English and Drama
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Department Staff
- Mr Christopher Green (Head of Department)
- Miss Elizabeth Bellamy
- Dr Daniel Connelly
- Ms Lynne Hammond
- Mr Matthew Jelley
- Mrs Deborah Taysom
Department Overview
English and Drama are taught together in a single department at The Perse, and are core subjects in the School's curriculum. The department today inherits the celebrated Perse 'Play Way' tradition of teaching English and Drama, which nurtured such eminent figures as the critic F.R. Leavis and the director Sir Peter Hall. At the same time, we are keen to address the exciting modern challenges of our subjects, setting out to introduce all our pupils to the many facets of English and Drama today, enthusing them about: reading; writing; speaking and listening; literacy; drama; literary appreciation and response. We aim to enable all members of the School to flourish academically in our subjects (sometimes as far as the study of them at university - including Oxford and Cambridge) and to acquire an introduction to the central cultural riches of language, literature and the theatre. Beyond the curriculum, the department organises a wide range of activities in which all Perse pupils can participate, including: an extensive programme of Drama productions; debating and public speaking events; trips to the theatre and other cultural events; clubs, societies and competitions.
Curriculum/Exam Specifications
First to Third Forms
In the First to Third Forms, English is taught in form groupings. Set texts include works by authors as diverse as Shakespeare, Coleridge, Rushdie and Hornby. The English scheme of work includes substantial Drama and Public Speaking elements, drawing on the famous Perse 'Play Way' tradition. All members of the First and Third Forms participate in their form's annual Drama Evening. We also offer pupils in all three Year Groups opportunities to: take part in a school Drama production; attend a performance at the theatre in Cambridge or London; participate in a Field Day excursion (for example, to Stratford-upon-Avon, Canterbury or London's South Bank).
Fourth and Fifth Forms
English is taught in streamed sets in the Fourth and Fifth Forms, when all members of the School take GCSEs in English (Language) and English Literature. We follow OCR 
specifications 1900 and 1901 (www.ocr.org.uk), including coursework options, and all pupils are entered for the higher tier examination papers. A wide variety of speaking activities and a programme of theatre trips are important features of our GCSE courses.
Sixth Form
In the Sixth Form we offer courses in English Literature at AS and A2, following OCR specifications 3828 and 7828 (www.ocr.org.uk). We follow the available coursework options (studying Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross at AS and Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man at A2), including the opportunity to produce creative writing at AS. We arrange an extensive programme of lectures, readings and trips to the theatre as part of the course (including an annual excursion to Dublin). A number of pupils are entered annually for the Advanced Extension Award in English. The Department offers extra coaching for those applying to study English (or a related subject) at University, including Oxbridge. All members of the Lower Sixth Form attend Communication Skills lessons in order to develop the skills employed in written examinations in all subjects - and used in the wider world.
Extra-curricular Activities
The English and Drama Department oversees a wide range of academic extra-curricular and extension activities, including:
- Literary Society (Sixth Form)
- Sixth Form visits to conferences and readings
- Middle School Reading Group
- Writers' Workshop (Middle School)
- Creative Writing Club
- Parents' Reading Group
- Talks and readings by authors
Kevin Crossley-Holland visits the school
We offer all pupils the chance to join our trips to the theatre - in Cambridge, London, Stratford-upon-Avon and elsewhere.
We run three debating clubs:
- Junior Debating Society
- Middle School Debating Society
- Senior Debating Society
and enter pupils annually for a wide range of Public Speaking and Debating events and competitions.
We hold annual events to celebrate:
- Perse Book Week
- World Book Day
- National Poetry Day
- Schools' Cinema Week
We run a range of in-house writing and Public Speaking competitions, including:
- The Lower School Arts Festival poetry and prose competitions
- The Caffall Cup for Public Speaking
- The Armitstead poetry competition
and offer pupils the opportunity to enter for external challenges including:
- The Rotary (Cambridgeshire) essay competition
- The Betty Haigh Shakespeare Prize
- Write Away (Times Educational Supplement)
- Poetry Now
- The Cambridgeshire Schools' Newspaper
We also encourage pupils to submit their writing to 'The Pelican' magazine and to compile their own anthologies and weblogs.
Drama
Please see the Drama section for details of curricular Drama provision and the extra-curricular Drama programme provided by the Department.