Head of Department: Mrs Joanne West

Lower School curriculum

Our overriding aims for Key Stage 3 are to foster a love of reading and to develop expertise in writing; throughout the year groups, girls are taught to read critically and to write precisely.

All pupils in Remove (Year 7) to Upper Fourth (Year 9) are taught in mixed ability classes using Microsoft One Note to facilitate the curriculum. We have a planned overview of each year encompassing a range of units across Literature and Language. Each unit has one formally assessed common task, allowing us to track progress and aid individual learning. Alongside this, students regularly enjoy library lessons on a fortnightly basis and are strongly encouraged to read for pleasure. Basic skills are enhanced with the support of Century Tech – an intelligent intervention tool that combines artificial intelligence with the latest research in learning science and neuroscience.

In the first term of Remove (Year 7), we study autobiography using extracts from Roald Dahl, Michelle Obama and Malala Yousufzai as inspiration for creative writing. Other units include language skills, detective fiction, poetry and an introduction to Shakespeare.

The Lower Fourth (Year 8) begin with a unit on comedy featuring A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Blithe Spirit. This is followed in the second term with the study of language skills, then poetry from Different Cultures. The third term is spent at Downe House Sauveterre where students read and enjoy Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses.

The Upper Fourth (Year 9) curriculum is used to develop many of the skills that are essential for both GCSEs. Students start the year with a modern play such as Educating Rita or The Crucible. They then go on to study A Christmas Carol as a 19th century novel and Romeo and Juliet, mirroring elements of GCSE Literature and Language. The Summer term is dedicated to poetry and oral work with a collaborative project with the Religious Studies department.

Upper School curriculum

In the Lower Fifth and Upper Fifth (Years 10 and 11), students follow the Edexcel Pearson International GCSE Literature and Language courses. For the literature course, we currently study Macbeth, An Inspector Calls and a range of poetry from the exam board Anthology. In Language, students are taught non-fiction texts prior to their examination and consider the writer’s use of language and structure. In both courses, there is the opportunity to enter coursework as 40% of the final mark.

Sixth Form curriculum

Our Sixth Form girls follow the AQA English Literature syllabus A. The set texts studied for examination at the end of the two year course are Othello, The Handmaid’s Tale, Wuthering Heights or The Great Gatsby, A Streetcar Named Desire, Feminine Gospels (Duffy) and a selection of love poetry. There is also scope for a range of other texts to be taught as part of the girls’ studies: for the coursework (non-exam assessment) which is assessed via a comparative academic essay of 2500 words, girls read widely in a shared area of study.

English enrichment

Girls from every year group are encouraged to make the most of a range of opportunities including author talks, book groups and the creative writing. They are encouraged to enter both School and national creative writing and essay competitions. We aim to take our exam classes to see theatre productions of the set texts and seek out opportunities to enhance their learning such as providing whole year lectures and workshops.

Full details of the curriculum are available in the GCSE and Sixth Form options publications. Further information about the teaching and learning of English may be obtained by contacting the Head of Department, Mrs Joanne West.

Meet the English Department

Mrs Jo West (Head of Department)

Mrs West has been teaching for twenty-six years in a variety of contexts and is a former AQA examiner. She is an advocator of the School’s ethos of encouraging each girl to develop and make the most of her individual strengths. Wuthering Heights is her favourite novel.

Mrs Jess Bosswell (Second in Department)

Mrs Boswell first joined Downe House in 2012 and has held a variety of roles including Housemistress of Aisholt. She now leads KS 5 English and is responsible for the teaching of ‘A’ Level Literature. Her favourite book to teach is The Handmaid’s Tale and loves guiding students in their discovery of how literature connects to the world around them.

Mrs Dawn Hollingworth (KS 4 Co-ordinator)

Mrs Hollingworth is a highly experienced teacher and teaches full time in our department. She co-ordinates I GCSE at Key Stage Four. Inspired by the empathy, enthusiasm and fresh perspectives of young people, she is passionate about empowering them to shape and communicate their ideas.

Mrs Elinor Taylor (KS 3 Co-ordinator)

Mrs Taylor is also a full-time teacher in English. Her favourite unit to teach is our A-Level Shakespeare text Othello and is particularly passionate about how we can closely connect to pre-1900 literature and what it can still teach us today in modern society. She is also our leader for KS 3 English.

Dr Andrew Atherton (Director of Teaching and Learning)

As well as leading on whole school, teaching and learning, Dr Atherton offers mentorship to Sixth form students who are applying to Oxbridge. He enjoys the poetry of Douglas Dunn and teaching ‘The Great Gatsby’ at ‘A’ Level.

Rev’d Anthea Platt

Rev’d Platt is a part-time English teacher alongside her role as Chaplain. She is keen for students to enjoy English and develop a joy of reading for pleasure. She is a keen proponent of learning poetry by heart.

Mrs Stephanie Waite-Roberts

Mrs Waite- Roberts is also a Housemistress in York (sixth form) and a part – time English teacher. Her favourite book is The Princess Bride, although she often enjoys reading texts from cultures around the world.

Mrs Beth Mears-Smith

Mrs Mears-Smith teaches English part time as well as being Housemistress of York, AGN. She often teaches A Level Literature and considers Birdsong and Alice in Wonderland among her favourite reads.

Miss Madeleine Killacky

Miss Killacky is an assistant Housemistress, Head of Scholars and a part-time English teacher. She loves reading anything by C. S. Lewis and teaches KS 3. Her favourite unit in Remove is Autobiography.

Mr Matthew Godfrey

Mr Godfrey joined Downe House in September 2021 as Deputy Head and an English teacher. He currently teaches GCSE but over the past 20 years he has taught English across all age groups. He loves Shakespeare and modern American Literature but counts Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day as his favourite ever book.