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English teaching in the Lower School  is aimed at introducing pupils to the delights  of English Language and Literature, but  is also geared to preparing students for GCSE and A Level and even university. In a sense, the whole seven years of English at MTS should be seen as one long course, broken into three main stages which are interdependent, one leading onto the next. However, there is greater freedom in the Lower School for staff to select texts and tasks, free from the constraints of SATS , GCSE and A Level prescriptions.

In Years 7, 8 and 9, pupils work in four main areas of English:

One feature of our policy is the Reading Scheme: one period a week devoted to silent, individual reading of a text chosen by the teacher. Pupils are given one half term to complete the book and one piece of written work is set at the end of each half term. By the end of each academic year in the Lower School, pupils will have read six books through this method alone. The books selected are chosen from our book stock and are appropriate to the year group.  We believe that reading is essential for the pupils’ development both personally and academically, and we  encourage  pupils to read their own books at home as much as possible.

We identify the most academically able in each form, and stretch them by providing more demanding exercises; this may be through extra reading and research or presenting their discoveries to the whole class.

At GCSE we follow AQA Syllabus A, a combined course in English Language and Literature. In the first two terms of Year 10, it is Department policy to produce the four pieces of written coursework needed to satisfy the requirement in both Language and Literature. Oral work (Speaking and Listening) and work on the examined novel ( Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men for instance) is also done during this time. The fifth piece of coursework on Shakespeare is done in the summer term of Year 10 or in the first term of Year 11. The rest of Year 11 is spent on preparing for the exams in Language and Literature, in particular by working on the prescribed poetry. The Mock exams in January of Year 11 are marked to GCSE  criteria and a  feed-back given to pupils and  parents at Parents’ Evening. A Senior Examiner in GCSE English visits the school  in the summer term just before the  exams in Year 11  to help pupils to prepare for their exams.

In the Middle School, class sizes are smaller than in the Lower School, allowing for more personal interaction with pupils and closer discussion. As in the Lower School, the most academically able are identified and given exercises to stretch their abilities. This could be through extra reading of more challenging texts than those set by the exam board, or by researching a topic which is then presented to the whole class. Theatre Club also provides pupils with  opportunities to see  plays not on the syllabus at different theatres in the North West; there is a Theatre Club “outing” once each term. This term we shall visit the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester to see  a performance of Shakespeare’s “King Henry V”.

The present A level courses in English Literature, English Language and English Language and Literature  will be replaced by the next generation of courses in 2008 so these remarks will soon be out of date; also, from next academic year( 2008-9) we will be specializing in two A level courses only: English Literature and English Language.

Module 1: Introduction to the Novel ( F.S. Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby)

Module 3: Coursework on a Shakespeare play, The Tempest.

Module 4: coursework, comparing two texts ( Hamlet and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde)

Module 6: Synoptic

Students are taken to revision classes run by Senior Examiners: for instance Mrs. Jean Evans is Senior Examiner for Module 6 and every year we take students to a whole day revision conference in Liverpool run by Mrs. Evans and her colleagues. The Principal Examiner of the whole course, Mr. Adrian Beard visits MTS each year at Easter and runs a revision session for the students. Also, revision sessions are organized by MTS staff before each set of exams.

Module 1: Anthology, texts tested by exam

Module 3: Coursework, writing for various purposes and audiences

Module 4 : Coursework, text transformation

Module 5: Speech Analysis, Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”

Module 6: Synoptic

Mrs Jean Evans, Senior Examiner and Director of English Matters, visits MTS in the summer term of the A2 year to revise the Synoptic Module with the students. Also, revision sessions are organized by MTS staff before each set of exams.

Module 1:Introduction to the Study of Language

Module 2: Language and Social Contexts

Module 3:Coursework-Original Writing

Module 4:Coursework-Investigating Language

Module 5:Editorial Writing

Module 6:Language Development

Revision sessions are  organised  by MTS staff before each set of exams.

To sum up, here is our Mission Statement

1. We are determined to continue the high level of academic success achieved by the English Department over the years.
2. To achieve this success, all members of the English Department have experience as examiners for various exam boards, thus bringing insight of the exam system and marking standards to benefit our students.
3. Through our Department Scheme of Work, weekly Departmental meetings and daily informal discussions, we are continually striving to make our students successful.
4. However, we do not believe that exam success is the be-all and end –all, even if the academic machinery is working very efficiently. We do not see the school as an “Exam Factory”. We feel that there are crucial aspects of our work which cannot be  measured  by results or league tables. We believe in playing our part in developing our students into thoughtful, conscientious and “rounded” people.
5. We believe that English Literature and English Language  are intrinsically valuable  and  worth studying. 
6. We aim to prepare students for university by our disciplined, scholarly approach.
7. We aim to cultivate in our students a love of Literature, Language and Drama as a foundation for life.