| Staff | Responsibilities | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Miss J.Shaw | Teacher of English | jemma.shaw@burnholme.co.uk |
| Mrs J.Brugger | 2nd i/c of English | Joanne.brugger@burnholme.co.uk |
| Ms D.Manton | Resource Centre Manager and Teaching Assistant | deborah.manton@burnholme.co.uk |
| Miss A.Kirkham | Acting Head of English | anna.kirkham@burnholme.co.uk |
English department staff are passionate about reading, believing that if you can encourage someone to read, and to regard reading as a ‘treat’, then that person not only has a life-long, life-enhancing hobby, but they are also in the best position to develop their communication skills. The ability to communicate clearly, expressively and accurately is of crucial importance. It underpins success in the employment market as well as being a vital tool at university.
At Burnholme Community College, the English department are committed to ensuring that all pupils fulfil their potential as communicators whether a pupil would benefit from: additional one-to-one literacy support; the stimulus of a trip to the theatre or entrance to a national competition such as the Times spelling bee; the enjoyment of a storytelling session with a local author; or even, a trip to Whitby for a Creative Writing weekend. The needs and enthusiasms of all pupils are catered for, through small classes (rarely more than 20 in a class), excellent resources including a lovely library, and a range of lunch-after school sessions whereby pupils can fine-tune their skills.
Pupils are taught to have pride in their work, and self belief in their abilities; pupil voice is taken very seriously, and due to the smallness of the school, there has been the flexibility to adapt timetabling of in-house exams for example, as well as arrange for additional support in areas the pupils wish for extra help in. Pupil voice has also informed effective target-setting, and helped with the arrangement of effective intervention strategies.
GCSE grades in both English and Literature for 2011 were highly pleasing - with
59% of the cohort attaining grade A* -C in English, 71% of entrees gaining A* - C for English Literature (17% up on previous year), and a particularly impressive amount of pupils, 19%, achieving the highest grades (A*/A) for English language.
The English department teachers are all English experts and have taught in a variety
of different schools, gaining valuable expertise and experience. Pupils study 4 hours of English a week, and work hard to achieve the best levels and grades they are capable of.