In English, students develop the ability to speak, listen, read, view and write with enjoyment and confidence, through a wide range of learning experiences. The study of English is compulsory from Years 7-12.

At Years 7 and 8 there is a particular focus on improving literacy skills using a whole class, language arts approach. Students study handwriting, phonetic spelling, sentence composition and vocabulary extension through to summarizing, note taking and essay structure.

A major aim of English teaching at Dromana Secondary College is to develop and enhance literacy, the skill that enables people to understand and appreciate, to make judgements and decisions, to act to control their lives and to learn about themselves and the world. Effective literacy learning is central to the English classroom.

Students who require extra assistance are offered small group or individual support. Students can be withdrawn from class in small groups for extra tuition in the Learning Centre, which provides intensive tuition in literacy skills to complement and support what is learnt in regular English classes.

In addition to core English at Years 9 and 10, students may select electives in Journalism, Creative Writing and Literature. Foundation English and Literature are offered to complement the study of English at VCE level. Units in VCE Literature are offered to Year 10 students wishing to extend themselves in this area.

Students are offered many other opportunities to extend and enhance their study of English. During the annual Writers and Readers Festival, students can listen to visiting authors, take part in workshops, competitions and other activities. The school subscribes to a number of interschool competitions to allow students to develop and test their abilities in formal competitions against members of other schools. The Australian Schools Writing Competition and English Competition allow students to compare their performance in written tests with other students Australia wide, as well as give valuable practice in writing under exam conditions. The Lions Youth of the Year contest allows students to build their public speaking skills. The Harvey Norman Spelling Competition gives students with high level spelling skills a chance to pit their skills against others in their age group. Debating at both school and interschool level provides another opportunity to extend the English skills introduced in the classroom.

All English teachers at Dromana Secondary college strive to provide appropriate learning experiences and opportunities for students. Each student is encouraged to reach their potential through a variety of experiences.