Head of Department

Mr T Ashley, BA (Hons)

Statement of Intent

Here in the DHSG English department, we are committed to providing an outstanding, inspiring and ambitious curriculum which develops our students’ reading, writing, oracy and literacy skills. We want all pupils to leave our school as rounded, well-read and articulate individuals who have the ability to think critically and creatively – these are transferable skills which will set them up to succeed throughout life.

The department is brimming with experienced, dedicated and friendly staff who have consistently delivered some of the highest results in the South West for over a decade. Whilst we are proud of the academic success of our students, we are even more thrilled that so many choose to continue studying with us into the Sixth Form, where we maintain high numbers across both Literature and Language. We believe this demonstrates how many of our students value the contribution that a strong understanding of Literature and Language will offer their further education and employment opportunities.

Lower Years

Throughout our Lower Years curriculum, we use classroom time effectively to support our students to access a range of challenging texts, ranging from highly-regarded canonical classics to bold, contemporary voices. From Brontë and Dickens to Orwell and de Waal, we utilise our skills and knowledge as subject specialists to empower our students and allow them to thrive whilst tackling a diverse range of exciting and challenging texts. We complement this rich literature approach with regular ‘Writing Workshop’ lessons, where pupils are encouraged and supported to develop their creative and transactional writing skills; these lessons link thematically to the novels, plays and poems being studied at any given time, which further enhances student understanding and engagement.

Outside the classroom, we guide pupils to explore modern texts from the ‘DHSG Canon’: a carefully curated collection of contemporary works selected by our English teachers, in collaboration with our wonderful librarians. By actively promoting independent reading, we allow our students more freedom and autonomy over their reading choices in order to broaden their scope and develop a habit of reading for pleasure. This is done in tandem with Sparx Reader, which allows us to assess a child’s comprehension as well as their engagement, and provide useful data to inform teachers of any required intervention and support.

Middle Years

As we move into the GCSE years, our students are well-equipped to tackle both the Literature and Language courses with confidence. We initially focus on completing the Literature course first, focusing on the knowledge-heavy content of the pre-taught texts whilst simultaneously developing skills which will be relied upon to tackle the more ‘unseen’ approach of the Language exams in Year 11.

As is befitting of a grammar school, we study a range of GCSE Literature texts which strike a delicate balance of rigour, diversity and enjoyment. Students are challenged in a structured and supportive environment, with plenty of opportunities to demonstrate their progress and celebrate their successes as the course develops.

Extra-curricular activities

There are a range of extra- curricular opportunities such as the English Department magazine ‘The Blurb’ and several book groups that provide a forum for girls to share their love of reading. A yearly competition ‘Poetry by Heart’ and the Carnegie book awards provide further enrichment for lower year students. There are also assemblies to celebrate World Book Day and links with Plymouth University for students studying English Literature at A level.