We encourage all our students to appreciate the rich variety of literature available to them and to see that skills in Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing are essential to good communication at school and in the wider world. We want pupils to see both the pleasure and the usefulness in the study of English at Queen Mary’s High School.

  

Read 'Our English Teacher's Perspective' here...

Our main aims are to:

• Encourage and enable all pupils to achieve their potential in English.
• Foster an enjoyment of English and a pleasure in reading.
• Enable pupils to speak clearly and with confidence and to listen effectively in a range of challenging situations.
• Foster and develop reading skills as a tool and for pleasure, covering a wide range of written texts including those produced in electronic form.
• Introduce pupils to a wide range of writing in English and to develop clarity and accuracy in their thought and in written and spoken expression.
• Develop the study and enjoyment of English Literature.
• Nurture pupils’ own creative skills.

English is taught by subject specialists in each of the key stages. We work closely with the Drama department and teach some Drama lessons.

The English department is housed in the main school block, close to the school’s Learning Resource Centre.

We offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities such as theatre trips, debating, writing competitions and author visits. We take students to the RSC at Stratford, The Rep in Birmingham and to conferences appropriate for the courses they are studying.