The department consists of thirteen teachers, aided by language assistants from France, Germany, Spain and China. There are separate heads of subject for French, German, Spanish and Chinese in addition to the head of the Modern Languages department. The department is housed in Big School and has seven classrooms, all equipped with tape and CD player, overhead projector, data projector, television and DVD player. We make regular use of the school’s two ICT suites and with the sixth form we are currently piloting interactive courses for the new AS levels in French, German and Spanish.
- Lower School
- Middle School
- Sixth Form
- Teaching Style
- Philosophy
- Extra-curricular
- Exchanges and trips
- Further information
Lower School
All boys joining the first year learn French for half a year, followed by German for half a year. At the end of the first year they choose between French or German as their main language, which they will study until GCSE.
Middle School
In the Third Year, boys are given the opportunity to learn a second and possibly third modern language. They can choose from Spanish, French, German and Mandarin Chinese. Pupils joining at thirteen with French as their main language continue with French and can choose Spanish, German or Mandarin Chinese as their second foreign language. Third year French pupils take a test at the end of the Autumn term and on the basis of this and class performance, a top set is selected. This set starts the GCSE course in January and takes the final exams at the end of the fourth year.
In the fourth year, all boys study their main language (French or German) for GCSE and they can also opt to continue studying a second language. Three languages are at present offered to GCSE in middle school: French, German and Spanish. Boys currently studying Chinese in the fourth and fifth year will take the Foundation Certificate of Secondary Education (FCSE). From September 2009 boys opting for Chinese will study the new AQA Chinese GCSE course. The fasttrack French set takes AS French in the fifth year.
Sixth Form
French, German and Spanish are offered to Advanced Level and for each we are following the new AQA exam syllabus. Sixth form language uptake is good and many take their languages further, whether by opting for a languages degree or by combining a language with another subject such as History, International management or engineering. Boys focussing on Science, Maths, Humanities etc are encouraged to consider studying in addition a modern language at least to AS Level to enhance their skill base. The possibility of taking an ‘Erasmus Year’ abroad whatever subject is being studied at university is becoming increasingly appealing. Italian and Russian are also offered to GCSE in the sixth form.
Teaching Style at Abingdon
Whilst emphasis is put on the ability of our pupils to communicate effectively in everyday situations, the teaching of grammar has an unassailable position in our approach. Pupils are formally tested on grammar or vocabulary weekly. The language in the classroom is the target language unless there are educationally valid reasons for resorting to English. Full use is made of information technology, songs, role plays and games in our teaching. Considerable importance is placed on the qualities useful for further study: an ability to read continuous prose texts with ease and a reasonable grasp of cultural and historical background.
Philosophy
The pattern of choices that has evolved aims to provide a coherent strategy for language learning throughout each pupil’s career at Abingdon. The emphasis is on providing the skills necessary to learn any language from scratch as well as achieving the highest standard possible in any one, two or possibly three languages. The breadth and the diversity of language choice is an integral part of the modern languages strategy at Abingdon.
It is the policy of the department to set main language pupils by ability as early as is practicable, normally at the start of the second year and after Christmas for the third year. Setting is reviewed regularly and it is always possible for boys to work their way up to a higher set.
Extra-curricular
We run a languages club on Wednesday afternoons for the Lower and Middle School, where boys experience a range of different languages through games, puzzles and songs. We also have a Modern Languages Society for the Sixth Form run in conjunction with the School of St. Helen and St. Katharine, which offers social events, films etc with a European theme. Various other activities take place over the course of the year, such as visiting theatre performances. We also offer regular drop-in clinics for all languages and year groups.
Exchanges and trips
The Abingdon Modern Languages Department offers an exceptionally wide range of trips abroad – an indication of the level of commitment of our staff. We consider trips to be extremely valuable from a broader educational point of view, as well as for working on language skills. We run a series of exchanges and study trips with contacts in Aix en Provence, Bielefeld and Santiago de Compostela. Additionally boys in the lower school have the opportunity to visit Normandy and, in the following year, Cologne. There is also a trip to a German market. Boys in the Sixth Form take part in a study tour to Paris, Berlin and/or Madrid. We also run a trip to Beijing and Zhejiang in China.
Further Information
Further information about the modern languages department curriculum can be found in the curriculum documents available for download on the main curriculum page.