English

“This album is dedicated to my teacher, Mr. Kratzman, who taught me to love words.” — Joni Mitchell

In Shrewsbury International School, English is at the heart of everything. We encourage our students to articulate their views clearly, to listen to others sympathetically, to write fluently, to become avid, perceptive readers and, of course, to love words.

Key Stage 3

In the Senior School at Key Stage Three level, two stands of progress are followed, First Language English and Second Language English, though these courses intentionally overlap as students move from the Second Language programme to the First, as their levels of English improve.

In the Second Language programme, our students work towards the Cambridge PET examination in Years 7 and 8, and then ideally take Cambridge FCE at the end of Year 9, in order to be ready to start the IGCSE Second language English course in Year 10. English language skills are essential when it comes to students accessing the rest of the curriculum, and the department offers in-class English support to many subjects across the curriculum, particularly those with a strong language base, focusing on the particular language needs of the students, providing materials, and supporting the subject content in extra English classes.

In the First Language programme at Key Stage Three level, the UK National Curriculum for English is followed throughout KS3, with student progress being monitored against the NC Level Descriptors. Students are encouraged to listen to the ideas of others effectively, especially when working in groups with other students, and to respond in a constructive way. Students are encouraged to develop their ability to use speech to communicate creatively and in ways that are essential to their success in the outside world. Students are taught to read widely for information and for pleasure and with increasing understanding and perception; also to analyse language, and to refine and develop their reading skills in their approach to IGCSE.

In writing, students study a range of different styles of writing, in different forms and for different purposes. They also practise their creative writing, responding to texts already written and to the imaginative ideas of their own. Drama techniques are often used in class to offer students a creative way of approaching themes and characters. Recent productions have been “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (an open-air production with the Chao Phaya as the backdrop) and “The Bald Prima Donna” by Eugene Ionesco.

Key Stage 4

In Key Stage Four all our students take either the Cambridge IGCSE First or Second Language English examination and a majority also take IGCSE English Literature. Throughout Key Stages Three and Four, grammar is taught in a number of ways; sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly, as part of another topic, as starter games, or as activities at the beginning of lessons. Students are encouraged to integrate their knowledge of grammatical structures into their reading and writing, rather than perceiving grammar as a separate area of English.

Sixth Form

In the Sixth Form, students follow the AQA A level English Literature course, reading 20th and pre-20th century English literature, including playwrights such as Shakespeare and Miller, novelists such as Austen and Salinger and poets such as Blake and Hopkins. In Year 12 and 13 an IELTS language course is offered to further raise students’ levels of English and to assist entry on to university programmes worldwide.

English is a language we teach our students first and foremost to enable them to communicate and access the whole of the school curriculum, but eventually we hope they will come to love the words that their English classes teach them, and to use the language, and enjoy using the language, for the rest of their lives.