doing in the classroom and to share what has gone well and what needs rethinking. All English teachers have been involved in working together to write and revise our schemes of work. We have a common curriculum at Key Stage 3, which meets National Curriculum Framework objectives. We have devised our own course structure - a series of curriculum grids for Years 7, 8 and 9. They contain core units of work that are covered in a considered sequence and build on each other. These units are based on texts, themes or styles and they create the opportunity for English students to both develop key skills and experience different things. Each unit has a ‘controlled’ assessment piece for reading and writing so the students can demonstrate their independent achievements and we can monitor their progress.

At GCSE, all students study language and literature and sit both exams. Currently, we follow the AQA syllabus. The department also teaches Media Studies GCSE, which is a popular option subject at AGS following the Eduqas syllabus – there is an opportunity to teach in this area if the successful candidate is interested. At Key Stage 3, the department also teach Drama, following schemes of work that cover everything from using a script to The Crucible to puppetry.

English Literature and Media Studies also form part of the school’s post-16 curriculum. We teach AQA A level specifications for both English Literature (Specification B) and Media Studies. All teachers of English contribute to and benefit from Sixth Form teaching. 

We seek to demonstrate the approach to literacy that all school staff endeavour to promote: high levels of reading comprehension and inference, with support for those who are perhaps not the strongest of readers, as well as a focus on punctuation, grammar and vocabulary. Our aim is to ensure that students leave AGS able to communicate effectively and understand the world around them.