English teaching at Hertswood Academy is dedicated to providing students of all abilities the solid foundation they need to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing. We aspire to equip them with a broad vocabulary and encourage them to engage with, and interpret, the written and spoken word. We aim to promote a love of learning and reading for pleasure, delivering a rigorous curriculum using a huge range of both nonfiction and fiction material, that spans centuries, to raise debates, promote intellectual curiosity and spark imagination. With consistently outstanding English lessons that involve a range of reading, writing, speaking and listening activities, students at Hertswood develop a range of transferable skills, such as analysis, critical evaluation, inference, contextualisation, explanation and comparison. In the English Faculty, we pride ourselves on having high expectations and routines where positive relationships are formed between staff and students, based on mutual respect. This promotes a positive atmosphere that is conducive to meaningful learning. We are dedicated to ensuring students become independent learners and we provide opportunities for students to learn from their mistakes and develop a growth mindset to ‘Aim high, achieve excellence’. After GCSEs, students meeting the entry requirements may continue with A Level English Literature. This subject is extremely highly regarded at universities for a breadth of degree disciplines.