Through its continued involvement in The PTI’s Department Development Programme, the English department at Thomas Tallis School has established ambitious, meaningful objectives that refine curriculum design, strengthen core teaching practices, and support the ongoing evaluation of learning impact for students of all backgrounds and abilities.
To raise the subject's profile across the school, the department regularly shares student achievements and upcoming opportunities through weekly newsletters distributed to parents, the local community, and key stakeholders. Staff have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to extending learning beyond the traditional classroom setting. Learners benefit from a rich array of enrichment experiences, including author talks, creative workshops, academic lectures, subject interventions, theatre visits, and residential programs. Notably, participation in initiatives such as Arvon and First Story has empowered several students to become published writers. Despite budget constraints and wider cost-of-living pressures, the department has successfully delivered many of these opportunities free of charge by building strong partnerships with external organisations and securing free year-group tickets to major productions at Shakespeare's Globe.
Ultimately, the English curriculum is designed with the deliberate intention of empowering students to become effective communicators and confident, critical thinkers. By inducting pupils into a community of enquirers, the department actively fosters their disciplinary consciousness encouraging them to think, act, and analyse like literary critics, linguists, and creative writers. Through its ongoing work with The PTI, the department remains dedicated to delivering an ambitious, diverse, and relevant curriculum that generates meaningful cultural conversations, equips students to interrogate language, and inspires them to make a positive impact on the wider world.