Earlier this week we were fortunate enough to welcome Professor Tim Grant, Professor in the School of Social Sciences and Applied Linguistics at Aston University and one of the country’s leading forensic linguists, in to talk to our Psychology and English language students. Professor Grant’s job, in his own words, is ‘to improve the delivery of justice using the analysis of language’. Over his career he has contributed evidence in many criminal trials, in cases involving terrorism, murder, rape and sexual assault. He has been involved in investigations where forensic linguistic evidence was critical in providing intelligence and evidence for arrests where several hundred lives were at issue.

The talk allowed students to see how English and Psychology work in the real world. His work includes analysing evidence to be used in criminal investigations and he explained how the process works. It was a fascinating and thought-provoking talk.

Prospective students from Year 11 interested in taking English Language or Psychology A Level were also invited to attend – a taste of life in the Sixth Form at NHEHS! We also welcomed interested parents and teachers from across the school who were interested in what Professor Grant had to say. A real taste of how English and Psychology affect us all.