English Literature

The study of English brings MCS pupils into contact with some of the most arresting, challenging and exciting writings from the past 650 years. It both sparks and begins to satisfy pupils’ curiosity about the ways people and societies have shaped their responses to the world and to each other.

Throughout the school, pupils’ enjoyment of reading is nurtured by the study of inspirational prose, poetry and drama. They adopt a critical mindset, learning to question their own assumptions as readers as well as those of the works and cultures they study. And as writers themselves, they are guided in expressing their ideas with power, precision and tact.

Sixth Form

A Level English Literature introduces pupils to some of the most enjoyable, inspiring writing from the late 1300s to the present day. The OCR course that we follow ranges widely across and beyond the traditional canon, whilst sharpening pupils’ skills in textual analysis. They are encouraged to make connections between the texts studied and to explore them within their intellectual, cultural, social and historical contexts. A Level English fosters essential skills in analysing complex material, approaching problems creatively, evaluating others’ views perceptively, and expressing arguments concisely and persuasively.

By studying human nature, human societies and human thought through literature, students discover much about themselves, each other and the world. They equip themselves with a qualification that sits equally well alongside humanities, languages and science A Levels, and is highly valued by universities and employers.

Extra-curricular

Pupils take advantage of a very wide range of extra-curricular opportunities in the subject. The Sixth Form English Society meets weekly and is co-run by pupils and teachers. Members delve into areas beyond the syllabus, guided by teachers in the department, visiting speakers, or pupils themselves; these meetings are complemented by Sixth Form reading groups which in recent years have ranged from Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber to the medieval mystery plays, via an introduction to literary theory. There are several trips each term to see plays in Oxford, Stratford and London; lectures, poetry readings and collaborations with other schools and universities further broaden pupils’ experience of the subject. Several Sixth Form pupils have been successful in national creative writing prizes, such as the Tower and Foyles competitions for poetry, and in the essay prizes offered by Oxford and Cambridge colleges; others have put together their own publications, bringing their work and that of their peers to a wider audience.

Where English could take you

English at MCS might provoke pupils in numerous ways. Least measurably but most importantly, it might incite a lifelong love of reading and a sensitivity to the power and subtlety of language. More practically, the skills it hones in and through reading, writing and thinking are essential in academia and the workplace. Typically ten or so Old Waynfletes go on to read English at leading universities annually, including Oxford and Cambridge, before pursuing careers in academia, the arts, law, the city, and numerous other areas.