Our Courses

English (AQA A-Level)

Welcome to Key Stage 5 English!

English is an opening up of the world. Literature, like all art, seeks to express something of the human experience of life. It is a means of finding out, for a moment, what it would be like to be someone else. Empathy is key. It is a way of transcending time and space: what would it be like to someone else, somewhere else, sometime else.

If you are ready to explore the big issues of life – love, death, God, meaning, relationships – then you are ready for English.

As you would expect with Kingsmead, lessons within the English Department have been consistently praised for the high quality of teaching and learning. You will benefit from smaller class sizes where you can study language and literature through the ages and from around the world. In lessons, you will develop sophisticated reading skills and learn to place texts in their wider intellectual, social and historical contexts. There is plenty of scope for discussion and students often enjoy lively debates.

In terms of employability, English students consistently outperform their peers from other subject areas. A recent study by Google found that its most creative and innovative employees were those with English qualifications.

Success in English provides a gateway to many careers: journalism, marketing, business and sales, legal professions, education, publishing, creative media, police service, health professionals and social work. Salaries in these fields range from £22,000 to over £60,000 pounds per year.

There has been no better time to study English at Kingsmead.

To find out more information, please contact Mr Parton (c.parton@kingsmeadschool.net or m.russell@kingsmeadschool.net)