English Department

All things English...

Creative Writing

Eighteen students from Years 9 to 12 enjoyed a half-term Creative Writing Retreat at Patterdale Hall, the School’s outdoor adventure learning centre, in the Lake District. The group focused on short stories, flash fiction, modern sonnets and landscape poetry and were lucky enough to experience working with tutors, Dr Peter Sansom, a highly respected and well-known poet, and Chris Wakeling, a qualified lawyer and published author. A wonderful time was had by all!

Mandy Coe

Poet Mandy Coe spoke to Year 8 and Year 9 and the Creative Writing Group on Wednesday 27th January, 2016. The Year 8 and 9s wrote cinquains, while the Group wrote ‘translations’ of Gaellic poetry. All the girls found Mandy’s visit inspiring: she proved that everyone has creativity within them!

Dear English Department, I wanted to write to say thank you for a thoroughly enjoyable author’s visit/poetry workshop with you yesterday. In addition to writing poetry, I also research and teach on the role of creativity in education, and wanted to congratulate you on your strategies to foster creativity through the Year 7 to 9 Journal Lessons, the Writing Retreat and the Creative Writing Group. When pupils and teachers are confident and supported in taking risks and exploring a fresh approach - creativity thrives. I visit many schools, and, from your pupils’ responsiveness, it’s clear that this culture is paying off! Good luck to your young writers in seeking publication. Best wishes Mandy Coe

Dr Faustus

Another spectacular Joint Production: Dr Faustus. Miss Lord and this year’s cast of Year 10 to 13 students have demonstrated that the most challenging of plays to stage can be the most engaging, thought provoking, moving and entertaining.

Alice

For three consecutive nights in late January, the Girls’ Division Theatre was filled with staff, parents and friends, eager to watch this year’s Joint Middle School Production of ‘Alice’- a modern adaptation and impressive ode to the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale. The cast of 38 boys and girls did not fail to disappoint. The production was a roaring success with superb performances from all involved. Rosalyn Harper, who played the title role, deserves particular praise as she was never off stage- a star in the making!

Some years ago, a Year 13 Language A Level group detected my interest (which they thought was obsessive) in the work of the world famous linguist, David Crystal. As a leaving present they had a T shirt made up for me with his face superimposed on a “six-pack”. On the back it said “My Hero”. Imagine my excitement when, in the Autumn term, I got to meet him in the flesh and get the T shirt signed!

Mrs. E Lowe Creative Juices Flow at Open Mic Night

Mike Garry, who has been lauded as “the best street poet ever” and “the hardest angel in poetry heaven”, returned to Bolton School Girls’ Division for the third time to host an Open Mic evening. The evening was a celebration of creativity, Mike personally selecting the girls to perform on the night. The overall winner on the night was Year 13 student Natalie Henderson for her work entitled, “You bought me the Amazon”.

The View

The team of journalists in Years 9 to 13 from the Girls’ Division newspaper ‘The View’, enjoyed an inspirational presentation on Journalism from Saiqa Chaudhari, Education Correspondent from The Bolton Evening News. Her advice encouraged the girls to write with confidence and enthusiasm under their new Editor, Maggie Zhou, whether they were interviewing Michaela Strachan or creating a wide range of impressive articles on topics such as the Junior Doctors’ Strike, Fracking, Jeremy Corbyn, film reviews, fashion pages, holiday tips and much more.

Enrichment

The English Enrichment group has been running this year each Friday lunchtime and has been attended by some very dedicated Year 13s and one eager person from Year 12! The aim of the sessions is to explore literature beyond the specification, give students the opportunity to carry out some independent research and then make interesting presentations from their findings.

“Enrichment is a great opportunity to explore any chosen subject which has resulted in fun discussions and interesting presentations that have been really valuable.” “I have really loved meeting with likeminded people to discuss many different kinds of literature from Shakespeare’s major tragedies, to Dystopian fiction for teenagers.”

Creative Corner

Dear Grandad

At first it felt as though you had gone away for a bit, perhaps on a long walk, like you used to when you were young. It seemed as though, at any minute, you would walk through the door in your pale grey anorak and tweed flat cap. Or perhaps you had got lost in the jungle that is the greenhouse, or you had fallen asleep after lunch. But then it dawned on me, you had gone, gone forever and I would never see you again. A black hole had crept into my life and was drawing me in. I would never hear your jokes or daft little rhymes or witness the brilliance of you finishing the crossword without pausing for thought. I think that is what I miss the most, those little things that were so unique to you, things so insignificant that they would usually go unnoticed. The concentration on your face as you read the paper or the smile that tugged at your mouth when you were with family. Though in a way, I think that it’s the little things that pulled me out of the darkness. I knew that these little things would always be with me. ASENA AKDENIZ

Earthwalk

I dreamt that we were on the moon with stars for sky and white rocks for green grass and Earth was a small place far far away that we gazed up at, whispering before we fell asleep. I took every breath through a mask and tank and we stepped out side by side in a slow leap kicking up dust and starting a race and when we ran, it was like flying. I hoped we had the chance to escape to the faraway planet and while most stayed and lived out their lives we listened to the old stories of green and blue. I woke and thought of the moon all day and drifted off, my head in the stars. At night I slept a dreamless sleep but my heart was set on Mars. SAMEERA MOHAMMED

The Flooded Cellar

You would never once think that recounting stories about your wife to some bus-driver would land you in a psychiatric ward. I told tales of mermaids and a kingdom under the ocean. I told him about Helena, the mermaid with the white-blonde locks and blue eyes; the way the water made her hair flow back from her face, made her eyes glassy and pale, yet gave her skin this almost supernatural blue glow. In my eyes, she was an angel of the sea. In my eyes she was anything I could hold onto. The stories continued, as I spoke of the wonders of ocean, how I tried so many times to follow her there. I am still adamant I saw her, enticing me to join her in the bottomless depths. Finishing my story, he had told me to wait a second, which he then followed frightfully talking into his phone. I had tried once more. Turning the key, running down the cellar stairs again and diving. EMILY MANOCK