We seek to inspire our pupils to love reading, to think about what they have read and to become sophisticated writers for many purposes. We also endeavour to develop the pupil’s abilities in discussion and to be able to analyse many different types of text – poetry, drama, prose, non-fiction and imaginative writing to name but a few.

All in all we seek to light the fire of a lifelong love of the English language and its literature. We aim for the pupils to excel academically and become insightful readers with an appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of literature in all its forms, both classical and contemporary. Another major aim is to equip the pupils with essential communication skills which they will need throughout their lives in order to be fulfilled and happy.

We aim to fully engage the pupils in their study of English and so we use stimulating and inspiring literature as the basis for much of our work. We expect them to be fully engaged and enthusiastic readers. We believe all communications skills stem from independent reading – eloquence, vocabulary, structured written and verbal expression. As they progress we expect pupils to master spelling, cursive handwriting and the abilities to think, speak, write and read reflectively.

As our pupils seek to gain a place at very competitive schools after life at Riddlesworth Hall, we take them through all areas of the subject that they will be confronted with in the final year. Accordingly we develop powers of comprehension and written expression across a range of contexts and skills. Results are generally excellent.