English 

Building Readers, Writers and Thinkers: English in 2026

As Head Teacher of English, I am proud to share the focus and direction of our faculty this year as we continue to strengthen literacy, writing and deep thinking across all year groups.

This year has been designated our Year of the Book. Across the faculty, all English classes are working primarily from hard-copy texts, with laptops used only as a study support when necessary. This deliberate shift reflects our commitment to developing sustained reading habits, improved concentration and stronger writing skills. Research consistently shows that students write more effectively when they read widely and engaged physically with texts, and we are already seeing increased confidence in student writing across the school.

In our senior classes, we have introduced a structured a focus on reading and comprehension skills. The first ten minutes of every senior English lesson are dedicated to short answer and comprehension practice. These tasks are explicitly designed to build HSC-ready skills, including identifying key ideas, responding precisely to questions, managing time effectively and writing concise, well structured responses. By embedding this practice into regular lessons, students develop these skills gradually and consistently, rather than only encountering them under exam conditions. 

Our teaching programs across Years 7-10 have been carefully backward mapped from the HSC, ensuring that the skills students need in senior English are explicitly taught, revisited and refined throughout their secondary schooling.

• Year 7 students begun by exploring fantasy, developing imaginative engagement while learning core skills such as narrative structure, characterisation and textual analysis. 
• Year 8 focuses on science fiction, allowing students to examine ideas, ethics and speculative futures while strengthening analytical and inferential reading skills.
• Year 9 studies the gothic, introducing more complex themes, symbolism and authorial intent, and encouraging students to write with greater sophistication.

• Year 10 centres on discursive writing, a key bridge between junior and senior English, where students learn to shape voice, argument and reflection with clarity and control.

   

  In senior years, the progression continues. Year 11 focuses on Reading to Write, developing the ability to respond to texts with insight while crafting purposeful written responses. Year 12 students engage with selected HSC modules, applying the cumulative skills developed since Year 7 to complex texts and independent composition.

   

  Through deliberate planning, explicit skill development and a renewed emphasis on reading and writing, our English faculty remains committed to equipping students with the literacy skills they need for the HSC and beyond.

   

   

   

Bianca Abbott

Head Teacher English