Modern Languages

From Reception all the way through to Year 8, our aim is to use the medium of French to arm our children with the patterns of language-learning that equip them for senior school and beyond. I am a firm believer that being able to master a language is one of the most crucial skills for the modern world; not only does it develop a tolerance and understanding of other cultures, but it also opens doors to an increasingly globalised job market.

Whilst preparing our pupils for Common Entrance and Scholarship to some of the top schools in the country, our aim is to do so in a way which is exciting, innovative and fun. Classes are small, which allows for fun, interactive and varied games and activities, as well as plenty of opportunity for hands-on practice of the language. Equal emphasis is placed on communication, comprehension and grammatical rigour.

Each year we run a joint trip to Normandy with the History Department, all Year 7 pupils are entered for the national Spelling Bee competition and there is a yearly French Day, as well as a weekly German club. Looking forward, I am keen to develop further opportunities for the children to learn about new languages and cultures.

As Head of Modern Languages, I am confident that Brambletye is a fun and exciting place to learn languages. But don’t just take my word for it, please do make an appointment to come and meet one of the languages team – we would be more than happy to show you around.

To finish, these are the words that one of my Year 5 pupils used to describe learning French at Brambletye: “I really like doing French because we learn in a fun and exciting way.”
I couldn’t agree more.

Simon Bird
Head of Modern Languages