In the spotlight

By Ms Angelina Browning, Acting Head of English

The belief that studying English and literature helps students understand themselves and the world they inhabit is central to our team’s practice. Through novels, plays, poetry and media, we encourage students to ask questions and reflect on their place within wider social narratives.

One of the joys of teaching English is the opportunity to continually refresh the curriculum. This year, we have further developed our focus on persuasive writing and explored new approaches to help students make real-world connections. For example, our Year 9 students recently studied biography and interviewed a relative to communicate their stories through writing. In Year 10, students combined traditional poetry analysis with personal reflection to deepen their understanding of the power of poetry.

We are fortunate to have a skilled team of English teachers with experience not only across Australia but around the world. Members of our department have taught in India, England, Canada, Germany and Singapore, bringing with them rich experiences, innovative pedagogical approaches and valuable cultural insights. Our students benefit enormously from teachers who draw on such broad professional journeys.

This year, we congratulate Mr Cameron Brown and Ms Emily Ridge on achieving Proficient Teacher and Experienced Teacher accreditation respectively. We also congratulate Mrs Louise Wallace-Richards on being awarded a Fellowship of the Teachers’ Guild of NSW for her extraordinary impact and leadership in education. We now face the challenging task of farewelling her after many years of English teaching and leadership at Radford. A former Head of Department, she has left a lasting mark on English pedagogy at the College.

Planning for 2026 is already underway, and we are excited to trial a new approach to the explicit teaching of grammar, punctuation and spelling. We look forward to continuing our lunchtime seminars for Years 11 and 12. We have also selected new texts and are exploring ways to incorporate fresh perspectives on sustainability and diversity.

As my time as Acting Head of English comes to a close, I would like to thank our English teachers for being an inspiring team to work with over the past 18 months. I would also like to thank Mr Alex Trinder for his calm and steady leadership as Acting Assistant Head of English, and I look forward to welcoming back Mr Jason Golding as Head of Department in 2026.