We can't wait to welcome you to Andover College in September! 

We have created this interactive page to give you a sense of what studying English Literature at Andover College is like. Scroll down to delve into the Shakespearean Focus activities put together by your lecturer Susannah!

We would love to see your ideas and results so please send them back to andoverapplicantwelcome@sparsholt.ac.uk with 'English Literature' as the email heading!  

Be sure to look into the additional help and support we can provide through our experienced Careers and Health & Wellbeing teams. 

Welcome to the Course!

As an English Literature student at Andover College you will study and examine a variety of classic literary texts, including novels, plays and poetry. These will range in their period, content and approach providing greater opportunity for critique and examination of similarities/differences. Texts you could be studying will vary from Shakespeare through to 21st century writers such as Margaret Atwood or George Orwell.

In order to prepare you for the start of college in September the department has put together a collection of resources for you to get started with focusing on the Shakespearean play - Twelfth Night! 

The Natioinal Theatre are streaming past performances on their YouTube channel weekly and recently Twelfth Night, featuring Tamsin Greig was on the bill! Take a look below! 

Once you have watched the play we would like you to read through the resources below and create your own review. You could focus on an individual character or performance or perhaps the play in general - either way we would like to see what you create so make sure you email your work back to us! 

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Tamsin Greig on Twelfth Night: 'The self-judgement of women is awful' - here. 

Now that you are more familiar with the source material try your hand at the creative arts challenge below!

Creative Arts: Shakespearean Shipwreck 

We would like you to create your own Shakespearean Shipwreck! This can be using any medium you prefer, such as, diagrams, textile, models, creative writing, computer generated graphics and more! Be as creative as you can and make sure to email your results - this clever individual created a cake version of the shipwreck!

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You will find below a collection of resources to download that you may find helpful in your exploration of the text, including important quotes and National Theatre Workbooks!

Introduction to the Genre

English Literature Activities

Additional Resources

Eager to learn more? Take a look at these additional activities to keep your skills sharp over the summer! 

Write an analytical response to the following statement:
‘Kill Bill: why we must take Shakespeare out of the classroom’ - Shakespeare wrote to put money in his pocket, food on the table and fire in the bellies of his audiences, not strike modern teenagers with fear. Most of Shakespeare's audiences were illiterate. His words were chosen to be spoken or heard, not to be read and deadened behind a desk – they wither when performance is removed.’

You can argue for or against (or even take the middle ground and argue both!). You should aim to write 500 words. Source here. 

There are a variety of web pages which are offering free online courses to keep your mind and skills sharp over the summer. 

The Open University has a variety of free online courses available in an array of different subjects. Take a look at the catalogue to choose your course! Here. 

You could also investigate the courses offered at the EtonX web page; please note these are paid for programmes that your current school may have access to so please check with them and back here regularly for updates.

Not already applied?

Got this link but not yet applied? – Click below so you can join us in September!

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Our Courses: 

A-Level in English Literature (2 Years) 

New Activity! 

You should read the plot overview for BOTH 12th Night and the Tempest, and then make a plot Venn diagram - Plot points for 12th Night on one side and The Tempest on the other - anything that occurs in both should go in the overlapping section.

Use these SparkNotes to help you: 

Twelfth Night

The Tempest

Oxford Press Resources 

Oxford University Press have produced a variety of activities to enable your learning over the long summer break. Make sure you let us know how you get on! 

English resources available here. 

Careers Guidance 

Our careers guidance aims to expand the horizons of all students enabling you to make informed career decisions in order to progress both during and after college. 

Carol is our dedicated Careers Advisor for Andover College! 

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We also have our Sun Progression Mentor Anna! 

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Anna works alongside the Southern Universities Network (SUN) to help students recognise the routes of progression available to them, and to continue their journey in education! 

We recently launched the new Careers Hub located in the College library so come and say hello to Carol and Anna! 

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Ready for more... 

BBC Writers room is running a free online 'Introduction to Screenwriting' course in partnership with the University of East Anglia and Future Learn. Have a look and let us know how you get on! 

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Social Media 

We love to post about all our students on our platforms including their achievements, trips and excellent work - take a look at some of the highlights below and make sure you follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube! 

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Student wellbeing and support 

At Andover College we understand that starting college in these uncertain times can be daunting and we aim to make this process as simple as possible. 

We have a dedicated team that provide our students with any additional support they need including; 

  • Counselling 
  • Carer support 
  • Childcare support 
  • Confidential one-to-one services 

We have also recently introduced two new members to the wellbeing team ... Arlo and Romeo the Therapy Dogs!

Arlo and Romeo are part of the continued effort from Andover College to consistently improve on and add to provisions for students. They are based on campus with their owners throughout term.

Research has shown that students are significantly less stressed and anxious, and even have increased happiness and energy, immediately following spending time in a drop-in session with a dog present. What good boys!

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