An Introduction To The Modern Languages Department

The Modern Languages Department teaches French, Spanish and German, to GCSE and A-Level.

Head of Faculty: Mr Stephen Woolnough

The curriculum
Most pupils learn French in Years 7, 8 and 9. Currently, almost all pupils in Year 8 also start to learn Spanish. It is not compulsory to take a foreign language for GCSE, but it is recommended for most pupils, and the majority of students do continue to take lessons in their second language at least up to GCSE. Teaching methods and courses are modern and engaging, facilities in the classrooms are good, with projectors and interactive whiteboards in most classrooms, and class sizes are very advantageous.

Trips and Exchanges
The Department has a very active programme of trips and exchanges. In 2009, twenty Year 9 and 10 pupils took part in the Spanish exchange, with the Colegio Europa in Barcelona. They spent a week with their exchange partner's family, had Spanish lessons at the Colegio and went on excursions around Barcelona. Twelve Year 10 students took part in a very successful and long-running exchange with the Albert-Einstein Realschule in Ulm in Germany. In the summer term 2009, most Year 8 pupils spent a week in Arras and Boulogne in France, and the Year 9 pupils learning Spanish spent a week in Madrid, while those learning German went to Sankt Goarshausen in the Rhineland.