Modern Languages
Head of Languages: Stephen Stewart

All students at Lord Williams’s study a modern foreign language to GCSE and it is our aim to make the experience enjoyable, stimulating and rewarding.

Apart from developing the ability to understand and use a new language, students learn essential communicative skills, develop an insight into other cultures, and learn about the way that languages work.

Visits and Exchanges
We offer an exceptionally wide range of opportunities for travel to France and Germany. We have well established links with schools in Lisieux, Normandy and Bonn and annual exchanges are organised. There are visits to the Aachen Christmas market and the Moselle valley, to Bayeux and to Paris. Sixth formers have been involved in a range of trips including work experience in Bonn and study visits to Paris.

Resources
In both French and German lessons a wide range of audio-visual resources is used. We have a dedicated suite of rooms on each site. Students are expected to participate actively in whole class, group and pair work. Videos, drama, computer software packages and classroom games feature regularly. We also have French and German language assistants.

Key Stage 3
All students in Year 7 study either French or German, with roughly equal numbers taking each language. The school reserves the right to allocate which language, but special requests are taken into consideration. A second language, French or German, is offered in Year 9.

Key Stage 4
All students take one language to GCSE and some choose to study two. The current syllabus for GCSE is NEAB French/German. Writing is assessed by coursework and the other three skills - listening, speaking and reading by final examination. GCSE Spanish is offered in partnership with Community Education and is taught one day each week after school.

Post-16
Both French and German A Level are offered. A wide range of topics is studied including 20th Century literature, film, politics and post war history of France and Germany. From September 2000 both subjects will also be offered at AS Level using the Edexcel syllabus.