English

King’s House has a dynamic English Department. The curriculum is wide ranging and through varied activities boys are enabled to develop their ability to communicate effectively in speech and writing and to read and listen with understanding. With the secondary school entry screening tests in Year 6 and 7, and Common Entrance exams in Year 8, there is a strong emphasis on developing good comprehension skills and technically accurate writing. Schemes of work are literature based with each term’s work focusing on a reader and a particular genre of fiction. Creativity is encouraged and all year groups undertake a wide variety of writing tasks from story and poetry writing, to newspaper articles and speeches. Interesting writing by boys is often published in the school weekly newsletter. Reading has a high profile and the department manages a well-stocked fiction library which is constantly up-dated with new books. All boys have a reading session in the library each week and the library is open every break and lunch time for quiet reading.

The Department organises many visits, events and competitions. Both the Orange Tree and Richmond theatres are visited regularly and there are annual visits to Shakespeare’s Globe and the pantomime at the Lyric Hammersmith . All the boys compete in the annual Poetry Speaking Competition with a guest judge invited to adjudicate the final. The English Department is also closely involved in the annual drama productions in which most boys take part.