By Mrs Graves (Head of English)

As we approach the end of a busy term, the students in Lower Sixth English Literature have been reflecting on the study texts that they have been reading so far. The first unit of the A Level is called, Love through the Ages, and we have loved diving into some classics of the literary canon- Shakespeare's Othello and Jane Austen's last novel, Persuasion. 

Alongside the more usual reading, discussion, analysis and group-work, we have been thinking about ways to approach texts imaginatively, creating strong memory hooks to help students retain key pieces of learning as they are attached to stand-out events. This led to two wonderful end-of-term treats: the (hopefully annual) Persuasion Bake-Off, and the future success of the panto stage, O-hell-no! 

We were treated to Navy-themed blondies, 'half agony, half hope' cookies, and the most delicately decorated cupcakes, representing key moments in the relationship of Persuasion's romantic leads, Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth. Congratulations to Lower Sixth student, Izzy, who was the creator of the cupcakes and wowed us all with her attention to detail. 

A pantomime recreation of Othello is more complex than it sounds, and we were very impressed with what could be produced in an hour! A range of pantomime conventions were used to adapt the central ideas of the text but underlying it all was the students' own in depth knowledge of the characters and themes, which shone through. Well done to all the students for a brilliant term!