English

In our English lessons at Brambletye, we aim to make learning the key skills fun, discovering new words and ways of saying things every day. English is a subject full of surprises for children and adults alike; it is about expression, communication, performance – about saying how you feel and describing it in an interesting fashion.

As well as teaching a passion for this subject, the English Department at Brambletye challenges pupils. There is a Verse Speaking Competition where every pupil is required to learn and recite a poem and the finalists are adjudicated by a professional poet or Head of English from a senior school, and pupils are regularly entered into writing competitions such as the BBC 500 words or Chiddingstone Festival. Not forgetting of course the Brambletye Reading Challenge – can you read our best 50 books (listed below)?

Brambletye students enjoy talks from professional writers (recently including storytellers John Harris, Justin Fisher and Piers Torday), trips to the Globe Theatre to watch a Shakespeare play and annual book fairs.  The English Department also publish ‘The Pink Pages’, an annual collection of the best of pupils’ work.

Jeff Gallagher
Head of English