English is a vibrant and dynamic subject which reflects and responds to the society in which we live.

Learning in English creates pupils who are confident, literate, articulate and empathetic. Therefore learning in English contributes to learning in all subjects and to life beyond school because once these skills are acquired they have universal use and value.

Opportunities in English at Swanmore include access to study and the creation of a range of up to date and relevant texts including those produced via the mass media and ICT.

Pupils are invited to participate in a range of competitions which develop their reading, writing and communication skills and they are supported in this via liaison with the Library/Media Area. Other extra curricular activities include theatre and cinema visits and opportunities to work with children from our feeder schools.

English skills are valued by all employers. Specifically English can lead to careers in journalism, the media, publishing and teaching - to name but a few. Most importantly, success in English can lead to success in life.

Media Studies

There are a number of reasons why the English Department offers a Media Studies course as an alternative to the English Literature course for some pupils.

Despite some pupils being of ‘good’ ability in English their needs are not always best addressed by the separate study of Literature.  The English GCSE course already contains a high proportion of Literature study in the form of the Different Cultures poetry examination component, and the requirements of the Shakespeare coursework; thus ensuring that pupils enrolling on the Media Studies course will not lose touch with Literature entirely. However, it is understood that not all pupils are as engaged by the study of Literature as we would wish and their needs are therefore better suited to the Media Studies course.

The Media is an integral part of our lives and in order to appreciate the effect it has on us we need to be media literate. The Media Studies GCSE offers the chance to develop the skills necessary to analyse media texts, understand how and by whom they are produced, explore issues of media ownership and to appreciate how new technologies are changing the way in which we consume the media. It also helps pupils to develop an awareness of how the media industry has changed over time through the study of both modern and “classic” media texts.

Therefore, studying the Media and encouraging pupils to understand how meaning is constructed in media texts enables pupils to become more active 'readers' of the Media, it also enables them to become more powerful users of language in all its forms. It develops creative and critical powers and it enables pupils to fully appreciate the many media texts encountered in other subject areas.

New- Guides to explain National Curriculum levels and progression in English and Maths

These guides helps parents and carers understand how children progress in English and Maths at each National Curriculum level. It includes ideas for what parents can do to support the development in these subjects.

Click here for the guide for English

On Friday 2 July, Year 8 participated in events celebrating the varied heroes and villains that fill our modern culture. Throughout the day, pupils were encouraged to take part in activities designed to develop and utilize their creativity, independence and enquiry skills. As well as these main activities, Mrs Wilkins, our librarian, organized a visit from local author, Mark Walden, creator of the H.I.V.E. series of novels, who spoke about villainy in his and other writers’ works. In the afternoon, and following much deliberation by Mr Harrison and Mr Middleton, winners were chosen from each of the groups for the work that was produced, much of which will be placed on display to celebrate pupils’ terrific efforts. Alongside the work produced through the English department, History, led by Ms Davies, followed an enquiry to establish the true assassins of JFK.   Mr Ainsworth worked in Art to explore multi-textured approaches to producing frames of a graphic novel and Mr Baldwin organized and aided three groups of pupils in creating and shooting their own short film based around the theme of the day.   Overall, Book Day was a real success, reinforcing the positive ethos and attitudes of Swanmore pupils towards whatever tasks are asked of them, and it was genuinely pleasing to see the creative approaches taken by all groups on all occasions.

		Johnny O'Brien   Local Author visits College Thursday 18 March 2010   Johnny O'Brien author of Day of the Assassins
Johnny O’Brien is a new author for teens and we were lucky enough to have him in college for the morning talking to the whole of Year 8 over two sessions. His novel, The Day of the Assassins, is an exciting time travel adventure which takes a pair of modern boys back to 1914 where, after many adventures, they have the opportunity to prevent the assassination of  Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo, the trigger for the start of the First World War. Johnny began by reading the first chapter of the book which gripped his audience and made many of them vow to read on later. He then explained how he had become interested in the First World War since finding some possessions and souvenirs from his grandfather, who had survived right through the War, in the dusty attic of his childhood home. He showed us some of these and passed them around, the most popular being the German helmet. He asked the pupils quite a few questions about the War and was impressed that they were all answered correctly and with enthusiasm. He emphasized the importance of choices made by individuals and how the consequences of one choice can ripple out through time. He finished the sessions by taking questions from the pupils and then signing his book for those who wished to buy a copy.

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