French is compulsory for all pupils up to GCSE and all those in the IVth Form must study either German or Spanish in addition to French. This choice is made after a “taster” course of around a dozen lessons in each language. German and Spanish are optional in the LVth and UVth.
Given the importance of language skills in today’s global market, pupils are encouraged to carry on a language into the VIth Form. Currently about 32 choose to study French, 17 take Spanish and a handful take German. In addition, we offer Italian in the VIth Form: this leads to an AS qualification from scratch over two years. In recent years, about 70% of those taking a language at A2 Level have continued with a language at university. For further details of the university destinations of linguists, please click here.
Whilst other languages are not a formal part of the curriculum, several pupils have studied Russian, Portuguese, Dutch and Chinese in recent years.
The curriculum is revised regularly; changes are therefore likely from time to time.
French
French is currently taught to all pupils in the Lower School, where we follow the iGCSE syllabus.
At AS and A2 Level, we follow the Edexcel syllabus, which aims to give an introduction to the culture, arts and politics of France and French-speaking countries and encourage pupils to explore a wide variety of topics. Recent themes have included the phenomenon of Nicolas Sarkozy; the Presidential elections of 2007; the riots of 2005; the colonialism of King Leopold of Belgium; Tintin; the influence of the films of Patrice Leconte; the future of the French language in Africa; the songs of Edith Piaf; and the defeat of France in 1940, to name but a few.
Pupils are encouraged to explore the culture and language in their own time through the use of the French news websites, interactive grammar sites and our own departmental materials. In addition every pupil has the opportunity to improve his or her spoken French in a weekly timetabled lesson with our French assistant.
German
All pupils have the opportunity to study at least three weeks of German when they enter the School in the IVth Form, as part of the "taster" course. Following this, about 30 carry on with it each year and a class of about 15 or 18 carries on to GCSE. 2011 will be the last year of the OCR syllabus at GCSE. From 2012 we will study for the iGCSE.
In the Sixth Form, German is taught following the Edexcel specification, which encourages the pupils to study a variety of topics ranging from youth culture, health, the environment and education at AS Level to historic and political events as well as other contemporary issues at A2 Level. The pupils will need to study one topic in depth for their oral exams at the end of each year and research an area of interest at AS Level for their written exam, which can include literature. All pupils have one-to-one conversation lessons on a weekly basis. Our main course book is ‘Zeitgeist’, but we also make extensive use of films and interactive materials to consolidate learning.
Spanish
Two thirds of our IVth Form opts for Spanish, and we use our own materials and resources to back up the textbook “So you really want to learn Spanish, Book One”. About 35-40 choose to continue to GCSE in the LVth.
An average of about ten starts the Edexcel A Level course. The main purpose of the course is to maximise performance in the four language skills, but we also aim to discover as much as we can about the Hispanic world. We include an introduction to literature, watch some of the classic Hispanic films, give an outline of the last hundred years of Spanish history and an overview of key issues affecting Hispanic America. In recent years, candidates have undertaken personal study in such diverse issues as the impact of Arabic on the Spanish language; racism in Spanish football; poetic imagery in Lorca’s plays; reguetón (the fusion of reggae and Latin music); Picasso’s ‘Guernica’; the transfer to democracy in Spain; and the legacy of Pinochet in Chile. Currently we offer A2 pupils in-depth study of of the short stories of García Márquez, Almodóvar’s cinema, immigration in the Hispanic world and the issue of the Spanish autonomías.
Italian
Italian is available in the Sixth Form as a beginners' course, leading to an AS qualification after two years. It is expected that this course will appeal to pupils with an aptitude for languages, who have enjoyed studying another language at GCSE and have reached at least an A grade, or pupils with an Italian background. The course involves four lessons a week and follows the Edexcel specification. Pupils reach GCSE standard by the end of the Lower Sixth, then work towards AS Level in the Upper Sixth, taking the two AS exams at the end of their final year.
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