The English Department at BGN

Welcome to our English Department!

We have five English classrooms, all equipped with projectors and with one interactive board.  Our area is full of opportunities for students to enjoy their English, with a special reading and study area, a workroom with a computer for students to use and access to plenty of reading material for school work and for pleasure.

There are five full-time teaching staff and we are happy to help students if they need our support, at lunchtime and after school.   We have clubs for reading and poetry and many of our students have been
successful in English competitions, e.g. writing ‘Mini Sagas’.  We enter almost all students for GCSE English and/or English Literature and there is a thriving Sixth Form studying both AS/A2 English Literature and English Language.

Classes are taught in mixed ability in Years 7 and 8, then grouped according to ability in Years 9, 10 and 11.  Students feel happy and secure in our department and our results have been excellent over many years.

We follow the National Curriculum in Years 7 – 9 (no Year 9 SATs now, so we have our own schemes of work with careful, ongoing assessment…) and AQA GCSE (Specification 3702 and 3712).  GCSEs are changing from 2010, but we will keep everyone informed of new courses.

At AS/A2, we follow the AQA Syllabus B for English Language and English Literature.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Rachel Watts (Head of Department).

Student’s perspective

Robert Haley, Year 9

“I think that English is a really interesting subject because we study all sorts of different writing and reading techniques that are essential for are GCSEs. But the best bit is the 10 minutes reading we get at the beginning which improves are range of vocabulary.”

Angus R. Leigh, Year 9

“I have enjoyed all of my English lessons since I started here.  We are very fortunate to have such skilled and enthusiastic staff.  They are always willing to help us with any dilemmas we may have, both in and outside our academic lives.  We are always pushed to give our full potential, and, I believe, this has helped everyone prepare for their GCSEs, and ensured that we all feel confident going into Year 10.  I could carry on for a very long time, but don’t wish to bore you any more.”