English Literature is one of the most established, rigorous and widely-recognised A level courses. It allows students to engage in a stimulating and demanding way with a wide variety of texts, ranging from 14th-Century English poet Chaucer to contemporary British playwright Jez Butterworth. This course is lively and interactive, from group work to student-led seminar presentations, and improvisation in class to analysing film language. Discussing complex ideas and challenging themes in a lively and supportive environment is integral to our working methods, and students grow in skill and confidence as they explore texts in detail. Students develop their interest in and enjoyment of literature and literary studies as they: Read widely and independently both set texts and others that they have selected for themselves Engage creatively with a substantial body of texts and ways of responding to them Develop and effectively apply their knowledge of literary analysis and evaluation in speech and writing Explore the contexts of the texts they are reading and others’ interpretations of them Students enjoy an immersive experience in literature, in all its genres, performances and manifestations. They develop the skills to reach personal critical responses, engaging with contextual material and wider trends in the literary world. In the Upper Sixth, students are accessing higher-order skills of analysis and creativity in preparation for independent study and a comprehensive textual study of their own choosing for coursework.