Looking into English Language

The English department was delighted to participate in an online conference, ‘Looking Into Language’ this week, run by the highly acclaimed English and Media Centre and hosted by Ms Cotton. Year 10 and 11 pupils joined hundreds of others from around the country in exploring English in the modern world.
The conference was designed to broaden KS4 pupils’ understanding of the subject of English beyond the confines of the curriculum whilst offering a powerful insight into the myriad ways language shapes every aspect of our lives. Pupils heard from a series of university academics speaking on a range of highly topical issues: Language and Identity; the relationship between language, social class, power and creativity; and language in the News – why language matters and how it hits the headlines. The final session generated a real buzz around the room: a fascinating introduction to forensic language investigation and how language study is used to solve a crime and uncover identities – with a particularly riveting case study of a murder that had been solved in this way.
The conference ended with a Q&A where the speakers shared their views on the importance of English as a subject and the wide range of career doors it could open, from journalism and publishing to crime-solving and computer engineering!

Ms Alison Cotton

Head of English