English is at the heart of the school curriculum from the beginning. All girls go on to take English and English Literature at GCSE and  English Literature is very popular in the Sixth Form.

As well as fluency and accuracy in written and spoken English, and in addition to following the formal exam specifications, the department seeks to promote lively, creative work and girls have been successful in recent national competitions. Creative writing societies are run during the lunch hours, and girls in Years 7 and 8 can also choose to attend a timetabled creative writing activity. All girls write poetry and participate in the annual Poetry Festival in the Autumn Term, which is judged by a distinguished poet; in 2005 it was the Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion. Selected poems are published in a school anthology. The school has also been successful in winning awards for poetry in national competitions such as Spellbound, WH Smith & Son and the Kaleidocope Young Writers' Competition. Pupils have competed with distinction in the National Poetry Competition and girls' work has also featured in the TES, Poems on the Buses and elsewhere.

Other annual events include celebrating National Book Week and debating competitions. Successful writers such as Anne Fine, Gillian Cross and Mary Hoffman (a JAGS alumna) come in to talk to the girls during National Book Week and a substantial amount of money is raised for charity through the Readathon. All girls in Years 7, 8 and 9 have an opportunity to participate in the Middle School Debating Competion, and teams from the Senior School compete in national debating competitions at the highest level.

Regular theatre trips to see a wide range of contemporary and classical drama are organised, as well as lecture days and field trips for the Sixth Form. A seminar group also runs in the lunch hour for Sixth Formers considering reading English at university.