This is English

  And so it has come to pass : the curfew tolls the knell of parting day as poetry begins to sink below the Ofqual horizon, deferring to the prevailing winds of the dumb-it-down culture rather than aspiring to elevate and expand the outlook of the nation’s youth. In my experience, the vast majority of pupils engage with poetry - old heritage selections and modern. Not only do we respond to the magic evoked by the choice of imagery, sounds and rhythms, but the universal truths of human experience, emotions and ideas reverberate down the centuries. A poem can be a snapshot of an age, a window into human suffering, whether personal or communal; Blake’s chimney sweeper’s cry may no longer be heard in the streets of London, but injustice and poverty persist. Poems often encapsulate something momentous, timeless or philosophical. Tennyson was famously driven to commemorate the ill-fated Charge of the Light Brigade after reading The Times newspaper report which is long forgotten, w...

“You sweat!” jeered one of my year 10s to the other. His tone one of loathing, disgust and pity. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach as I was once again faced with the reality that no matter how much I praised my student for the correct answer, it would mean next to nothing compared to the inflammatory remark from his peer… Somehow I know that this will be a relatable exchange for any teacher. Whether it’s in their English or PE lessons, boys seem to relish the opportunity to criticise and ridicule another of their clansmen for applying themselves. It’s odd and unfortunately incessant. The irony is, of course, that many of their idols are self-made, practice-driven, effort machines. Look at your YouTubers, your ‘influencers’, your rappers and your footballers – all, fair to say, are targets of today’s modern youth’s idolatry. All are ‘sweats’. All are ‘Try-hards’. So, why then – do students weaponise this idea? Why do they turn another’s efforts against them and use it to...

After the razzle dazzle of PETAZEL, putting us through our analytical paces, time to breathe a little and reflect... Dress it up how you will, formula is dry formula and any amount of drilling for the most part, may enable pupils to remember the steps, but does not guarantee the ability to interpret the dance. How many sweaty, torturous hours do we see the contestants on ‘Strictly’ rehearsing their rumbas, waltzes and paso dobles, producing a range of performances from stompy to sophisticated?   Granted, effort, practice and an understanding of the question criteria ensure the fundamentals are in place, and as teachers this is our responsibility; but when it comes to performance on the day, interpreting the text with accuracy, sensitivity and mastery of timing... Is there a formula for that?   And should we expect one?   Personally, I’ve inclined towards a mixture of formula and organic cultivation of pupils’ ideas and responses to being immersed in a learning envir...

In the latter part of the summer of 2013, we waited anxiously for the arrival of the new English Language GCSE. Would this newborn be a horror or a joy? Before its birth, we knew that it would come with fresh challenges: no tiers, no coursework and a new grading system, but we were ready and we had braced ourselves for the birth of English Language GCSE 9-1. On analysis of the first specimen paper, we quickly became aware that this baby would prove to be a “tricky little sucker” for our students and teaching them to just use PEE to formulate their analysis would not suffice. This child came with dietary needs: it demanded identification and explanation of technique, and simply PEEing would not gain as much merit. Whereas previously vaguer allusions to techniques would be rewarded by examiners, now analysis needed to be tightly focused, with techniques identified with pin-point accuracy.   True, understanding writers’ methods is the bread and butter of most schemes of work and ...

So, I walked into my local restaurant where I regularly eat, but this time, instead of being offered a menu, I was simply led to my usual table in a quiet corner. ‘There you are Mrs. D, make yourself comfortable and we’ll bring you your meal – the usual vegetarian option, you’ll be pleased to know and not too many potatoes – just the way you like it, madam.   Now enjoy a glass of your favourite red.’   Very nice, you might think, and how thoughtful that the staff had taken note of my preferences.   Except they didn’t know that I was driving and would have preferred mineral water, had become vitamin B deficient, so had reintroduced meat into my diet, added to which, not having eaten all day, I was ravenous! How were they to know that behind the scenes my personal landscape was changing? After all, I’d been coming here for years… And isn’t this the problem with setting? Teachers and pupils make presumptions about pupils’ potential based on their previous performance. Label...