Every student at Varndean has the opportunity to benefit greatly from learning new languages. The transferable skills learned and honed during language lessons at Varndean will open doors to new experiences, cultures and have a positive impact on a student's career prospects.
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
NELSON MANDELA
Why study this subject?
Advance your career
The globalisation of labour markets makes language skills one of the key competencies required by employers. Language skills can be a significant competitive advantage over somebody who does not have any language skills. A study has shown that a second language can add up to 35% to your salary.
In a post Brexit world, languages are now even more sought after as British companies seek to win contracts in Europe and across the world. German followed by French are currently the most sought after languages by UK based employers. Learning a language also opens additional doors to working and studying abroad.
Connect with other cultures
Languages are the most direct connection to other cultures. Being able to communicate in another language fosters an appreciation for the traditions, arts and history associated with that language. Studies show that studying a language promotes greater tolerance, empathy and acceptance of others.
Feed your brain
Learning a language is also beneficial for the brain. People who speak more than one language have improved memory, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, enhanced concentration, ability to multitask, and better listening skills. They switch between competing tasks and monitor changes in their environment more easily than monolinguals, as well as display signs of greater creativity and flexibility
How our students learn:
Our curriculum is fluency focused because we know that language students want to be able to use the language they are learning. We focus on learning fluency in speaking, writing, listening and reading before accuracy. This in turn builds student efficacy and confidence rather than picking on every mistake.
Across the department we are using a teaching methodology called EPI which stands for Extensive Processing Instruction.This essentially means that we are flooding students with repeated high frequency language chunks and structures in different forms to assist uptake and retention.
All language is introduced aurally as the brain is hardwired to learn language through the ears. Phonics is explicitly taught and new language is modelled so that we build our student’s speaking confidence. The language taught is provided on a sentence builder, which students glue into their books and refer to for support.
Grammar is introduced as bitesize chunks and is carefully sequenced so that students can adapt the language they are learning independently and accurately. Other skills such as micro listening skills, strategies for unknown words and online dictionary skills are all taught so that students leave Varndean as expert linguists.
Repetition increases the retrieval speed when remembering but having fun is also an essential ingredient in order to embed new language in the brain.
Students also learn songs, study films, learn about culture and use technology to learn.
Year 7:
Year 8:
Year 9:
Years 10 and 11:
See below for examples of activities we have provided previously.
Year 7 Languages Song competition
National Dishes Cookery Competition
Poetry Competition for All Years
Years 7 – 9 Spelling & Translation Bees
Weekend trips to Malaga and Nice
Year 9 Trip to Opal Coast, France (Enrichment Week)
Year 9 & 10 Trip to Rhine Valley, Germany (Enrichment Week)
Year 10 Trip to Salamanca, Spain (Enrichment Week)
Visits from International students to Varndean School
Visits from Languages students at BHASVIC
Language Club fundraisers and activities
