Welcome to the first newsletter of this 2021 – 2022 academic year from theEnglish Department.

We would like to share with you what students have been studying in thefirst two terms of this year. You’ll also hear about our staff recommendedreads for both children and adults.

It has been a busy start to the year, and we hope all students have enjoyedtheir English lessons and have plenty to say when it comes to some of thetexts they have been studying and tasks they have been completing.

Teachers have also nominated their ‘Students of the Term’ for effort andengagement. Keep an eye out for your child’s name! At the back, we have a reminder of how things work if your child is off schoolfor self-isolation.

Finally, we have included our team’s email addresses if you have any queriesor concerns about English at Casterton. We hope you enjoy this newsletter,and that you have a very merry Christmas!

English Department NewsletterAutumn / Winter 2021Years 10 and 11

During terms 1 and 2, Year 10s have been making a proper start on their GCSE courses. While we started to study some of the poems from the Power & Conflict anthology at the end of Year 9, it all gets more real this year...

It began with their study of a modern text. That was either: StephenKelman’s Pigeon English, a novel that follows Harrison Opoku, a Ghanaianimmigrant caught up in gangs and violence on a south London estate; or J.B.Priestley’s An Inspector Calls, a play set during the early 20th centuryfocusing on a prosperous upper middle-class family, and the investigationinto a young girl’s suicide.

We have also been preparing for our PPEs, which will take place after theChristmas break. The Literature PPE will be a exam style question on theirmodern text. Also, they will sit an English Language PPE on reading andwriting fiction, so we have been busy looking at extracts and practising examstyle questions.

Students have really engaged with the texts and we’ve had some greatdiscussions. Now all they have to do is memorise those quotations! Wewanted to take this opportunity to say a special well done to the followingstudents for engaging brilliantly with everything so far:

Mason BrylOlivia Lewis

Owain ThomasPreeti PatelRiley KeelSeb Mills

Tia MogerZara Hales

Iris Vinter Jack DightonJames TurnerJasmine Favell

Joe BurtKuba KaczmarekLewis HaworthLogan Johnson

Alistair BothwellAngel MowbrayEddy LeathersEsme BurtonFinlay PriceFreya Finch

Hannah PerkinsHarry Large

Year 10 - Term ReviewEnglish Department Newsletter

During terms 1 and 2, Year 11s have been appreciating one of the works of 'The Bard' himself, William Shakespeare. Students have studied either Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth, two of Shakespeare's finest tragedies.

As well as this, students have had regular creative writing lessons, focusingon the skills of descriptive and narrative writing, as well as practising theother skills required for their English Language GCSE. As well as theLanguage PPE, students prepared for their Literature PPE on theShakespeare text. With the PPEs all marked and moderated, students havehad their results and feedback lessons. Some fantastic results have comeout, which is a credit to the effort students have put in. For the last fewlessons of the term, attention has been back on poetry.

The Y11s are at an important point in their GCSE English courses, and withthe added demand of these new exams, there are certain things studentsshould be doing: re-reading texts; learning quotations (making flashcards);using GCSEPod; and finally, using the revision workbooks and guides issuedbefore the PPE season.

Students have really engaged with the texts and we’ve had some greatdiscussions. Now all they have to do is memorise those quotations! Wewanted to take this opportunity to say a special well done to the followingstudents for engaging brilliantly with everything so far:

Lucas WesterdaleMax Jarvis Mo Cham

Noah ThompsonOliver Headland Sophia Burrows

Fin Bavage-CrowsonHolly Ford

Jake Graham Jennifer Cook

Lana WannLucas Lane

Annabel HopeAston LewisBen Fryett

Byron Leigh-TaylorChris Marchant

Clara Town

Year 11 - Term ReviewEnglish Department Newsletter

Year 10 and 11, please know that the library is still open to you!

The Word Millionaires of 2020-2021 A record 102 students achieved Word Millionaire status by the end of the summer holidays and our students collectively read 382 million words! Once again, we smashed our college target of 350 million words. This year I am hopeful that we cando even better.

Our new target is: 450 million words! And we are well on the way, withour current total standing at 62,041,177 words read so far this year. Book DonationsI would like to thank all of our students and their parents who have kindlysent donations of wonderful books to our library. If you are having a sort outat home to make room for Christmas gifts, we would be extremely gratefulfor any age-appropriate books that you have finished with.

The Library TeamOver the last couple of terms, several students have been training to becomelibrarians. They are learning fast and are a fantastic addition to the team.Special thanks to Year 9 library leader, Joseph Simpson, for helping withtheir training. Well done to our trainees: Jasmine Owen, Jakub Bryja, ThomasHodgeson, Chanda Musonda, Charlie Houghton and Seth Morgan. For thosestudents that have let me know they are keen to join the team, I will becalling for more applicants in Term 4.

Finally, on behalf of my library team and myself, I would like to wish you alla magical Christmas!

