‘A word after a word after a word is power’ wrote the great Canadian author Margaret Atwood in a haunting poem. The English department is dedicated to showing our students how to thread language together with this spell-like creativity and skill, helping them to produce impressive poetry, scripts and stories. It is always a pleasure to see them discover the power of their own writing to move and to motivate.

Naturally, we also ensure that students are able to analyse how other writers – from Shakespeare, to Arthur Miller, to Atwood herself – are able to craft such potent characterisation and stylistic effects, and students across the year groups have written detailed and evaluative essays with an impressive command of literary terminology and structure. As a result, we are delighted with the consistently impressive results our students attain year after year in their external examinations.

As well as delivering excellent academic results, the English department is amongst the most important in Runnymede’s extra-curricular life. Our annual events include the Key Stage 3 Spelling Bee and the Shakespeare Speaking Competition for our Year 9s. On top of this, the department oversees the thriving Runnymede Times, which continues to showcase the exceptional writing ability of many of our students. Our journalists further develop their own personal writing styles, reporting on Runnymede life as well as the more complex contemporary issues affecting the world today.

We offer English Language IGCSE and English Literature IGCSE and A-level.