The English course at Dauntsey’s focuses on two main areas, ‘Extended and Whole Texts’ and ‘Language Study’, and the work in each year group is equally divided between these.

The aim in ‘Extended and Whole Texts’ is to introduce pupils to a wide range of literature, covering all three literary genres and giving pupils a sense of what has been written from Beowulf onwards.   The teaching of this part of the course and the schemes of work produced for it place strong emphasis on the response of the pupil and initiatives he or she might be encouraged to take

The work in ‘Language Study’ has at its centre the close and structured examination of the language of short passages of fiction and non-fiction.  The aim of this part of the course is to make pupils much more conscious of the particular flavour and resonance of words, giving them thus an enhanced sense of what is possible when they speak, read and write.  We want them to be able to think critically and self-critically about expression and construction, to have a sound foundation of knowledge and practice in such areas as punctuation, spelling and syntax.

These two categories of work are seen as complementary to each other, and there is often an overlap between them.  Opportunities for creative writing - to take one important instance - are likely to occur in both categories; and it is expected that the close reading that is central to ‘Language Study’ will become more and more central to ‘Extended and Whole Texts’ as the course goes on.  It is hoped that in the course of time there will be a convergence of the two.

Private reading is seen as essential to development in English, and it is encouraged in frequent discussion, the writing of book reviews and regular visits to the school library.

R.S.

Personal & Social Education

English

History

Geography

Mathematics

Physics

Chemistry

Biology

Languages

Art and Design

Design and Technology

Music

Drama

Information Technology

PE

Back to the Introduction