Our English Department is a vibrant and highly successful department. Pupils are encouraged to be confident and enquiring readers coupled with an intellectual rigour.
Girls have the opportunity to study a well-balanced curriculum across all key stages that encourages skills of analysis, oracy, creative writing and ability to construct different text types. We are also committed to providing pupils with a wide range of opportunities which include among others, a creative writing club, English Society and Key Stage 3 Book Group. Debating and public speaking have a well-established tradition at Bromley High with senior debaters regularly reaching the finals of national competitions and our public speakers achieving significant success in the ESU Nationals.
“A word, after a word, after a word, is power.”Margaret Atwood
Year 7 - 9
The KS3 curriculum provides a balanced range of texts and tasks from studying well-known Dickens’ characters, to the Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare’s world and travel writing to name but a few. Bespoke units provide pupils with the opportunity to examine past canonical writers as well as contemporary fiction from a range of cultures. Vibrant and thoughtfully delivered by highly experienced teachers, the course aims foster a love of our language through literature.
GCSE
As a core subject, English Language and Literature are separate GCSEs. English Language (CIE, iGCSE) consists of two written papers that demand skills in reading, directed writing and comprehension. The AQA Literature course offers a pleasing breadth of texts such as ‘Macbeth’, ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ and ‘An Inspector Calls’. Annually, a visiting theatre provides a thoughtful and interactive Shakespearean presentation as well a visit to ‘Poetry Live’ where poets lead pupils to consider different interpretations of their work.
Co-Curricular
We are committed to providing pupils with a wide range of opportunities which include among others, a creative writing club, English Society and Key Stage 3 Book Group. Debating and public speaking have a well-established tradition at Bromley High with senior debaters regularly reaching the finals of national competitions and our public speakers achieving significant success in the ESU Public Speaking Nationals.We always take part in the many GDST opportunities that the Trust provides including creative writing and public speaking competitions which we have won on multiple occasions, the latest being 2019. Finally, we have an active and popular parent book club.