Languages

We offer French from Year 7 with German and Spanish from Year 9. All three languages continue to A-Level. Language learning helps us develop many skills, not just those applicable to the sphere of communication, and it also helps our pupils to understand how their native language works.

Through our teaching, we aim to develop independent learners who are able to use language in a creative way with a strong focus on being able to communicate with a purpose, with pupils who enjoy learning about other cultures. Our lessons draw on our own experiences of living in different countries to help our pupils understand the principles of language learning. Our department philosophy is to emphasise the relevance of language in day to day interactions. To achieve this, we utilize cross-curricular activities such as sports, music and history to add meaning to the learning.

Food tasting and cultural celebrations are integral to our teaching and always give us opportunities to enhance the pupils’ learning. There is a lot more to it than simply learning the grammar and we aim to open our pupils’ eyes to how wonderfully fulfilling learning different languages can be. There is no better way to experience this than by going on our annual trip to Paris and having the thrill of ordering your own coffee in French!