E30 Pioneer – Working Hard and Getting Smart

24th September 2025Web Blogger

E30 Pioneer have really engaged with our current anchor text ‘Lord of the Flies’. This week after reading chapter 3 they considered whether the island is a utopia or a dystopia. We explored the etymology of the words and offered their own opinions and definitions.

Then we looked closely at an extract about the den/shelter that Simon finds in the jungle. The students were tasked with finding evidence to support the statement that this place was Simon’s utopia. They then used this evidence in some analysis.

Many of the comments and inferences offered really considered the implications of being on an island free from structures and rules and how this would affect people in different ways.

Some very impressive work and superb focus. Well done guys!

Mrs Desborough

C26 Loving Learning Labs!

27th September 2023Web Blogger

The whole English team would like to appreciate all the C26 students who attended the Learning Lab tonight. Nearly every student across both schools attended and they were all fully engaged in some superb poetry revision.

This commitment and effort will pay off in the long run. Remember this is a marathon and not a sprint. Think of these session as a key part of your training.

It has been wonderful to hear students discussing exam technique, the alternative meanings of some of the quotes and considering complex poetic techniques such as iambic pentameter, free verse and colloquial language.

Thanks so much guys, you made Mrs Desborough’s day!

E26 Working Harder and Getting Smarter in English

31st January 2023Web Blogger

E26 spent time on Friday learning about what to expect in an English Language GCSE exam. Pupils have been focussing on English Literature skills recently, so this was a great opportunity to revisit some of the work on non-fiction from before Christmas. 

As this was a Component 2 Reading Section walk through mock, pupils initially had to read one text and find key pieces of information quickly. Some pupils find it stressful to work to a tightly controlled time limit so this was a valuable experience to get a real idea of how the timings will work in their GCSEs.

Next, pupils conducted close reading and analysis to find examples of how the writer presented snow positively. Many pupils were pleasantly surprised at the simplicity of writing their responses using the scaffolding provided by the teacher. It was great to hear so many pupils asking how to access the highest marks and the top bands. Many were trying to find nine or more quotations to use in their answer, despite only having fifteen minutes to write it! 

Well done to X26, your effort and focus on this task were a credit to you. Both Mrs Desborough and Mrs Cross are very proud of you!

Year 11 Star Student in English

18th January 2023Web Blogger

This week’s stand out student in English has to be Leoni Hughes in Explorer. The effort, resilience and focus she has applied to her assessments has been outstanding. She has clearly shown that if you work hard in sessions and listen to feedback you will succeed.

Leoni’s recent language assessment saw her achieve almost full marks in two of her questions. Overall this section of the paper would have seen her get a grade 9! You should be so proud of yourself Leoni.

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