The English department is a driving force at MGS, with a focus on promoting the academic excellence, love of learning in students, while challenging students and developing their critical thinking skills. We pride ourselves in our consistency and collaboration to ensure all students achieve and desire success.

Our Motto is: Inspire, Challenge, Exceed.

Our Vision

The English learning journey from Year 7 to Year 13 at Maidstone Grammar School is rigorous and enriching, designed to build confidence in both written and verbal communication. The English Department is committed to challenging students to achieve their full potential and provides the support needed to ensure all students meet – and exceed – their academic goals.

The document linked below outlines how we have sequenced knowledge and skills in each academic year:

English Curriculum Outline 2025-26

Key Stage 3 (Year 7 & 8)

Over a fortnightly timetable, KS3 students receive:

5 hours of guided learning (Year 7)
6 hours of guided learning (Year 8)
1 hour of homework.

Key Stage 4 (Year 9, 10 & 11)

Qualification: GCSE English Literature & GCSE English Language
Exam board: Edexcel English Literature & AQA English Language

Over a fortnightly timetable, GCSE students receive:

7 hours of guided learning.
2 hours of homework.

Key Stage 5 (Year 12 & 13)

Qualification: A Level English Literature
Exam board: EDEXCEL

Over a fortnightly timetable, A Level students receive:

9 hours of guided learning.
9 hours of homework.

Careers

Through studying English all students develop valuable life skills that feed into a wide array of careers in the future. The skills students explore and develop throughout their study include:
– Reading.
– Retrieval.
– Comprehension.
– Analysis.
– Evaluation.
– Creative writing.
– Transactional writing – writing to advise, inform and explain, persuade and argue, review.
– Oracy – developing spoken communication and presentation skills.
– Debating.
– Listening – developing ability to listen and decode information.
– Questioning.

Each of these skills are vital for numerous jobs in the wider world. Some career ideas the above skills feed into include:
– Lawyer/Solicitor/Judge
– Human Resources
– Marketing
– Sales
– Product Design
– Teacher
– Police Officer
– Novel writer/Poet
– Editor of texts
– Publisher
– Copywriter
– Journalist

Many of our students who have taken English Literature at A-Level have gone on to study at top universities exploring subjects like Law, Politics, History and English to name a few. English is a gateway subject that allows all potential career choices to become a distinct reality.

Click here to find out more about careers in English.

Enrichment

The English Department provide a wide array of extra-curriculuar opportunities.

At Key Stage 3 we have a creative writing club where students will enter national competitions with their own creative stories to win prizes and recognition. We also have a year 7 and 8 stretch and challenge club which aims to provide opportunities for students to be academically challenged to meet their potential, through a range of more advanced reading material. We provide opportunities here for our English Prefects to lead these sessions to develop their own skills and teaching potential.

At Key Stage 4, we have a year 9, 10 and 11 stretch and challenge club, which aims to provide students with additional university level critical readings to enhance their understanding of the texts they are studying in class, to give more unique and higher order thinking opportunities to our students.

At all key stages we have a variety of intervention opportunities, all the way up to KS5 through our weekly clinic. This allows all students from year 7 to 13 to access additional support and guidance when needed to help all students meet their potential.

Click here to read our MGS Extra Prospectus and find out what clubs are on offer.

Click here to access the KS3 and KS4 English Super Curriculum.

Click here to access the KS5 English Super Curriculum.