English at St John's

“It's a strange world of language in which skating on thin ice can get you into hot water.”  Franklin P. Jones

English is an extraordinary and vibrant language that is always in flux. Language is not dry and unchanging; it is always evolving, being shaped by the generation that uses it. We are very lucky to have it.

At St John’s the ethos of the English Department is to enthuse and instil in our pupils a love of reading and literature. English needn’t be seen as a subject that is all about essays, grammar and comprehension (though of course these things are inevitable now and again), but it is about exploration, discussion, drama and the sheer enjoyment of language. It is a subject which truly explores what it is to be human, what it is to live and cope, think and feel.

“I can remember the lush spring excitement of language in childhood. Sitting in church, rolling it around my mouth like marbles - tabernacle and pharisee and parable, trespass and Babylon and covenant.” Penelope Lively

The syllabus at St John’s has been recently updated. It is ultimately about preparing pupils for Senior School Entrance Examinations, but it is also closely linked with the National Curriculum. We aim to make sure that by the time our pupils leave us they have an all-round understanding of the English language, expressing themselves fluently and intelligently. We also hope that they will be enthusiastic and disciplined readers, along with being adept at approaching both prose and poetry. Above all, we aim that the pupils develop a genuine enjoyment for language, for words, for books, poetry and drama.

In recent years the English Department has achieved extremely impressive Merchant Taylors’ School examination results. Pupils have done equally well in entrance exams to other Independent Schools including Aldenham, Berkhamsted, John Lyon and Mill Hill.

Mr M. Knight
Head of English

Download:
Yr5 and Yr6 English curriculum information
Yr7 and Yr8 English curriculum information