Modern Foreign Languages
At Talbot Heath we believe that learning a new language is important. It broadens the horizons allowing our pupils to travel further a field in their life after Talbot Heath.
Young people naturally engage with foreign language in a way that we as adults cannot – they see languages as natural and fun, it is our duty to build and nurture this enthusiasm to further develop our girls’ linguistic skills.
Language competency and intercultural understanding are not optional extras: they are an essential part of being a citizen. In their document “Languages for all: Languages for life” the DfES cite the fundamental beliefs of the modern languages faculty. At Talbot Heath all girls have the opportunity to study at least 2 European languages (French and Spanish) to GCSE and A Level, all with the Edexcel examination board.
The curriculum places a strong emphasis on oral fluency and written accuracy whilst opening the girls’ eyes to cultural differences. To achieve this, we have a full yearly calendar of events ranging from food tasting, Flamenco, films, Translation Bee and French theatre clubs, a ‘Linguists’ Dinner’ and regular trips to France and Spain.
ICT is used as appropriate to support girls’ learning and widen their horizons. We use a wide variety of languages apps to enhance Languages learning such as ‘Languagenut’ and ‘SentencesBuilder.com’.
The faculty has strong links with international schools which enable students to correspond with penpals.
We are also fortunate to have the services of modern language assistants particularly in the years leading up to public examinations where girls have one to one lessons every week.