GDST schools celebrate English

In a powerful collaboration between GDST sister schools and generously hosted by Wimbledon High School, the GDST held its flagship English Symposium earlier this term. The aim was simple: to model academic excellence and celebrate the rigour and richness of our truly interdisciplinary subject.

In addition to networking with other English Literature students across GDST schools, our Year 12 students engaged in a series of workshops and heard inspiring and intellectually challenging talks by external speakers Barbara Bleiman (teacher, writer and education consultant at the English and Media Centre - pictured left) and John Mullan (Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College London - pictured centre).

Barbara spoke with passion about the power and scope of an English degree and its relevance in developing critical thinking and empathy – skills yet to be mastered by AI! John brought the 'Gothic' to life with his charisma and humour, unpacking misconceptions and shedding new light on the genre.

The workshops (pictured right) ranged in topics from 'Black Writing and Urban Space' to 'Samurai Warlords & Disco Divas: how cinema reimaged Shakespeare across the Globe' and gave students a flavour of English beyond the A Level course, showcasing the breadth, depth and relevance of English in Higher Education and the workplace.

To conclude the joy of a day spent indulging in academic discussion, we all took part in a giant book swap, each having brought and wrapped a favourite novel, poetry collection or work of non-fiction to share anonymously. From Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Dear Ijeawele and Hosseini's The Kite Runner to Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, we all went away with something to sink our literary teeth into: food for the soul!