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Academic
In the modern languages department, we believe that the children should be given the opportunity to learn more than one language to enable them to have a broader experience and to shine. Therefore French is introduced at the Pre-Prep stage to the youngest children (3-4 years old) and the older pupils (in Year 7) can then choose to learn Spanish or German. It is important to introduce the children early to modern languages in order to maximise their potential, improve their accent, and inspire confidence from the beginning.
We have an enthusiastic department which pursues goals designed to enable each pupil to perform to their full potential in this subject. Our pupils are encouraged to participate in class and to take part in various activities and projects for each topic, which will help them to learn with enjoyment. The boys and girls also have the opportunity to create some role-plays, learn songs or play games, which are in relation to the topics they are learning. We encourage the development of information technology skills, by using the word processor and other software during lessons. This also enables the children to work on their own and at their own pace, helping individuals to maximise their performance.
The learning environment is of paramount importance in learning languages. For this reason, the classrooms are designed to be as friendly and vibrant as possible. The pupils from each class are encouraged to create their own materials for each topic to be displayed on the walls of the classrooms.
The children take part in many extra-curricular activities such as French days, where they are encouraged to speak in French, taste delicious French food, wear French colours, learn the French national anthem, and gain a taste of French sports. We organise cultural trips, which are sometimes themselves linked to art and history trips, where the children speak French for most of the time. We have links with European schools so that the children can correspond and share experiences with their fellow pupils in French, Spanish or German. Many other activities are organised by our staff and also by the children themselves.
Starting at the Pre-Prep, and then increasing at the Prep School, children are taught to learn and practise their languages. They are also encouraged to be independent with their own learning and to find ways to make it practical, interesting, challenging and purposeful. In class, this means a culture of ’having a go’ through learning groups, competitions and various activities in modern languages.
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