English

In English at HACH, each year group has its own distinct end points to support students developing a nuanced love of English and gain confidence with ambitious texts and developed skills.

Stories are the fabric of life and literature is the human attempt to understand the world around us. The study of literature explores the depths of human emotions. It has the power to open our minds beyond our own circumstances towards our diverse world, its people, and experiences. The study of literature can educate us of ancient societies, open our imagination to fantastical lands, communicate to us profound emotions, and ultimately teach us the pillars of empathy. 

Through the centuries, literature has been a symbol of freedom. Knowledge liberates us and therefore the ability to read literature from different time periods and places educates us about our own rights and opinions. The knowledge we can find in books is liberating. Charles Dickens is undoubtedly a literary genius, and yet his education was poor, but his ability to read and read widely is what gave him the knowledge and skill to succeed. In a world of misinformation and rapidly evolving political propaganda, literature affords us the opportunity to develop critical reading skills and healthy scepticism through study of narrative voice, characterisation, language, writer’s purpose and the audience’s reception.