Page 104 - Bellfort Magazine 2024

As we reflect on the academic year, the English Department shines brightly with the outstanding
work completed by our students across the key stages. From captivating creative writing pieces
to insightful literary analysis, this year has been a testament to the dedication and talent of
Dunclug College. The students have showcased their creativity and critical thinking through a
myriad of tasks, projects and assessments over the academic year that have developed their
written, reading and literacy skills. Whether it was crafting compelling short stories, writing
persuasively to engage their target audience, engaging in lively debates and discussions on
current events or exploring a writer’s language, their passion for English has been truly inspiring.
In Term 3, students have completed their final topics of the year with determination, enjoying
the various themes and subjects that have been covered; the thematic approach to learning in
English ensures that there is a rich variety of subjects, activities and skills being assesses across
the academic year.
Key Stage - Our fantastic Year 8 students became increasingly aware this term of the power that
media and language have to shape society through the ‘Making a Difference’ unit. This provided
opportunities for them to explore how the attitudes and actions of individuals can impact on
other people’s lives. Our students had the chance to consider the issues that affect society,
through engagement with Literature and the media. Shakespeare became a talking point in Year
9 as students uncovered the background to a truly inspirational playwright, poet and actor. They
completed research-based tasks alongside written and reading activities to truly understand
who William Shakespeare was and his influence on literature and theatre. Year 9 now
understand the impact that William Shakespeare has had on the world, to date! The fascinating
world of social media and advertising was studied by our Year 10 cohort. Students were able to
assess the positives and negatives of Social Media through a range of fun and interesting tasks.
There was a strong focus on how writers can use language to put across positive and negative
viewpoints to persuade their intended reader. This, in turn, developed the students’
understanding of persuasive writing and they were able to write persuasive Articles, Speeches
and other templates to put across their own views on a subject. It is very clear that our students
value the benefit of social media for education and communication whilst they are aware of the
dangers and how to stay safe online.
Key Stage 4 + 5 - We would like to wish our Year 12 and 14 students every success as they have
reached the end of their GCSE and A-Level studies. We would like to extend our heartfelt
congratulations to you all to respect the hard work, dedication and passion for English language
and literature that has shone through. As you embark on new journeys and adventures, may you
carry with you the knowledge, skills and love for English that you’ve cultivated during your
studies. We would like to wish you every success in your future endeavours. May your paths be
filled with endless opportunities and achievements. Go forth and conquer the world with your
words and wisdom. At GCSE level, our Year 11 and 12 students continued their programme of
study for GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature. In Years, 13 and 14, our AS and
A-Level students continued their GCE programme of study for English Literature. Our GCSE
students continued to complete their course material, producing English work for the Unit 1 and
Unit 4 examination whilst our English Literature students carried on with their study of plays,
poetry, prose and unseen literature passages. At GCE level, our AS English Literature students
maintained their strong work ethic by completing pieces of work for the drama and poetry
elements of the course, whilst in A2, students worked hard to complete essays for their
Shakespearean Drama unit and the poetry/unseen poetry area of the course.