English
D espite the obvious barriers in place this year, the English department has worked hard to ensure that as many aspects of the curriculum were taught as ‘normally’ as possible. This was, at times, tricky, especially when trying to bring Shakespeare alive to students when they were sitting behind a screen. I must commend the hard work and dedication of my team as well as the students for applying themselves so well during the extended period of online learning. Some of the work they produced and the love of learning from all key stages was an absolute marvel. Although visiting live theatre was not an option this year, we still managed to organize some online learning experiences. The RSC put on a number of interactive workshops from which we all benefitted. Year 7 took part in a live, interactive performance of a Midsummer Night’s Dream using the latest in CGI technology. This definitely caught some of the boys’ attention when this type of technology was compared to ‘Fortnite’! With teacher assessed grades being the form of assessment for both Fifth Form and Upper Sixth, the work load most certainly increased for us. The A level class of 2021 exceeded expectations and all achieved a grade C or higher. Olivia Binfield secured a grade A* and was the recipient of the Baxter English prize. At GCSE, the percentage of students reaching top grades once again increased. Despite these grades being agreed by the department, I believe these are a true reflection of the students’ capabilities. Special mention must go to Amber Le Baigue, Nora Loga, Daisy Mackman, Zayne Nettey and Romiya Rai who secured double 9s in both Language and Literature. As we look towards the new academic year, I very much hope this will see a return to theatre for us, as well as a new, improved Arts Week for the English department. There is lots to look forward to.
Mrs E Dickinson, Head of English
RS & Psychology
T he Religious Studies and Psychology department had an excellent year despite somewhat challenging circumstances. You will be aware of the national requirement for awarding Teacher Assessed Grades, placing an increased pressure on staff and pupils alike. On reflection, we can take pride in our achievements despite these challenges and take a moment to recognise some of our most significant successes. In Psychology, Paloma Higgins received an A* grading and won the Psychology prize. She embodied thebest traits of aHigh-Performance Pupil, setting an example for others to follow and having a positive impact on those around her. In fact, this Psychology cohort was one of the strongest in recent years, with a significant number of A/A* grades awarded to the top performers. The department have benefitted from exceptional practice offered by Miss Vinson, who warrants congratulations for a successful first year. The Religious Studies curriculum was provided by Rev. Goodwin- Hudson in lower years, Mr Jameson for GCSE, and myself for A Level. As Head of Department, I must express my gratitude to these staff members for providing the commitment they have this year. Our department meetings became a great place to share good practice and I amsure that our pupils arebenefitting fromtheexpertiseoffered within the department. Evidence for this includes exceptional results at GCSE with 3 pupils receiving the highest outcome. Well done to Tishe Laniyan, Phineas Horan and Phoebe Smallbone! In terms of A Level, we have two students who excelled in the subject area.
Macey Daley worked tirelessly across two years of study in Religious Studies, Philosophy and Ethics. Further, Georgia Rae received an A*, the Philosophy subject prize on Speech Day, and is now reading Theology at York. This achievement, as well as those in Psychology, will serve to inspire the next generation, and speaks to the resiliency and commitment shown in this department in 2020-21. Mr A Gunn, Head of RS & Psychology
LAWRENTIAN 2021 53
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