The English department at St Benedict’s College believes in teaching language through the study of quality literature.  We want our students to be prepared to do their best in examinations but that alone would be a limited ambition.  We want to engender in them a love of reading and literature which will last a lifetime.

We strive to equip our readers with the language skills to enable them to navigate the linguistic pitfalls and snares of life.  In this way they will not be hoodwinked, duped, or manipulated by the media and other agencies.  We want them to be aware of the power of language so that they can read between the lines and make informed choices.

We believe our students should be excellent communicators with both the written and spoken word.

Our full time specialists are dedicated and constantly look to excite and engage the students so that their experience is enjoyable and meaningful.  To keep the subject fresh and exciting we invite award-winning poets and writers in to the College to share their expertise with the students.  In this way, the students enjoy performance poetry, lectures on the nature of being a writer and take part in targeted workshops.  Students are encouraged to follow up the work begun by the writers in residence by opening a dialogue with them through their websites: www.timbowler.co.uk and www.alangibbons.com.

In addition, we run an excellent residential trip to Stratford-on-Avon to expose the students to the very best productions of Shakespeare.  Being so close to the Mercury Theatre, we also run regular trips to productions and workshops there.

We are constantly seeking to experiment with different texts and teaching methods so that our delivery is fresh and the students’ experience vibrant.

"Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man".