Library and Reading News from Mrs Scott

English Department Newsletter

As English teachers, we love to read. Reading for pleasure not onlyimproves academic outcomes but gives you the chance to escape toanother world. What’s not to like?! The English Department would like torecommend the following books for students.

All Our Hidden GiftsA richly imagined mystery steeped in Irish folklore and a brilliantexploration of the complexities of friendship, All Our Hidden Gifts seesMaeve hoping to resurrect her close bond with Lily through her new-foundtrue talent as a tarot reader – until just before the planned reading, her ex-best friend disappears.

The Upper WorldAt first this seems like a story of South London youth, with authentic-sounding slang and a believable (and diverse) cast of characters, drawingon Fadugba’s own youth in Peckham. But it develops into a time travel sci-fitaking surprising detours into quantum physics and philosophy. Netflix havesnapped it up.

You Don't Know MeAn unnamed defendant stands accused of murder. The evidence isoverwhelming. But just before the trial's end, the young man gives his owndefence speech. It is about the woman he loves, who got into terribletrouble. It's about how he risked everything to save her.

Now, as he talks us through the eight pieces of evidence against him, his lifeis in our hands. We, the reader - member of the jury - must keep an openmind. He swears he's innocent. But in the end, all that matters is: Do youbelieve him? Read the book before watching the TV series!

Recommended ReadsEnglish Department Newsletter

And now... The English Department would like to recommend the followingbooks for all the parents/carers.

Girl AFollowing the news that their abusive mother has died in prison, Lex and hersiblings must face the horrors of their past once more in this arresting debutthat is both a page-turning thriller and a searing portrait of survival.

Early Morning RiserA wonderfully warm-hearted novel about the messiness of modern love andthe hangers-on who can crowd out relationships, Early Morning Riser bindsa quartet of memorable characters together after a life-changing accident.

MayfliesEvoking a fully-rounded friendship with wit and psychological truth,O’Hagan’s masterful novel charts an epic night of debauchery in 1980sManchester and its tragic aftermath thirty years later.

PiranesiWeaving a rich gothic atmosphere, the author of Jonathan Strange and MrNorrell mines a darkly fantastical vision with a tale of a very singular houseand its mysterious inhabitants.

Shuggie BainAn uncompromising yet tender and warmly witty exploration of love, prideand poverty, Shuggie Bain charts the endeavours of its eponymousprotagonist – an ambitious and fastidious boy from a dire mining town witha thirst for a better life.

Recommended ReadsEnglish Department Newsletter

At the beginning of this academic year, we introduced two new faces toour English team! Let’s see how they responded to our ‘insightful’questions about who they are…

Mr Colley: What is your favourite word?This is incredibly difficult – so I will settle for a word that I love theconnotations of, and that is tranquillity. What is your least favourite word?For the simple reason that it is never spelt correctly – definitely. What is your favourite book?The Great Gatsby. What is your favourite piece of art?An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump – Joseph Wright. What is your favourite food?Chocolate. What sound or noise do you love?The sound of waves. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?I would love to be a theatre critic. If you had to describe yourself as a literary character, who would it be?Bilbo Baggins – we both appreciate the comfort of home but can betempted into a spontaneous adventure. And we share the belief that ‘if more of us valued food and cheer and songabove hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world’.

English Department NewsletterNew members of staffIntroducing... Mr Colley and Miss Hibbins

At the beginning of this academic year, we introduced two new faces toour English team! Let’s see how they responded to our ‘insightful’questions about who they are…

Miss Hibbins: What is your favourite word?This varies daily, but I suppose part of my idiolect is the over-usage of theword 'mate'. I like words that have similar sounds at the end though, likethe word 'Willow'. What is your least favourite word?Brain-dump! What is your favourite book?Where The Crawdads Sing. What is your favourite piece of art?I like anything by Goya – his 'Black Paintings' are very gothic. What is your favourite food?I love chilli con carne! What sound or noise do you love?I love my son Grayson's laugh – there's no better sound. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?I'd love to be an officer in the RAF, maybe. If you had to describe yourself as a literary character, who would it be?Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird - love her! She's adventurous, a bit of a tom-boy and sometimes a bit cheeky.

English Department NewsletterNew members of staffIntroducing... Mr Colley and Miss Hibbins

Mrs C Rawes - Head of DepartmentMrs K Goss

Mr D Marples Mrs J Marples

Ms G TwineMrs J Cope Mrs J Smith

Mrs M James Mr W Colley

Miss A Hibbins Mrs D Scott

In the event of any students having to self-isolate in the terms ahead, theyshould be logging on to Teams and accessing the ‘Continuity of Education’folder to find the work they should be completing. Under the 'Files' tab they should see various folders for each year group - ifthey click on their year group they will find a list of subject folders. Click on the English folder and they will see the work that they should becompleting and emailing to their teacher.

If you wish to contact your child's teacher for any reason, please type ournames into your Outlook account which should bring up our emailaddresses.

English Department NewsletterFinal reminders...

Have a great

Christmas break!