LOUGHBOROUGH GRAMMAR SCHOOL
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
The English Department is one of the largest in the School. There are six fulltime teaching staff and three part-timers. The department also receives
secretarial support for three mornings a week.
There are two small 10+ classes, but most boys are admitted by our own 11+
entrance examination to Year 7 proper. In Year 7 there are five forms of twenty
five pupils. There is a further entry to the school at 13+ so in Year 9 English is
taught in eight sets. In Year 10 there are 160 boys divided into two bands with
eight English sets per year, ranging from eighteen to twenty boys per set. All
boys take both English (Language) and English Literature at GCSE level.
English Literature is a popular option at AS and A2. Approximately thirty boys
choose to study the subject each year in three sets. In recent years a number of
boys have gone on to read English at universities including Oxbridge.
Public examination results in English have been very good. Most GCSE
candidates obtain A+, A or B grades and at A-level the past few years have seen
the achievement of A and B grades for over sixty percent of candidates.
FACILITIES
The Department enjoys facilities which are the equal of any in the country. In
July 1996 the English Centre and adjoining two-hundred seat theatre were
opened by Her Majesty the Queen. There are five full-sized classrooms and two
seminar rooms in addition to a spacious departmental office and two-roomed
bookstore. The Department is generously funded and the office appropriately
equipped such that the resources necessary for effective teaching and learning
are readily available or quickly forthcoming. The Drama Studio has promoted a
greater awareness of the role of Drama within English studies and has,
additionally, provided a sympathetic space for many GCSE speaking and
listening activities. Debating and Public Speaking have also become particularly
popular and successful in recent years. There is also a Creative Writing Society
and an in-house magazine production group.
DEPARTMENT ETHOS
The ethos of the Department is one of openness and mutual support. There are
weekly gatherings during Thursday break-times with occasional longer meetings,
where all aspects of Departmental life are scrutinised. The frequency of
meetings promotes a sense of shared purpose and provides the platform for
wide-ranging discussion of both administrative procedures and the practical
business of ensuring success in the classroom.
ACTIVITIES
All members of the Department take teaching groups on theatre trips. Stratford
is about an hour away as are Sheffield, Birmingham and Stamford with Leeds
and Oxford also in range. There is a tradition of 'Additional English' teaching
where those pupils who might be considering English at university attend a
literary discussion group in which non-syllabus texts and critical approaches and
assumptions are explored. This takes place after the Oxbridge preparation of the
first term. There is a Creative Writing Club for senior boys and a School
newspaper, Vox, produced by pupils as well as a Junior Drama Group and a
Drama Committee chaired by the Head of Drama which considers theatrical
projects for the forthcoming season. Debating is strong both at Senior and Junior
level – one of several activities which are open to our sister school,
Loughborough High. Colleagues are also encouraged to attend meetings
arranged by Examination Boards and to look outside the School for further
INSET opportunities.
The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and
expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants must be willing to undergo child
protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and
Barring Service.
June 2013