GCSE & A Level Success!

Attention turns, once again, to results from mid-August onwards. Girls who have completed Year 11 are looking forward to moving into the Sixth Form and we welcome them warmly. We are always sad to see Year 13 girls moving on, but also delighted that so many of them are embarking on the next stage of their academic journeys at their first choice universities. Whether they've decided to study Pharmacology or Fashion, Engineering or Events Management our Year 13s are happy to leave us behind and move on to places as diverse as Leeds, Nottingham, York and London. Our LVI should be inspired by the possibilities before them and take heed of the advice offered by the year ahead: study hard from the outset! We look forward to welcoming everyone back next week! Enjoy the last few days of your holidays!

Summer Reading...

Summer is a great time for English teachers (and students?!)to catch up on their reading. I've been re-reading Roddy Doyle's Barrytown trilogy: 'The Commitments'; 'The Snapper' and 'The Van' prior to reading his new novel 'The Guts' which - once again - features the Rabbitte family from fictional Barrytown in Dublin. This time round, Doyle focuses on Jimmy Jnr as he battles with bowel cancer. Aside from that, I've read 'Our Spoons Came From Woolworths' by Barbara Comyns - reissued under the Virago Modern Classic umbrella. I was thoroughly engrossed in Sophia's tale and enthralled by the slice of early 1930's life in England offered by Comyns. Karen Thompson Walker's 'The Age of Miracles' posed an interesting concept - what would happen if time slowed down? I found this an entertaining read, but thought the ending lacked finesse; maybe I just got bored with it! However, a well realised twelve year old narrator in the form of Julia, the protagonist, kept me reading throughout. I was less enamoured with 'The Yonahlossee Riding School for Girls' a debut novel by Anton DiSclafani. As a fan of 'The Great Gatsby', 'The Grapes of Wrath' and other 1930's American fiction, I thought I'd enjoy it more than I did which was a bit disappointing. Had I not had such high expectations, I don't think I would have been as disappointed. On the other hand, 'The Hunger and the Howling of Killian Lone' by Will Storr proved a disturbing, unsettling read; however, I enjoyed it! So, what next? After the new Roddy Doyle, I plan to read some of the long-listed books nominated for the Man Booker this year. Colum McCann's 'Transatlantic' has caught my eye. It's the tale of four generations of women set amidst such events such as the Irish potato famine, the American Civil War and the troubles in Northern Ireland. I thoroughly enjoyed McCann's 'Let The Great World Spin' earlier this year, so I'm looking forward to attacking his new book! I've already read Colm Toibin's 'The Testament Of Mary' which has appeared on the list - his previous novel 'Brooklyn' was also long-listed for the Booker in 2009. His recent novel is very interesting as it recounts events after Jesus' death from his mother's perspective. I love Toibin's style and use of language and was engrossed in this novel which I - most unusually - downloaded and read on Kindle (I normally buy and hoard books, so this was quite the departure!). So, that's all for now - I hope this summer also sees many of you reading and enjoying it? It would be great to hear from you about your recommendations ... :)