- English
Head of English
Miss Kate Morris
English Teacher
Mrs Jo Price
English Teacher
Mrs Emma Jones
English Teacher
Miss Aisling McCarthy-Keane
Pupils are given the opportunity to read and experience a wide range of texts. These include non-fiction, such as newspaper or Internet reports and articles, and fiction, such as novels, short stories, plays and poetry. All pupils will study Anglo-Welsh literature, texts from different cultures and pre-1914 literature, including a Shakespeare play in each of the key stages. We explore many different issues throughout the literature we study, including homelessness, global issues such as Fair Trade and child slavery, and the holocaust of World War 2.
Texts are often used as a model and a stimulus for pupils to write for a range of purposes. Preparatory work usually includes multi-sensory resources, as well as an emphasis on pair-work and group discussion, in order for pupils to develop their own ideas and thinking skills. This links in with our aim to produce independent learners who are able to utilise strategies that facilitate their own progression.
In this current academic year we have had a visiting author, Joseph Delaney, talking to all Year 7 pupils about his books. The many and varied questions they put to Mr. Delaney were testament to the fact that they thoroughly enjoyed this experience.
A group of Year 9 Pupils were involved in the Dylan Thomas Educational Project. This entailed Aberaeron author, Cynan Jones, visiting us on three occasions and spending time with the pupils, discussing the process of writing from having the first inkling of an idea to publishing a text. A fourth session was taken by Lucy Caldwell, the winner of the Dylan Thomas Prize 2011 and Annabel Pitcher, one of the shortlisted authors. The pupils were inspired by these visits and have written some extremely good narratives as a result.
For several years some of our pupils have participated in a Writing Squad, run by Academi in conjunction with Carmarthenshire L.E.A., giving pupils the chance to meet authors and poets such as Francesca Kay. We have always received excellent feedback on our pupils’ contributions.
A number of pupils are also given the opportunity to enter Public Speaking competitions and have a very good track record in this area.
At Key Stage 3 , Pupils study a range of units in English .
Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | |
Year 7 | Study the novel: ‘Holes’ | Fiction: Fairtrade UFOs | Drama: ‘Reaching Out’ |
Year 8 | Study the novel: ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ | Fiction: The London Lootings | Drama: Shakespeare |
Year 9 | Study the novel: ‘The Hunger Games’ neu ‘Face’ | Fiction: Studies of Society | Fiction: Kindles yn erbyn Llyfrau |
In each season , the pupils complete a range of tasks that cover the three core objective assessment for English : reading, writing and speaking .
At Key Stage 4 , all pupils are prepared for English Language and some pupils are included for English Language .
Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | |
Year 10 | NEA poetry NEA Shakespeare
Narrative writing | Describe and explain
Individual Oral Assessment | ‘Of Mice and Men’
Barddoniaeth Heb ei Weld |
Year 11 | ‘Heroes’
Argue , persuade and Guidance | ‘An Inspector Calls’ Speech Assessment Group Argue , persuade and Guidance | Preparation for Examination |
English as a very popular subject at A-level , and we have a good-sized classes . All universities are considering English as a favorable level subject and some of our former pupils have gone on to study English at Oxbridge .
Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | |
Year 12 | Set texts : ‘In Cold Blood ‘ by Capote Creative Writing | Set Texts: ‘Streetcar Named Desire’ by Williams | Compare poetry and texts |
Year 13 | Coursework: Gothic literature (Carter, Poe a Wilde) | Testunau gosod: ‘The Tempest’ by Shakespeare a ‘Doctor Faustus’ by Marlowe | Set Texts: ‘The Wife of Bath’ by Chaucer |
Pupils follow specification WJEC A Language and Literature for Wales and the subject is marked according to the marking schemes level.
We are proud to promote a variety of extra-curricular activities at the Department of English .
Use of the Library
We are delighted to have established a strong and robust links with Newcastle Emlyn Library thanks to our enthusiastic and dedicated librarian , Mrs. Jo Jones . Our recent project with CNE library contains at least thirty year seven pupils participating in the Summer Reading Challenge National where the children read a certain number of books promises over the summer holidays .
Competition success
Pupils Emlyn creative, imaginative and inspiring. In 2015 , gave our pupils offer poetry writing competition titled Conflict . We were delighted when our work is published in a book of pupils gardens .
Following their success , the new pupils submit proposals to Grim Tales Writing Competition with the aim of writing a fairy tale with a twist in the hut . The challenge ? They had to be written in less than a hundred words !
Click here to view their proposals
Theatre Trips
As part of our vision to enrich literature , the English department will embrace any opportunity to go to the theater . Of visits theater recently, trips locally to Cardigan to see a wide variety of productions of ‘ A Midsummer Night’s Dream ” by Shakespeare to ‘ An Inspector Calls ‘ by Priestley and trips further afield to Cardiff and London to see modern classics like ‘ Matilda ‘ by Dahl . Emlyn pupils behave outstandingly these trips each time and makes us proud that they are representing the school .